#12 on my 30 Before 30: Bake a cake from scratch

Number 12 on my 30 Before 30 list is to bake a cake from scratch. Well, I shocked even myself by not only baking a cake from scratch, but by creating the recipe myself! Also, it was delicious!

I know. I just passed out, too.

This Lemon Cream Cake is super easy and is the result of many hours of research learning what ingredients are necessary to make a cake, well, a cake.

If you make this, please let me know what you think.

Ingredients

For Lemon Cream Cake

6 oz cream cheese (funny story: that's all I had left of an 8 oz block, so 6 ounces it was!)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, a.k.a. 1 1/2 sticks (you don't want to know how much I had to research to find out that unsalted butter is what is typically used in recipes. I am a baking idiot.)

1 cup sugar

2 whole eggs

1 tsp vanilla (though I may have "accidentally" tipped a little more in)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (this means you sift the flour into your measuring cups - I know, I didn't know there was a difference between "sifted flour" and "flour, sifted" either)

Zest from two large lemons

pinch of salt

Butter flavored cooking spray + a little all-purpose flour

Optional blueberry topping (delicious, but unnecessary)

1 cup blueberries

1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar (yep, it's a lot!)

splash of vanilla

lemon zest to taste (I did about 1/2 a lemon)

2 T water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º F. Start the blueberry topping (if you want to use the topping). In a small bowl, coat the blueberries with the vanilla, lemon zest, cornstarch, and sugar. Put this aside so the berries can soak up the flavors.


Sample one or two while you are making the cake mix. For quality control purposes, of course.

Create the cake mix: in a large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar using a hand mixer, unless you are super strong and want to do it by hand (the mixture should be very smooth). Then beat in the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth - make sure there are no random ingredients hanging onto the inside of the bowl by continually scraping down the sides of the bowl.



Then using a spatula, gently mix in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt until it is just combined, but not too lumpy. (I wish I had a photo!) Spray a 9" round metallic cake pan lightly with butter flavored cooking spray. Throw some flour on top of the cooking spray, but flip the pan over (do this over a trash can or sink!) and tap the bottom firmly to remove the excess flour. This spray+flour combo will stop the cake from sticking (I'm sure you already knew this).

Apparently cake mix is delicate, and it needs to be placed in the oven as soon as you finish mixing it. So, place the cake pan on the middle rack (important for even baking) of your oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



Mine took exactly 33 minutes.

While the cake is baking, place the blueberry mixture + 2 Tablespoons of water in a small saucepan on super low heat to make the mixture syrupy without breaking down the blueberries too much. Just keep an eye on it.

Once the cake is done, place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes and turn off the blueberry syrup mixture. Then carefully remove the cake from the pan and continue to cool it on the wire rack.

Cut yourself a generous piece and spoon the blueberry topping on the cake (or not!) and enjoy.



I LOVED this cake. It was like a mix between a crumble cake and a cream cake with a super buttery exterior. Not sure what that really makes it, but I will be baking this again!



Yum!

(This post can also be found on my cooking blog: A Cooking Bird.

Progress

So, I have already made progress on my 109 in 2009 list. I blog about it over there, so I won't repeat myself here.

Have I mentioned I have a recipe blog called 'A Cooking Bird'? Me? Nicole? Cooking? Hell has seriously frozen over. I am always up for recipe suggestions as I have committed to cooking at least once a week in 2009 (well, starting the week of Jan. 18). I've done it so far! Two weeks down, lots to go.

And 2009? So far an excellent year.

2009 looks bright

When 2008 came to a close, I had big plans of wrapping everything I have done this year in a nice, neat package. But as anyone who knows me can attest, I suck at wrapping. So, instead, I will just summarize my 108 in 2008 list.

In 2008, I attempted to do 108 new things, or things I just haven’t done in a really long time. Let's see how I did.

1- Learn to knit (Thank you, Sherrie!)(1/09/08)



2- Hang something on my bedroom wall - a photo, a candle holder, some art, a calendar - something!

It was a calendar. Maybe I need to set my sights higher this year - like a photo frame.

3- Volunteer for a worthy cause


This had to be in addition to English School, because I began volunteering there in 2007. So, during December, I helped out at Clark's Christmas Kids with Clark Howard (from AM 750 WSB). You can see more photos from the event in this post.

