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Ultra Lemony Lemon Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze

Ultra Lemony Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze

#CitrusLove

“In my basket, under my clothes, you’ll find two books—new, so be gentle with them. It’s two volumes by a man the world is going to hear from. You can start reading if you want and it will raise your lid a little.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

When I won Mary’s give away and received Baked Occasions by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito I was (almost) overwhelmed with all the fantastic recipes. This cookbook is just as scrumptious as Baked Elements! How about Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake or Chocolate Pop Tarts with Peanut Butter and Jam Filling? Black Forest Cupcakes and Strawberry Supreme Cake have been bookmarked. When I found Ultra Lemony Lemon Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze there was no turning back. How could I resist making a cake that required the zest of 10 lemons! This was a cake that I had to make. What did I do with all the leftover lemon juice? Made lemonade!

This Bundt is moist and lemony. Magically the rum and almond flavors meld with the lemon to make a mighty fine cake. If lemon desserts are a favorite this is a must bake cake. This cake travels and keeps well and can be made a day before it is eaten. The recipe for Ultra Lemony Lemon Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze can be found here. READ MORE . . .

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Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Olallie Berries

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting

A Slice of Decadence

“When June came the grasses headed out and turned brown, and the hills turned a brown which was not brown but a gold and saffron and red—an indescribable color.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Picking Olallie berries the first week in June is an annual tradition. My mom took us to Gidzich Ranch every June. Making Olallie Jam and pie with my mom is a treasured food memory. This year I went to Gidzich Ranch to pick berries with fellow blogger, Sunny Cove Chef, and picky daughter. The Olallie season is even shorter this year, three weeks rather than five or six. There is no ignoring the California drought. The u-pick for raspberries and boysenberries has been cancelled this year. Although all the fresh berry offerings are seasonally available at the farm stand. And they sell pie. Buy the slice or an entire pie. We shared a slice of raspberry pie on our visit. Almost unbelievable, pie stuffed to overflowing with vivid magenta berries. Summer! READ MORE . . .

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Blueberry Muffins with Doughnut Topping

Blueberry Muffins with Doughnut Topping

Blue Velvet

“They left the valley road and drove into the worn and rutted hills over a set of wheel tracks gulleyed by the winter rains. The horses strained into their collars and the buckboard rocked and swayed. The year had not been kind to the hills, and already in June they were dry and the stones showed through the short, burned feed.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Spending time picking blueberries was a wonderful way to begin summer. With bursts of sunshine punching through a sky filled with cotton candy fog I bravely left my sweatshirt in the car. It didn’t take very long to load up with blueberries. I came home with a bucket of blue velvet. Pure summer bliss! READ MORE . . .

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Apricot Ricotta Oat Bars

Apricot Ricotta Oat Bars

Stone Fruit Season

“Adam fluttered like a bewildered bee confused by too many flowers.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

When stone fruit comes in season it’s easy to get carried away. I bought too many apricots. Just couldn’t help myself. There wasn’t enough fruit for a pie, but there was just enough for this recipe. I used a combination of very soft and sweet and just ripe tangy apricots. Any ripe summer fruit would be wonderful—blueberries, blackberries, peaches, strawberries. READ MORE . . .

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Whole Wheat Sesame Tahini Cookies

Whole Wheat Sesame Tahini Cookies

A Great Cookie

“Every petal of blue lupin is edged with white, so that a field of lupins is more blue than you can imagine. And mixed with these were splashes of California poppies. These too are of a burning color—not orange, not gold, but if pure gold were liquid and could raise cream, that golden cream might be the color of the poppies. When their season was over the yellow mustard came up and grew to a great height.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It’s already May and the only thing I know for sure is that a great cookie will brighten any day. Reminiscent of the iconic sesame candy halva, these cookies are fabulous. The edges are crunchy with sesame goodness while the center of the cookie stays soft. It all began with this recipe for The (Prodigal) Sesame Seed Cookie that I made last Christmas. I ended up making two, double batches. My chocolate loving family gravitated to these buttery cookies, scooping up two or three at a time. I knew then that this new flavor combination was worthy of more exploration. The backbone of this recipe comes from Maida Heatter’s Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies. I took a different path and went sesame. READ MORE . . .