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Monday, May 5, 2008

I knew you were coming...so I baked a cake.

Life interrupted my getting this cake made last week when I started the craving for it. I decided I would make it last night and life began to knock at the door...would it be interrupted? I managed to keep life in tow and get the cake made at the same time. I'm really glad I did because it's one of my new favorite cakes. I love a really moist, somewhat dense yellow cake more than chocolate or any other cake for that matter. Pound cakes can, at times, make the list but usually are too dry for me. I don't mind a little crumb, but when all of your saliva is absorbed in your mouth and you have this chia pet experience in your mouth wondering how you will swallow this huge glob of cake...not so much a fan of it. I would say this is a coffee cake, but the glaze! Oh the glaze is awesome!

The whole thing hinges on buttermilk, friends. That's right buttermilk is the star of the show, but doesn't just slap you in the face. My Granny used to take a tall glass, fill it with crumbled cornbread then pour buttermilk over the whole thing and eat it for dinner. I still find that repulsive, but she just loved it! Cooking with buttermilk imparts a tremendous amount of moisture and a very distinct flavor which to my buds is tangy sweet. I love to use buttermilk in cornbread, pancakes, waffles, anywhere you have milk called for use buttermilk.

If you don't have buttermilk on hand don't go curl up in a corner and suck your thumb because you can make your own. Please do not go spend $5 on that can of buttermilk powder friends, just spend $1.29 on the huge bottle of distilled vinegar make sure you have milk on hand (most don't) and make your own. In your liquid measuring cup, add one tablespoon of vinegar to the cup then pour in milk to the one cup mark a quick stir with the measuring spoon and it will acidulate the milk and create buttermilk. For real. Just do it early in the baking process so the milk has time to get funky.





Buttermilk Cake:





1 (18.25 oz.) Yellow or White Cake Mix.


1 cup buttermilk


1/2 cup melted butter


5 large eggs

1 T. Vanilla

1/8 t. Almond Extract (I just use a cupful and call it good)

1/4 cup Brown Sugar


1 T. Good Cinnamon





Preheat oven to 350. Prepare bundt pan by greasing and flouring (I use baker's joy with great results). In the bowl of a stand mixer add cake mix, butter and buttermilk. Mix on low until moistened then medium for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes, add eggs one at a time, mixing until the egg is incorporated each time. Pour 1/3 of the batter into the bundt pan. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the cake, then pour the remaining cake batter in the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and tests clean when poked with a cake tester.

Buttermilk Glaze:
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 t. Vanilla
2-4T. Buttermilk

Add powdered sugar to a medium bowl with vanilla and 2T. of buttermilk. With a fork, stir the powdered sugar until combined and moistened. If the glaze is too thick, add more buttermilk slowly until you get the consistency you like. I went with a thicker glaze so I only used 2T.

The glaze reminds me of cream cheese frosting, but thinner.

This cake is so good, especially with coffee and a good friend to chat with while you enjoy.

2 comments:

Memaw's memories said...

This cake sounds similar to one I used to make called Sock-It-To-Me cake. It called for sour cream where you have buttermilk.

Have you made anything from tastespotting yet? I'm addicted and all I want to do is cook. Where was all this when I used to make the same meals night after night for my family?

Tracy said...

i think me and Memaw know the same recipe but dang Will this looks delish! i may have to make it VERY soon. love cinnamon/brown sugary stuff - sorta coffeecakey??