Breakfast For Dinner with Krusteaz

Breakfast is quite possibly my favorite meal- when there's sweet and savory, and never ending freshly brewed coffee, I am a happy woman. Throw in some salty bacon or sausage and it's a perfect meal in our household. Eating breakfast at dinnertime is even better and so comforting. 

Ever since my kiddo started school last month, he's been sick. He's picked up yucky school germs and has either had a cough, cold or congestion since the start of September....that he kindly shared with his parents. Just recently he also had a fever that really wore him down. When Hayden is really sick, he just sleeps and doesn't eat very much. While it's nice and quiet in the house, I worry about him getting enough nutrition. So when he specifically said he was hungry and wanted pancakes for dinner, I happily obliged. 

I reached for the Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake mix and made a double batch of pancakes for my boy. I like to make enough pancakes to stock my freezer so that school day breakfast are quick and easy. I followed the directions on the back of the box but added a little vanilla extract and a few handfuls of fresh blueberries- for extra berry goodness. He ate every single bite and after a few days, felt much better. 

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED** Would you like to try Krusteaz mixes as well? One lucky winner will receive a Krusteaz Breakfast Night prize pack containing each of the Krusteaz mixes- Buttermilk Pancake, Blueberry Pancake, Belgian Waffle, Wild Blueberry Muffin, a pancake pen, a spatula and a coupon for free product. Simply leave a comment on this blog post along with your email and tell me what your favorite kind of pancakes are. **GIVEAWAY CLOSED**

Krusteaz kindly sent me product to try, but the options I express are my own. I was not compensated for this blog post- just sharing so that you can enjoy it too!

Getting Back Into The Groove

 I felt out of place the other day in my own kitchen. I took a few months off away from baking and blogging and I almost forgot how to do it! I post pics to my Instagram (monica_h30) account daily, but it's been awhile since I've actually picked up my DSLR to photograph a recipe with the intent to blog. It was exciting and kind of nerve wracking at the same time. Even hubby was surprised at what I was doing. It turns out, blogging is kind of like riding a bike. Or I assume it is, it has been YEARS since I actually got on one :-) I pulled props from around my kitchen and out of my vintage glass stash and it all came together. 

These scones came about because I had really ripe berries and heavy cream to use up. I put my spin on it and did things a little differently than the original recipe and they turned out delicious. They're also quite patriotic looking with their red, white and blue-ness! Once cooked, the strawberry flavor intensifies and produces little pockets of  jam-like goodness. The scone itself is barely vanilla and tender, with crunchy sugared tops. Enjoy with a pat of butter or whipped cream (or "keem" as Hayden likes to call it) and more fresh fruit. These are perfect for long, lazy weekends. 

Happy Memorial Day! 

StrawBerry and Cream Scones
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup chopped ripe strawberries
• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream plus more for brushing the tops
• sanding sugar or turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Mix to combine.

Add the cubed, cold butter to the flour. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is pea sized and the mixture is crumbly. 

Gently stir in the strawberries and blueberries so that they are coated in the flour mixture. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract just until the mixture comes together. 

Place the dough onto a floured work surface and knead two to three times until a mass is formed, being careful not to over work the dough. Pat the dough into a flat disc about 10-inches wide and about 1-inch thick. 

Using a sharp knife, a bench scraper or a pizza wheel, divide the round into 8 equal triangles. Place the triangles onto the parchment lined baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Brush the tops with additional heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. 

Makes 8 scones. 

This little booger hovers over me while I'm taking photos in the kitchen. He could not wait til I was done so he could dig in. I set my camera down and he helped himself to several fingers full of "keem". Then he said "take picture" and stuck out his tongue. He was very proud of himself! How could I resist those eyes and that curly top?

Summer Fun At The Pool

Whew! It has been a week, let me tell you. Hayden caught a virus that gave him a high fever for several days. He was okay until Wednesday night when he couldn't keep food down. Then he stopped eating and drinking and started to get dehydrated so we took him to the ER Thursday afternoon. The doctor there gave him some anti-nausea medicine that helped settle his stomach, which in turn allowed him to eat and drink and keep it down. It worked, he took a nap, drank milk, felt better then started flirting with the nurses. The doctor was happy with his progress so he didn't have to be hooked up to an IV afterall. Thank goodness. After the fever broke, he got a rash for a few days and that is finally going away. He is just about back to normal and acting like his silly self again. 

