Rhubarb Lemon Buttermilk Bundt

Hello Friends, I must apologize for the long absence.  The month of April just slipped away from me.  However, I am back at it so please continue to check back regularly for some recipes worth sharing.

Rhubarb Lemon Buttermilk Bundt

March was unusually balmy here in Minnesota and with that came a flourishing crop of Rhubarb.  Rhubarb is a Midwest staple but not readily available everywhere in the country.  However, at my parents house we have more Rhubarb than we know what to do with.  So, last weekend I took about a pound of Rhubarb stalks out of their garden and decided I would work this into a brunch baked good for my upcoming Book Club gathering.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Cake cooling before adding the lemon soak & glaze

Recipe adapted from honey & jam

The rhubarb, lemon and buttermilk blend in this recipe to make a very delicious sweet and tart cake.  The buttermilk also made the texture of this cake pretty dense without feeling heavy.  I will definitely be making this again.

For the Bundt Cake
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour1 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon fine sea salt1 cup unsalted butter1 3/4 cups granulated sugarzest of 1 lemon3 eggs1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (i used lemon extract)3/4 cup buttermilk1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and very thinly sliced (3 cups prepped)


For the Lemon Soak
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar

For the Lemon Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, more as neededJuice of 1 lemon1 tablespoon nearly melted butter
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan.
To make the cake, sift the 2 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the lemon oil. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The batter will be very thick.
Toss the rhubarb with the 2 tablespoons of flour and fold half into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining rhubarb on top.


Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly touched (Mine took about 1 hour and 15 minutes total). Cool the cake in its pan on the wire rack for 30 minutes before inverting and removing the pan.


To make the lemon soak juice 1/2 of a lemon into a bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Throw this in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then whisk with a fork until sugar is dissolved.  Ladle this over the cooled bundt cake and let it soak in.

To make the lemon glaze, whisk the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and butter together. The mixture should be thick. If it’s not, whisk in another tablespoon or two of the sugar. Spread the glaze over the cake as soon as you remove it from the pan.

The finished product.

Note: If you want to make this a day ahead bake the cake, let it cool, and then wrap and cover over night. Then, the next day add the lemon soak and the lemon glaze.


Another note: if you cannot find Rhubarb, try blueberries, raspberries, or cherries.

Sloppy Janes

I cannot recall the last time I had a Sloppy Joe.  But this weekend I had a mean craving for one (update: I'm an omnivore again).  I decided to look for a veggie-filled, somewhat lighter version of this comfort food classic and found a recipe by Ellie Krieger.  I made a few changes to the recipe to make it even lighter and by the time I was done this sandwich was not really a "manwich" sloppy joe.  So, I'm deeming this creation the Sloppy Jane. (cute, I know.)


Here's the recipe.  Originally adapted from Ellie Krieger (original found here)

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced (remove seeds)
• 1 red/green pepper, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced
• 1 can small red beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
• 1 small can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 small can or 1 cup Spicy V8 juice
• 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce (whatever you have on hand) 
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriacha (or hot sauce)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 whole-wheat burger buns

Directions

 

 

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks.

Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes more until you get your desired consistency. 

Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.

This recipe makes 8 servings so I froze half for later.