winter is totally blueberry time, right? or maybe fatty food time WITH some blueberries to get dem antioxidants? that sounds a little better. layers in the cold are good, although i can't say much on that end, since those kind of layers do not seem to exist for me, even if i try....unless i go on vacation. so i'll stick to sweaters, scarves, blankets and hats to keep warm.
anyway, so pound cake. it's delicious. i got this fancy bundt pan from a friend and have been needing to make something in it for about a month now. it was rolling around in my back seat for most of that time, until i finally brought it in, and was thinking to myself: it is time! it was either that or blueberry muffins, so i thought again- why not combine the two?
this recipe comes from all cakes considered, by melissa gray. she works (worked?) for npr, and wrote a book about experimenting with cakes and bringing them to work. it is pretty great, aside from the recipes, i love reading all her stories about how these cakes came to be, or incidents involving them. this pound cake is the first recipe in the book- sour cream pound cake, aka: the man catcher (not even kidding, check out the book sometime).
adapted from Melissa Gray, All Cakes Considered, 2009
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream (i did not have any, so i used a 6oz container of orange cream yogurt plus 2 tbsp buttermilk, this covered for the orange extract, too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract (i used lemon zest here)
1 tsp orange extract (i omitted because of the yogurt)
1 1/2 c blueberries, plus 2-3 tbsp flour to coat them (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake)
set your oven to 325F. grease and flour a 10" tube or bundt pan well. combine your flour, baking soda, and salt, whisk or sift together and set aside.
cream together the butter and sugar. add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. alternate adding your flour mix and sour cream in three parts (ie: flour-sour cream-flour-sour cream-flour). add your extracts and mix until incorporated and smooth.
put a couple tablespoons of flour on your blueberries and toss to coat. fold in gently with a spatula, then pour into your prepared pan. bake 75-90 minutes. (yes, that's right, it all depends on your oven. mine was done at about 75 minutes, so keep an eye on it starting about the 65 minute mark, but try not to open the oven too much. use a toothpick or skewer to test for done-ness.)
let it cool for 30 minutes to an hour, until it is somewhat cool to the touch (i went to work and removed it from the pan four hours later). if you greased the pan well enough, it should pop right out with a good shake or tap.
i also opted for a basic glaze, which is just powdered sugar and a little milk to pour over top. fancy, tasty. i love the combination of blueberries and citrus flavors. i think the orange cream yogurt made it a little sweeter than it should have been, but ron loved it, so that worked out okay!
it's a good way to start the day, with a nice cup of tea.
it's almost kind of sad that i can't wait for valentines day to come about, just because i want to make a bunch of chocolate treats. i don't need to. we have so many things just hanging around, i need to go through them before making anything else, but that is not how my brain works. i get an idea, and if i can't do it right away, it sits in a corner in the back of my mind and kind of pokes me with a stick daily, just to say, "hey, you really need this. you want to make these cookies/cake/pie/etc," until i break down and go crazy on my days off. even half days. so who knows what happens, or what will happen. i have like 2 or 3 ideas right now. maybe if i stay off the internet for a bit....(that won't happen.)
ooh! that pesto i made and froze a week or so ago? i used it last night and made some shrimp with it! i had a side of angel hair pasta, and ron ate rice, but it came out really good!
pomegranates are one of those things i have been secretly obsessing over, as well. first the pesto, and now these. i finally made my own juice! i really like the pre made ones with pomegranate, and decided it would be a good idea to try and make some at home. ron has been trying to get me to juice with him for a while now, but i am so picky about foods and things....i have to have things a certain way. i didn't realize how ocd i was until lately, and it is really kind of scary.
BUT. it was a success! taking apart the pomegranate was kind of a pain, but i think it was worth it. i also added some blueberries, oranges, and a little spinach for some greens, and have been drinking it for breakfast the last few days. with a bagel. then some pound cake. (cancelling out anything good in there, i'm sure.) we have been back to the gym, too, so i am glad to run a little. i think my next session will be 25 minutes!
also, i secretly (or not so secretly) can't wait to go to the beach this summer. i will run on the beach this year. i went around the neighborhood/development last year, but i will make it a point to go at least one morning this year. going to try to sign up for the color run, too, as long as it's not too expensive. maybe the insane inflatable again, too! my cousin wants me to do the boilermaker with her, which is a 15k (9 miles!) but we'll see how ready i am for that. i can barely do 3 right now!
anyway, stay tuned for next week. i'll see what i can come up with before tuesday! thanks for reading! ☺
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