Saturday Eats

Abby is out for a long walk with her Dad while I get a few things done around the house.

Today - while I dive back into the book (goal to have it to my editor complete by next weekend). is two of my favorite bundt cake recipes to take to church or work. The first one is VERY easy.  It's moist enough to eat without frosting but you can drizzle it with chocolate syrup with whipped cream for a more decadant dessert.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Pudding Cake

1 bundt pan

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Recipe cake mix

1/2 cup orange juice (no pulp)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup cooking oil

1/3 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican Vanilla (you can use vanilla extract but the Penzey's is amazing)

1 three ounce box jello pistachio instant pudding

4 extra large eggs

Mix ingredients in large bowl with hand mixer on low until blended (about 30 seconds). 

Beat on medium to medium/high for 2 and 1/2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently.

Pour about 2/3 of the batter into a bundt pan sprayed generously with non stick coating mix.
Into remaining batter, mix with a spoon until blended-
1/2 cup MINI dark chocolate chips (the larger ones will sink into the batter)

3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons Hershey's Special Dark chocolate syrup.

Pour onto the batter in pan. You do NOT need to marble this with a spoon.

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes (check at 50 minutes, a thin knife inserted into the cake near the middle should come out clean).

Drizzle with a bit more syrup or eat plain.

The second cake is a "blast from the past" if you grew up in the 70's. I remember my Mom making this and recently found the recipe printed out on a little card in Dad's kitchen. It takes longer to make than the cake above but it's worth it.

I hadn't had it since I was a kid when I ran across the recipe again, adding a bit of lemon zest and mellowing out the  "pucker up" tart glaze a bit with milk and lemon extract instead of straight sugar and lemon juice.  It was a nice change, yet still a very familiar taste, just as good as I remembered.

It's an incredibly moist, tender crumb, and the outside gets this nice little crunchy bite around the edges from long slow baking at a lower temperature.  

7 Up Cake

3 sticks salted butter
3 cups sugar
5  extra large eggs (at room temperature)
2 Tablespoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups of all purpose flower
3/4 cup 7-Up

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp lemon extract
a splash of 7-Up  (until you get the consistency you want, start with 1/2 tsp. and go from there)

Preheat oven to 325 F.  In a large bowl, cream butter for about 3 minutes with a hand or stand mixer on medium high to high. Add in the sugar (about 1/4 of the total at a time) and beat for additional 17 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as it mixes. (Yes, you heard me, 20 minutes total). Add eggs, one at a time, beating a minute after each one (the mixture will look VERY fluffy). Add lemon extract, lemon zest and the flour, one cup at a time, mixing on low or by hand just enough to combine (don't over beat once the flour is added). 

Gently fold in the 7-Up and pour into a greased 12 cup Bundt cake pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes  to 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until a thin knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  (check at 50-60 minutes, this cake is easy to over bake).

Cool and glaze.