4- Sing karaoke


(Me and one of my best friends, Bryan) I did this while playing Rock Band - it counts, right?

5- See a play or ballet performance


Cam took me to see A Christmas Carol at The New American Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. The show was wonderful! I also had food there for the first time and it was very tasty (and reasonably priced!).

10- Go to an opera I saw a live feed from the New York Metropolitan Opera of La Fille du Régiment. It was wonderful.

11- Try a new game


Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 on Wii - hilariously fun! - and Rock Band!

13- Run a half marathon (10/25/08)


I couldn't believe how accomplished I felt after finishing. And how painful a stress fracture can be.

17- Have a taco night


Cam and I made The Food Network's Turkey Tacos Picadillo one night at his place. They were very spicy and delicious. And see that guacamole? That is one of Cam's specialties. You'll have to ask him for the recipe. And just for fun, here is a photo of Cam (with his cousin, Brandon, in the foreground) fixing the infamous guac.


Handsome and he likes to cook. Or as he puts it, he likes to eat.

18- Read the entire Harry Potter series

I bawled reading the last couple of books. I didn't want it to end. I think the Twilight series might make my 2009 list...

19- Visit a state I have never been to, and not just a drive-through.


I went to Arizona for the first time in my life on a mini-vacation in September.


It is incredibly beautiful, I had a wonderful time and want to go back for another visit. You can read about the entire trip here.

23- Throw a party


I helped plan the annual Christmas party thrown by a political group I am heavily involved in.

25- Go on a trip with my sisters


I went to Florida with my beautiful sisters (L-Steph, R- Barb) to visit some family. You can read about the entire trip here.

26- Take a dance lesson

Kole and I took a very special dance class. If you want more details, you'll have to ask me personally. Or Kole.

32- Go to a concert (7/12/08)


Me and Abbs hanging out while watching 7 Sharp 9 in July. They were great!

36- Create a scrapbook

As Cam pointed out, I have referred to this blog as my online scrapbook.

41- Read Son of a Witch: A Novel by Gregory Maguire

I didn't enjoy this book at all. Boo.

46- Read Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides

I recommend reading Middlesex. It was very interesting and kept me engaged until the very end.

49- Read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

This is one of my new favorite books. I hear the movie is pretty good, too.

50- Read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

I LOVED the play when I saw it in London, the book, however, SUCKED.

52- Watch the movie Juno (10/02/08)

Over-hyped, but good.

55- Watch Stardust

I really enjoyed this film, but I'm a huge fantasy & science fiction fan.

56- Re-watch the entire British version of The Office, including the two Christmas specials

And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You think Pam and Jim are cute in the American version, just wait until you see Dawn and Tim in the UK version. *sigh*

57- Try a new restaurant in Marietta

It was Wild Wing Cafe - VERY tasty wings!

58- Try a new restaurant in Atlanta

Cam took me to La Tavola Trattoria Restaurant in Atlanta. It was absolutely wonderful. I wish we had taken photos!

60- Run three miles without stopping

Please see half-marathon information above, and I ran a lot of miles while training for that half-marathon. :)

64- Have a facial

And it made me melt.

66- Participate in a Texas hold ‘em tournament

I didn't win, but it sure was fun!

68- Go to a comedy club(April 13, 2008)


My friend, Travis, being, erm, friendly with the comedian, Nick Guerra (who I highly recommend seeing, if you get the chance).

I LOVE live comedy and frequent the local clubs. I highly recommend you visit The Funny Farm and The Punchline to see great comedy in Atlanta.

70- Go to the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern

Please see #5 above.

73- Try a new haircut


Do you remember this post?

I decided on long layers, with side-sweep bangs:


Me showing my hair to Coach Bill Curry.

79- Buy a new dress & 80- And matching shoes

I did, but I don't actually have a photo with me in the outfit. New Year's resolution: Take more photos.

83- Eat breakfast for dinner

This actually happens all the time. In fact, we had breakfast for dinner with Cam's family last night that consisted of country ham, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits and grits. Man, now I'm hungry!

85- Try a new fru-fru drink [a.k.a. fruity alcoholic beverage]


I had lots of new fru-fru drinks this year, including a peach martini (YUM!) on New Year's Eve, but I don't take a photo of any of them. Though I did have a new drink the night the above photo was taken. And I just wanted to post it again.

87- Have a girls’ night


I have one pretty much every Wednesday.