Over the weekend we went swimming at a family friends' house. Hayden has never been in a swimming pool before but we hoped he would like splashing in the water. He loved the water and was so relaxed by it. Instead of splashing around and having fun, he took a nap- twice! The water was so soothing and he was so relaxed in my arms that he just drifted off. He did have fun lounging in his floaty too. And I have to tell you, he is so darn cute in swim shorts and a cap :-)

I made these bars about a week before my birthday and they were freaking delicious. If you like key lime pie, you will love these. It's essentially the same recipe but in bar form and it uses lemon juice in stead of lime. These bars also have the summery addition of blueberries too, but raspberries or blackberries would be just as good. Heck if you want to use lime juice, go ahead and make them your way. These bars are the epitome of summer- they're bright and citrusy, fruity, tangy and creamy. I made them on an ordinary day but they're the perfect treat to enjoy poolside to beat the heat. 

Blueberry Lemon Bars slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

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For the crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of one lemon

For the filling:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of prepared pan. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the filling, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture is smooth and begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the 3/4 of the blueberries, reserving some for the top. 

Pour the lemon blueberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust then top with the remaining blueberries. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled. Cut into bars and serve. 

"Grace's Sweet Life" Review & A Berry Crumble

I received a cookbook for review from Ulysses Press of Grace's Sweet Life by Grace Massa Langlois. Come to find out, Grace is also a dessert blogger and blogs at La Mia Vita Dolce (My Sweet Life). I was initially intrigued by this book because it's filled with all kinds of authentic Italian desserts from Sicilian cannoli to soft amaretti cookies and panna cotta. I love a good tiramisu and gelato but this cookbook has so much more to offer.

I picked up my book, admired the cover then read the intro about how Grace got her start in blogging. She says, "I spent years coming to terms with an injury that prevented me from returning to my career in business. Then when my husband passed away suddenly, I directed all my energy to my children. I needed to help them deal with the tragedy of losing their father. I had to feel happy not only for my sake but also for theirs. So I turned to cooking, because making and sharing food provided me with so much comfort. The more I cooked, the happier I was." Her daughter encouraged her to do something with her love of food and that led to her blog. I love that something wonderful came from such a devastating loss. 

Click the picture to enlarge it to see recipe details

There are 60 recipes and coordinating color photos in this book. While Grace bakes all the desserts, it's her daughter, Liana, that takes the photos for her blog and her son, Matthew is the champion taste tester- it's a family effort :-). There are so many good looking sweets in this book that it was difficult to decide on what to make first. The recipes are divided up into chapters: Cakes and Cheesecakes, Mini Desserts, Cookies and Confections, Pies and Tarts, Pastries and Fried Desserts, Creams, Custards, Mousses and Souffles, and  lastly Frozen and Fruit Desserts. After reading page by page, I finally settled on a berry crumble. Did you know I don't have a single crumble or crisp recipe on this blog? It's about time I changed that!

One of the first things I noticed about this book is that it is very detailed. Several of the recipes are rather lengthy and go on for several pages which can seem intimidating, but Grace just wants you to succeed so the step-by-step instructions are quite thorough for your benefit. Some of the recipes that caught my eye were: Cannoli Cupcakes with Marsala-Chocolate Whipped Cream, Italian Cream-Filled Doughnuts, Vanilla Cream with Raspberry Coulis and Cheesecake with Brandy-Cherry Sauce. A nice feature of this book is that it has little tidbits of the Italian language in each recipe, so in a way I felt as if Grace was right there alongside me in my kitchen. My one complaint about this cookbook was the font choices, the multi-colored print and the use of italics in each recipe because it made it difficult to read at times. That's a minor issue though and obviously doesn't affect the overall taste of the dessert you're making. 

If you're looking for a cookbook with heart that is a little different than all the rest, then look no further than Grace's Sweet Life. And if  you're looking for a crumble recipe with a ton of flavor in the fruit as well as the nutty crumble, then here it is. It's also patriotic in color and would be a great dessert for any July 4th celebration. This recipe makes a lot of topping so I made a couple extra fruit crumbles. The fruit was perfectly softened and the topping was crunchy, sweet and delicious. Next time, I would decrease the amount of orange zest in the recipe since the orange flavor was more pronounced than I expected, otherwise they were prefect served warm or cold. 

Raspberry, Blueberry & Pistachio-Almond Crumble from Grace's Sweet Life

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Pistachio-Almond Crumble Topping: 

• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Raspberry and Blueberry Filling: 

• 2 cups raspberries
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
• grated zest of 1 orange
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

To Make the Pistachio-Almond Crumble Topping: In a small bowl, stir together the oats, pistachios, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. 

