Lemon Cake and Pineapple Banana Bundt Cake

Making two quick bread type cakes tonight for a Super Bowl party tomorrow. And destroying the kitchen in the process.

The first is a Lemon Cake.
Lemon Cake:
1/4 C Butter
3/4 C Sugar
2 Eggs
2 t Lemon Zest
2 C Flour
1 t Salt
2 1/2 t Baking Powder
3/4 C Milk
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2 T Sugar
2 t Lemon Juice

Preheat to 350.
Cream Butter and 3/4 C Sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time, beating each well. Stir in zest. In separate bowl sift flour, salt, and baking powder. Blend flour mixture into egg mixture, alternating with milk, until combined (dry/wet/dry/wet/dry). Pour into flour dusted 9″x5″ pan. Bake 50-55 min, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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Dissolve sugar in Lemon Juice (it doesn’t tell you to heat it, but I would). After loaf has cooled 10 minutes, spoon glaze over loaf. Also, I skip this step. It makes the bread really sweet.  I topped mine with a dusting of powdered sugar instead.

I love this recipe.  But the top of the cake, which turns in to the bottom when I invert it, always poofs up over the top of the bread pan.  Do I just slice it off so the cake sites level on the plate, or does anyone have a suggestion for reducing the rise?

A sprinkling of my home made candied lemon rind, and a couple of fresh lemons finish it off…..Now that I’m typing this, it occurs to me that if it weren’t so late, making some lemon curd with this would be good.

The second thing I made was a tropical themed bundt cake.

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. crushed pineapple with juice
1 1/2 c. Wesson oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. soft chopped bananas

Mix above ingredients. Grease bundt pan and dust with flour.  Pour batter in to pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

This was a train wreck.  I found the recipe over at Cooks.com.  This recipe may WAY TOO much batter. I poured it all in the pan.  When I checked on it 40 minutes later, it had risen out of the pan, over the sides, and dripped in piles on to the sheet pan I set the bundt pan on.

The globs of dough that poured over.

I let it bake for one hour and then pulled it out.  I used a large brad knife, and the top of the pan as a guide, and sliced the top (or bottom, if you will) of the cake off.

Looks gross, tastes good.

Which left this:

I left the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes, and it shrunk from the sides.  I inverted and voila:

Now, I have to say, the flavor is great. Like a really moist, spongy, banana bread, with a pineapple chaser.  But I think the recipe needs work.  Less moisture for sure.  Maybe go down to 1 cup of oil, 1 1/2 C bananas, and 1 C pineapple?  Not sure.  I think I may play with this recipe again, in regular loaf pans, and see what I can come up with.  Suggestions welcome.

I printed and made little team flags for the game. Mainly, to prove that I do actually know who’s playing. I think I may buy strawberries on our way, and fill the center of the stadium/castle with them. Just an idea.

In the morning I’ll be starting my variation of Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers. This recipe looks decent enough, but I like to supplement the cream cheese with green onions, and some Colby cheese, if I have some on hand. I’ll post story and pix int he morning.