Pound "Crack"

After an insanely busy week working/cooking, you'd think I wouldn't want to step foot in a kitchen, but I guess I was wanting to cook for me. I decided I would bake a pound cake layered with sweetened strawberries and cream cheese whipped cream. A shortcake of sorts.

Since I can't cook "small" anymore (after 5 years of cooking for thousands, it's hard to cook for under 100), I made two batches: one batch made 24 muffin-size pound cakes and the other batch made 3 small bundt cakes. One bundt would be for dessert at home tonight and 2 bundts claimed space in the freezer for teacher appreciation day next week. The muffin-sized cakes are in the freezer too, for a last minute dinner party dessert or a whoops-look-what-fell-out-of-the-freezer-and-into-my-mouth treat.

I used a friends pound cake recipe but changed it a bit with some Jiffy Cornbread mix. I wish I had had my camera when she took a bite, her eyebrows curved in uncertainty, and I told her the part about using Jiffy in her already divine pound"crack" recipe. I'm calling it pound"crack" because it's so addictive....and no, I've never used crack...it's just an adage people. I'm guessing she thought it was pretty good since we almost (notice I said "we") attacked the one I had saved for someone else. I wonder if it will still be there tomorrow?

Lemon Cornmeal Pound-Short Cake

Yield: 1 large bundt, 12 muffin-size, or 2 small bundts

For the cake:
3 sticks unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract (or 2 tsp. lemon zest)
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Jiffy cornbread mix
For the strawberries:
2 pints sliced strawberries, stems removed
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. water
For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream: (a version of the Easter Strawberry Cream Cake)
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease or spray your pan/pans. Beat the butter and cream cheese for the cakes until light in color. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the flour and Jiffy until combined. Pour into desired pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. While the cakes bake, mix the sliced strawberries, sugar, and water together and set aside. Whip together the cream cheese and sugar for the whipped cream filling. Add the heavy cream, slowly. Whip the heavy cream-cream cheese-sugar mixture until fluffy and whipped like whipped cream. Let the cake/cakes cool completely and slice in half horizontally. Layer with the strawberries then the cream then the second cake layer. Top with the cream and then the strawberries.
Note: this cake may be made without the Jiffy by replacing it with all-purpose flour.

Sweet Potato Recipe Contest

I decided to enter my very first recipe contest! I've never been able to do this before because professional chefs are typically excluded. This contest prohibits "full-time kitchen professionals." I only work 10-15 hours in our church kitchen and write a bi-weekly food column, so they said I was good to go. You'll have to pardon my newbie excitement, but...this blogging thing has opened up a whole new world! Since I'm just beginning my blog-journey, I've been constantly reading and following one blogger's favorite sites to another's, and so on and so on. I eventually get so far away from the original blog I was reading, that I have to start from the beginning. That's how I ran across the sweet potato contest at Sweetbytes. I've put my contest recipe entry for Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting below. This recipe is a combination of two of my favorite things: cupcakes and brown butter. If you want to add a touch of crunch, try sprinkling the frosted tops with candied-spiced pecans.


Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
Yield: 24 cupcakes, 1 loaf, One 9x13 cake, or 48 mini cupcakes

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp. honey
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sweet potato baby food or canned sweet potatoes (drained & mashed) or 1 cooked & mashed sweet potato
2 cups white-whole wheat flour (or half whole wheat, half all-purpose)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cardamom or nutmeg
For the Brown Butter Frosting:
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners (or spray a loaf/cake pan with non-stick spray). Cream together the butter, honey, & brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and the sweet potato. The batter might look curdled, but it will come together once the flour is added. While the mixer is off, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, & cardamom/nutmeg. Mix on low speed until combined. Place batter in the cupcake liners, 3/4's full and bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting. For the frosting: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Beat the cream cheese and pour the hot butter over it, on low speed. Turn up the speed and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt, mixing to combine. Add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Frost the cupcakes once they are completely cooled. These will keep in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

Here's the recipe I like for Candied-Spiced Pecans (courtesy of Allrecipes.com). I add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper to it for an extra kick.