Rub the butter into the oat mixture with your fingertips until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

To Make The Raspberry-Blueberry Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Butter 4 (6.5 ounce) oven proof dishes (I used 6- 5 ounce ramekins). Transfer to a baking sheet and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, gently combine the raspberries,blueberries, sugar, and vanilla extract until combined. Be careful not to crush the berries. 

Add the orange juice and zest, and the salt. Sift the flour over the mixture and gently stir to just combine. 

Assembly: Divide the filling evenly among the prepared dishes. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the filling, then evenly divide the pistachio-almond topping among the dishes. 

Bake until the juices start to bubble and the topping is crisp and golden brown, 25-35 minutes. 

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the crumbles to cool until warm. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired. 

Order your copy of Grace's Sweet Life today!

Half A Pound

It's time for more cake, this time brought to you by the Cake Slice Bakers! I missed last month's cake because I just plain forgot about it until it was too late and I was already baking a triple layer 70th birthday cake. I didn't want the other cake to go to waste and I knew we wouldn't eat it so it didn't get made. However, I was not going to miss out on this cake though because it got rave reviews from all the other bakers and because it's a style of cake I've never made before- a Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It did not disappoint.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe to suit my tastes. Firstly, I halved the recipe because I was warned by more than one person that it made a ton of batter. The half recipe still made a substantial amount of cake, but I shared with neighbors so it was more than okay. The second thing I changed was to omit the freshly grated ginger, because I'm not a big fan, but I left the full amount of lemon zest in the recipe. And because they're pretty, I added a handful of fresh blueberries and raspberries to the batter. I have both recipes for you down below, so you can make the pound cake of your choice. Whether you half the recipe or make the full amount, be sure your pan is big enough to accommodate all the batter or divide it up into smaller pans, so you don't have overflow.

I made two smaller Bundts as well as a 4-inch round cake. One Bundt had blueberries, the other had raspberries and the smaller cake that we didn't share enjoyed at home had both berries incorporated throughout. They were buttery and moist, tender yet firm cakes. The cream cheese adds a smooth, creamy richness to the batter that the author describes as "velvety". And another unique thing about this recipe is that it starts off baking in a cold oven, hence the title of the recipe. Those few extra minutes allow the cake time to rise as it develops a lovely golden crust. Speaking of lovely, this would make the perfect dessert this Easter Sunday- top it off with lightly sweetened whipped cream to make it even better. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Berries adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65-80 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

P.S. I'm 18 weeks pregnant today! I'm more pregnant than I've ever been and it feels awesome!

Purple, Green and Blue

When I see the contrasting colors of purple and green together they immediately remind me of my two sons' birthstones- Amethyst and Peridot. I did not make this bread because blueberries are purple and zucchini is green, but rather because I like the two flavors baked into sweet quick breads. I've never had the two together, but I really liked it and the crumble sent it over the top. Besides having fruit and veggies baked into one thing, topped with oatmeal, actually convinced me I was eating something healthy. I printed the recipe awhile back and didn't note where I got it from. I tried googling it to find it's origin with no such luck. If this is your recipe, let me know and I'll give you proper credit.

I also wanted to share with you a little about the "secret" anniversary trip Mr. H and I took this past weekend. We spent 5 nights and 4 days in New Jersey. What the heck in is New Jersey you might be asking yourself? Well my new found miracle of a doctor is there. On Friday morning I had abdominal surgery. We didn't take this trip for romantic reasons, but because we're trying to save our family. I am 12 weeks pregnant. If you'll recall, I've had 2 second trimester pregnancy losses in 2006 and 2007. We've been trying to conceive for the past 2 years and in December it finally happened. I didn't find out til January 15th and I've been keeping a secret from you all, not because I didn't want you all to know, but because I was scared.

The procedure I had was for placement of a Trans-Abdominal Cerclage (TAC). I have an incompetent cervix, which means that my cervix gives out and dilates under the weight of a growing baby, thus causing me to go into labor too early. Generally a cerclage is a stitch that is sewn through your cervix to keep it shut. But for me, it didn't work. This cerclage (TAC) was much more invasive and I had to have my abdomen cut open to have it done. The procedure is done much like a c-section, except that the baby is still growing inside my uterus and there wasn't a stitch placed through my cervix. This time a Mersilene band was tied tightly around my cervix just beneath the uterus. As the baby grows, the weight will be supported by this band. It's a permanent fixture in my body and this baby, as well as any in the future will be delivered via cesarean.

