Week 21: 7-Up Pound Cake

I made this week's cake for sweet friends who left for the beach this morning. 
I've had this recipe since the summer of 1985 and believe it was the very first cake I baked as a new bride.
It is a wonderful cake to make in the spring with its lemony flavor and would be wonderful covered with the fresh berries in season. 

7-Up Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks, room temperature)
3 cups sugar
5 eggs (room temperature)
3 cups flour
1 cup 7-Up, Sprite or Sierra Mist
2 teaspoons lemon extract

Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add lemon extract and mix well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 7-Up then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly.
Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.

Cool cake on wire rack for 10-15 minutes and then turn out on your cake plate.

Enjoy!!!!
Happy Baking!
Julie

Week 20: Cream Cheese-Cherry Vanilla Pound Cake

The other day, while in line at the grocery store, a magazine caught my eye...

 I had not heard of Taste of the South Magazine before I brought this one home.  Have you?  There are so many cakes in this magazine that I am looking forward to baking.
Today was especially fun as my precious daughter, Bethany Louise, helped me bake this week's cake.  She is home from college for the remainder of the month; but will leave the first week of June to serve with Worldview Academy.  I loved having her help me!  She did most of the work... I just chopped the cherries for the Cream Cheese-Cherry Vanilla Pound Cake.
This cake has already gotten rave reviews in my house. We will be taking part of it to our dear neighbor, who just celebrated his 75th birthday and loves it when we bring him goodies from our kitchen.
Our Samuel graduated from high school last Saturday. We are having a celebration for him Sunday afternoon.  If there is any cake remaining, on Sunday, I will slice it to go with the other desserts.

Let me encourage you to bake this cake!  It would be wonderful for a little girl's birthday party.  Nicole, from Puttin' on the G.R.I.T.S. blog baked one and added a cherry glaze and cherries for garnish (so cute!)  Even if you have all boys - bake this cake.  My guys LOVE it!

Cream Cheese-Cherry Vanilla Pound Cake
Source:  Taste of the South Magazine

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3 1/4 all purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 10oz jars maraschino cherries, drained and chopped (save the juice, if you are going to make the glaze or if you plan on adding it to your favorite soft drink or limeade. : ) )
1 vanilla bean, scraped and reserved (I used 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy.  Add sugar, beating until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
3. In another bowl, sift together 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add, one cup at a time, of flour mixture to butter mixture until combined.
4. Toss chopped cherries with 1/4 cup flour.  Add to batter and gently stir.  Add vanilla bead seeds. Stir.
5. Spoon into bundt pan and gently tap on counter to release any air bubbles.
6. Bake approximately 1 hour 20 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.





7. Let cake cool in pan 10-15 minutes. Turn it out onto your cake plate.



Enjoy!
Happy Baking!
Julie

Week 19: Snickerdoodle Sheet Cake

This week I was asked to bake a cake for a group of men.  I knew it needed to be a large cake so I opted for the Snickerdoodle Sheet Cake I had recently seen on Pinterest.  The sheet cakes on my blog are sure to feed a crowd and are always enjoyed by all. Plus, they do not take long to bake.  I baked this cake at night, let it cool a bit and then covered it with foil. The next morning I made the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Icing and it was ready for David's meeting that afternoon. 
Our oldest son, Benjamin, loves Snickerdoodle cookies so I have made many a dozen of those little gems; but this was my first Snickerdoodle Sheet Cake. It is the first of many to come.

Snicker Doodle Sheet Cake
Source:  Sweet Treats and More 

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

2 sticks butter, softened
1 and 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 and 1/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 325.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one a time. Add vanilla.
Alternating, add flour mixture, then milk - in three batches, but end with the flour mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cake cool, completely, before adding the buttercream icing.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream
Source:  Sweet Treats and More

1 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/3 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons Half-n-Half (or milk)

Mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Alternating, add powdered sugar and half and half.  Spread on  cake.


This cake is definitely a crowd pleaser.  Enjoy!
Julie

Week 18: Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

     This week's cake is a winner!  I baked it this afternoon for tonight's small group meeting and Samuel and David already cut a piece and said it was delicious.  Let me know if you bake it!

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
3 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time beating until light and creamy. Beat in milk, lemon zest and vanilla.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) and gradually add to the butter mixture until blended well.

Toss the blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour. Fold half of the berries into the batter.  Spoon half of the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan (I lined the bottom with parchment paper).  Spread the remaining blueberries over the batter and then spread the remaining batter over the added blueberries.

Bake for an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.  I checked it after 55 minutes and the cake still needed a few more minutes.

Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Using a toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the cake.  Turn your cake out onto serving dish and then pour lemon icing over all.

Lemon Icing:
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
Lemon Juice

Combine powdered sugar and milk. Add lemon juice a little at a time until you get the consistency of a creamy glaze.  Spread over top of cake.

Enjoy!!!
Happy Baking!
Julie