Raves and Craves

Rave: As I write this, Scott and I are on the plane to Baltimore to see our nephew graduate from Secret Service training. Just think, next week he will be talking into his suit sleeve like the guys/gals you see on TV and movies. We are all so proud of him. He has demonstrated incredible determination and diligence to get this far. I hope the people he protects realize what a great guy he is. I like to tell all the young boy scouts I know that his Eagle Scout made an impression on all that interviewed him. I would imagine the two year mission in the Philippines was also impactful during the interview process.

Crave: I am going to start posting recipes I try and love. Please know that I have quite the sweet tooth and love to bake, so most of these will be dessert. This cake recipe was in August/September 2008 issue of “Cook’s Country” magazine. One of my favorites. (Thanks Mom for passing these along!) This magazine is so cool because they test each recipe a bazillion times to get it darn-near perfect. I made two of these to take over to a family in the ward last week and the brother-in-law said he would crave the cake for the rest of his life. Please don’t let a cake from scratch intimidate you like it did me at first. This is so easy and worth the couple of extra steps. Soooooo much better than a cake mix!

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake
You will need 3-4 lemons to get the juice and rind needed for the recipe

Cake:
2 ½ cups cake flour (or 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 5 tablespoons of cornstarch)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk (room temperature)
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¾ cup sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature

Glaze:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons buttermilk

For the cake: Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 325o. Grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan. Combine flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Combine buttermilk, lemon, and vanilla in liquid measuring cup.
With electric mixer on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 1 min. (This is called “blooming the flavors” and makes all the difference.) Transfer ¼ cup sugar mixture to a small bowl, cover and reserve for topping. Add butter to the remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and yolk, on at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk mixture, and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25-35 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes and spread glaze over warm cake.
For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread glaze over warm cake and sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar mixture. Cool completely, at least two hours, (if you can wait that long!)