So the title of this post suggest that I have two heavenly babies with birthstone colors of purple and green and another miracle baby on the way due in September with a birthstone of Blue Sapphire. The colors in this bread reminds me all 3 of them. The TAC is 98-99% successful so we are optimistically hopeful that we will bringing a live baby home with us in a few months. We've waiting this for this for years and our time has finally come. That's also part of the reason that I've been so quiet lately. I really was sick for a while there, but the rest was from lack of appetite and energy. I am recovering at home now and will be for the next few weeks, but I promise to keep you all updated as I learn about the status of our growing and thriving baby. In the meantime, we are doing just fine and taking it one day at a time. I thank you all for the support you've shown me and I ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We know that we are not in the clear and I certainly do not take this pregnancy for granted. If anything, I realize how precious life really is because of the loss of our boys. I just want this time to be different.

Blueberry Zucchini Crumble Bread

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For the Crumb Topping:

• 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold butter

For the Bread:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup blueberries

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and oatmeal. Using your fingers, blend the butter into the other ingredients until well mixed. Mixture will be crumbly but should stick together in clumps when you squeeze it. Set aside.

To make the bread: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until slightly foamy. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the beaten eggs, and mix til well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until well incorporated, but do not overmix.

Using a spatula, fold in the grated zucchini and blueberries. Stir by hand until thoroughly combined but try and not break up the blueberries.

Sprinkle a 1/3 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the greased and floured loaf pan. Carefully pour the batter into the pan and evenly sprinkle the remaining crumble topping over the batter. It's okay to have some some larger pieces of crumble on top of the bread.

Place the pan into a preheated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

And now for the winners of the Frame By Frame Baking Cookbook Giveaway!

#40- Becky and #62- LeAnne!

Congrats ladies! I'll email for your addresses. Enjoy the books!

By The Pound

I do it every time. I can't help it. I go to Costco and I stock up on 3-pound containers of blueberries for $5.99. I love blueberries and it only seems logical to buy that many at that price. I even do it at the regular grocery store. If a pint of blueberries is $1.99, why not buy a 2-pound clam shell of them for $4.99? It only makes sense, right? Until you get home and you actually have to use them!

I usually keep the blueberries in the fridge and I'll bake with them, add them to cereal or smoothies, or throw them in pancake batter. Then a couple weeks go by and they get shoved to the back of the refrigerator and I forget about them. By the time that happens, I go into panic mode and I fear the blueberries are going to whither and wrinkle and turn to mush so I throw them into the freezer (still in the clam shell) where they'll last for the next few months or until I need to add them to the next recipe.

Sometimes I forget I have blueberries in the freezer and I buy more to stock my fridge. They start getting wrinkly and I panic to use them up- it's a vicious cycle, I'm telling you! That's where this recipe came into play. This tart consists of a thick buttery shortbread crust and it's topped with a perfectly simple custard and 3 cups of berries. I used blueberries, but the original recipe calls for raspberries- a mixture of both would be nice. The custard is creamy, the crust is firm but when the two meet up it's the slightest bit chewy- in a good way. It's sweet and tart and a taste of summer in every bite. If you have ever multiplying berries then give this recipe a try.

Blueberry Lemon Shortbread Tart adapted from Rachael Ray via A Feast For The Eyes

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• 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (1 pound)

Shortbread Crust:

• 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Lemon Custard:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup juice)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Drain the blueberries in a strainer set over a bowl. Preheat the oven to 400°.

For the shortbread crust: Using your fingers, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar and 11/2 cups of the flour and blend together until coarse crumbs form (I used a pastry blender to incorporate the ingredients, but a food processor works well too). Pour the mixture into an ungreased nonstick 9-inch springform or cake pan and press down evenly to form a crust. Bake the shortbread crust until lightly golden, about 20 minutes.

Remove the shortbread from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325°. Scatter the drained blueberries evenly over the baked shortbread.

For the lemon custard: Beat the eggs with the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar until thick and pale yellow. Whisk in the lemon zest, the lemon juice and a 1/4 cup of flour. Pour the lemon cream over the raspberries.

Bake the tart until the custard is set, about 30 minutes (My tart took about 50 minutes for the custard to set in the middle). Let cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar.

