Lemon Brunch Cake

I first posted this recipe about three years ago but I felt it was time to do a redux as this lemony cake would be a perfect addition to an Easter brunch.  Perfect for any occasion -  any time of year, actually!  The reason I say brunch cake is this cake has the dense texture of a 'muffin' - very moist and crumbly.

It also has the most luxurious lemon flavor as it is soaked in fresh lemon juice hot from the oven.  It stays amazingly moist 3-4 days after baking.  My husband keeps asking me when I'm going to make it again. He loves a slice after breakfast.

A shower of powdered sugar and some fresh berries is all it needs, and, perhaps a cup of tea or mimosa. I used my new Bavaria bundt pan from Nordic Ware.  I love their bake ware and that is a completely unsolicited comment! Given a good spritz of baking spray with flour, cakes always come out beautifully.

It's been a busy time here with more to come! We celebrated the 3rd birthday of our youngest grandson two weeks ago followed by my birthday this past week.  Next week, it will be my hubby's birthday, then Easter, followed by our oldest daughter's birthday a little over a week later.  Fun times!

My sweetheart took me to my favorite French restaurants for my birthday where I enjoy quail for the first time "Cailles Farcies avec Truffe Noire".  I felt like I was in my favorite foodie movie "Babette's Feast" :-)

Soon it will be April and even more reason to celebrate :)

Lemon Brunch Cake

Adapted from lke's Kitchen Printable Recipe Note:  If you use a bundt pan for this recipe, you will find that the batter only fills up the pan by about 1/2 way or so.  That's okay. This is a smaller (shorter) cake.  3 eggs Zest of 2 lemons 14 tablespoons (200 gr) unsalted butter (softened at room temperature) 1-1/4 cups (250 gr) granulated sugar 1 cup (125 gr) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup (125 gr) Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice Flour - or substitute corn starch 2 teaspoons baking powder Lemon juice from 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup). 4-5 tablespoons powdered sugar Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or spray with baking spray with flour such as Baker's Joy brand. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with lemon zest for about 30 seconds on medium speed. Add sugar, continue beating until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until combined. In a small bowl, combine the flour, rice flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture and mix until it is incorporated and you have a smooth batter. Put the cake in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 325 degrees. Bake for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (this will depend on the size of the pan you use to be sure to do a toothpick check at least 15 minutes earlier). When done, place a cooling rack upside down over the top of the cake pan and carefully flip over using oven mitts. Place the cooling rack over a large, rimmed baking sheet. Add the lemon juice to the powdered sugar a little at a time so no lumps form and whisk together. Drizzle over the hot cake. Once the cake is cool, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with fresh berries and enjoy! This cake keeps well, covered with plastic wrap for at least three days.

Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake

Here is something to fulfill your cinnamon bun cravings!  After all, it's the holidays and you'll have family and friends to help you eat it :) This cinnamon roll bundt cake would be a delicious addition to your Christmas breakfast or brunch!

While searching online for cookbooks to give as gifts, I came across the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook and was immediately attracted to the beautiful cover.  After browsing through the book, I bookmarked over a dozen recipes and have already made two of them, including their Cinnamon Bun Bundt Cake.

I made a few minor changes to the recipe in that I used my bread machine's dough cycle to knead and raise the dough.  You can find the bread machine instructions at the bottom of the recipe below.

Then, instead of 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to the filling, I used 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of Penzeys Baking Spice which added a wonderful depth of flavor with its allspice, mace, anise and cardamom for just a hint of Chai flavor.  My last change was to add 3/4 cup of toasted and chopped pecans to the filling.

It received rave reviews from my husband who patiently waited while I took these photos so he could have the first piece :)  Naturally, it's best when eaten the same day, but after giving some to my daughter, I wrapped the rest in plastic wrap and refrigerated it.  Warmed for a bit in the microwave, it was wonderful with my morning coffee the next day..
 

 

Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake

adapted from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook
Printable Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

1 pkg active dry yeast equally 2-1/2 tsp (make sure your yeast is fresh before starting)
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water (105° to 110° F)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup toasted and chopped pecans (optional)

Vegetable oil for the bowl
Flour for the work surface

Bundt cake pan

*See my notes below for making with a bread machine

Filling:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (reserve 1 T for brushing bundt pan)
2/3 cup (plus more for dusting bundt pan)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Penseys Baking Spice (which is a combination of ground cinnamon, anise seed, mace, allspice and cardamom - or simply use 1 teaspoon of plain cinnamon)
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the cake dough:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks, buttermilk and salt until well combined.

Beat in the yeast mixture. Beat in 3 1/2 cups of the flour until combined.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour if necessary.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 12 by 18 inch rectangle. Brush with 3 tablespoons of the melted butter.

In a small bowl, combine the 2/3 cup brown sugar, the cinnamon and salt and sprinkle over the dough. Starting at one short end, roll into a cylinder. With a serrated knife, cut the roll in half crosswise, and then cut each half into six pieces so that you have 12 pieces.

Brush a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan with melted butter and coat with the 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Place the pieces of dough, seam side down, around the pan.  I placed a layer of pieces all facing the outside of the pan first and then filled the pan with the remaining pieces so that the swirl pattern would show up all around the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until light and puffed, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate or parchment-paper-covered cutting board. 

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*My notes for making dough with a bread machine:

First, I melted the 6 tablespoons of butter in a bowl. I stirred in the buttermilk and added the ¼ cup warm water. Then, I added a little of the buttermilk mixture to the egg yolks and stirred quickly, then added the egg yolks to the buttermilk mixture and again stirred quickly so the yolks would not cook even slightly when added to the warm mixture. 

In a separate bowl, I combined the flour, yeast, sugar and salt.

For my bread machine, I need to add all the ‘wet’ ingredients to the machine first, then add the dry ingredients over that. I set the machine to ‘dough’ cycle.

Proceed with the rest of the rest of the recipe as written after the dough has risen in the bread machine.