90- Help someone find a job

I helped a couple of my friends unsuccessfully try to find jobs. Maybe this year they will be successful in finding them!

91- Watch home movies with my family


For some reason, my sister loves to show off the angel above. I've seen her a number of times on the TV at my parents' house.

92- Cook with my mom

We made French toast together - yum!

96- Pay off my student loans (3/14/08)


The idea of debt scares me, so I was so happy to pay this off before it went into payments.

100- Be at the hospital when Steph’s baby is born


Ava Gabrielle stole my heart the moment I touched her.

101- Be at the hospital when Barb’s baby is born


Nola Ashlyn is my sweet little angel. I couldn't love my nieces more if I tried.

102- Make a key lime pie


Key lime pie is my absolute favorite dessert. And this was the EASIEST recipe to make. And honestly, not to toot my own horn, but it was the best damn key lime pie I've ever had. I like to think that Cam agreed.

Groceries needed:
9-inch graham cracker pie crust (Deep-dish if you can find it)
Four eggs (you will just use the yolks)
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1 cup of key lime juice (you could probably use regular lime juice, but the key lime is what made the flavor for me! We found ours at the local Harry's Farmers Market)
Sour cream
Powdered sugar
One lime for zesting (optional)

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the condensed milk, key lime juice and egg yolks. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the pie shell. We had so much mixture left over that we put them in tiny bunt cakes (please see photo above) and sampled them later that night after cooking the little bunts with the big pie and then chilling the little bunts for a short time - yummy sampler!) Bake for 30-35 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Once chilled, combine about a cup of sour cream to three+ tablespoons powdered sugar (do it to your taste) and use to dollop on the top. Some people spread the topping over the whole thing before serving, but I like to give people the option, though I personally love the sour cream/powdered sugar mixture. Cuts the tartness of the pie. Then sprinkle lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

What I won't post is the video that Cam took unbeknownst to me while I whisked the key lime pie mixture. Let's just say I look like a hula dancer from behind.

107- Try a different dish at my favorite restaurants (at Murphy’s Deli, La Parilla and Outback)

Well, two out of three isn't bad. Cam, you want to go to Outback this year?

108- Finish a knitting project


My friend, Sherrie, holding the dishcloth I knitted for her.

And it is usually during these 'wrap-ups' that people talk about how thankful they are for everything in their life. And I'm not going to break that tradition. Because I am incredibly thankful.

I'm thankful for my sisters, their husbands and my incredible nieces.

A Christmas photo we had done for our parents.

I'm thankful for my parents.


At Steph's wedding rehearsal.

I'm thankful for my friends.


Some friends on New Year's Eve.

So many things happened in 2008 that weren't on the to-do list. Well, at least they weren't on my list. Items like having two nieces and falling in love. But those are the best things in my life. And I'm so glad I can add them to my life list.


Ringing in the New Year. Properly.

Happy New Year, everyone. May be it filled with as much love and hope as I feel at the moment. Which is a lot.

My little chili pepper

Y'all never saw my beautiful niece, Ava, in her official Halloween costume.


Ava, my little chili pepper, and her dad.


Isn't my little chili pepper adorable?

Speaking of spices, I still need more recipes. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the post below! Have a great weekend!

A little recipe help, please

So, I am getting serious about my 108 in 2008 list thanks to a very dear person in my life and I noticed that I have a lot of food items I am supposed to make.

I don't know if you know this, but I do not cook. Give me a frozen dinner and microwave any day. It's not that I can't cook, I just don't. And so I am reaching out to the Internets (yes, I am talking to YOU), and asking for recipes for the following items:

• Homemade ice cream (I can totally borrow an ice cream maker if I need to. And, um, who has one I can borrow?)
• Tacos
• Bacon, avocado, lettuce sandwich (now, I realize there are certain ingredients that need to be used here - yes, I'm not that bad of a cook - but does anyone have any sauce/dressing/spread that would go well on this type of sandwich??)
• Biscuits from scratch
• Cake
• Homemade bread

Me proving I can cook - though this was taken over a year ago while I was visiting my BFF in France.

The reason I am asking for recipes rather than searching on my own (which I have done, thankyouverymuch) is because I want recipes that have been made, tested and found to be very tasty. I really appreciate any help y'all can send my way. And any readers who have never commented before, please do so if you have a good recipe. I won't bite and I would very much appreciate it.