NOTE: The top of the custard doesn't brown much so it's hard to tell if it's done, but it shouldn't be wet and liquidy. The custard is done when it firms up in the center. This may take longer than 30 minutes.

A Request A Year In The Making

Remember me telling you about my mom's gorgeous birthday cake? Well here it is! I'm not trying to toot my own horn, because I am hard on myself and see all kinds of flaws in the overall cake BUT it is pretty and I love the contrasting colors and flavors. This month the Cake Slice Bakers were to make a Key West Cake with Mango Mousse and Ginger Lime Cream. It sounds delicious but I didn't have time to make this cake as well as all the other birthday treats I had to bake this month. Besides, this is the cake my mother specifically asked for and I was glad to fulfill her request.

If you've been following me long, then you'll know I blogged about this cake exactly one year ago today. If you're new here, then WELCOME to my blog! I had intentions of making my mother cranberry orange scones for her birthday rather than a cake because she loves them and Starbucks changed their recipe and she complains about them every time she gets one. But I asked her what she'd like and without hesitations she said, "I want that lemon blueberry cake you made last year. I've been thinking about it ever since because it was so good." Well alright then, move over scones, hello luscious marble cake. Although I'm pretty sure I'll be making those scones for her sometime soon anyway.

This really is a great cake. I professed my love about it last July 20th (also known as Debby's birthday. Happy Birthday Debby!!!) and this time is no different. I like to eat it at room temperature because the buttercream is soft and creamy and buttery, but my mom likes it cold because the frosting stiffens up. It's great either way. I did decide to take a shortcut and purchase a jar of blueberry jam rather than making the homemade jam. If you have time to make it, then I suggest doing so, if not, spend the extra money for the good stuff. This particular one had lemon juice already in it, but I added a bit more to thin it out and add flavor. The only note I have for you is to puree the jam so you end up with a smoother consistency- I did not do this and my blueberries sunk to the bottom of the cake. Still pretty but not so marbled.

On a different, yet still related note, I get a lot of emails and comments about frosting my cakes and getting them so smooth. So while assembling this cake, I took several pictures of the process and I plan on sharing those with you at a later date- don't worry it will be soon. In the meantime, I hope you'll forgive me for not baking the Key West Cake the other Cake Slice Bakers made. And I hope that you enjoy this cake as much as my mother did.

Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake from Sky High

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• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1½ tsp lemon extract
• 7 egg whites
• 3 cups cake flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1¼ cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

In a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg whites 2 or 3 at a time, beating well between additions and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk gently to blend. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, beat the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.

Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl. Divide the remaining batter equally among the 3 prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. This gives you a smooth surface to work with. Add 2½ tbsp of the lemon blueberry jam to the reserved batter and blend well. Drizzle heaping teaspoons of this blueberry mixture over the batter in the pans. Use a skewer to swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer stuck in the center comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely.

Blueberry Lemon Jam

• 3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)

Puree the blueberries with any juices that have exuded in a blender. Pass the puree through a coarse strainer to remove the skins.

In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the blueberry puree with the sugar, lemon juice, zest and ginger (if using). Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, stirring often for 20 minutes, or until the preserves have thickened and are reduced to 1 cup.

To check the proper thickness place a small amount of a saucer and put in the freezer until cold. Drag your finger through it. If a clear path is made through the preserve then it is ready. Let the preserves cool before using. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance).

Lemon Buttercream

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 eggs
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (my addition)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 238 (I take it off the heat at 235) degrees F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat.

In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs briefly. Slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, pouring it down the sides of the bowl; be careful to avoid hitting the beaters or the syrup may splatter. When all the syrup has been added, raise the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and cooled to body temperature. This can take 15-20 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the softened butter 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating well between additions. As you’re adding the last few tablespoons of butter, the frosting will appear to break, then suddenly come together like whipped butter.

Beat in the lemon juice and zest (if using), and the frosting is ready to use.

NOTE: I reserved a small amount of the buttercream and tinted it with Americolor gel colors to pipe the birthday greeting. I piped it with a #3 tip. The border was piped with a #12 tip.

Assembly: To assemble the cake, place a layer, flat side up, on a cake stand. Spread half of the lemon blueberry jam over the top. Place a second layer on top of the first and spread the remaining jam over it. Finally place the third layer on top and frost the top and sides with the lemon buttercream. Decorate with fresh blueberries and serve.

Makes one 8 inch triple layered cake.

To see pictures and learn how to frost a layer cake, click HERE.

Happy 50th Birthday Mom! I love you!