The End of Blogger for Me

Blogger has been giving me issues for quite some time. I have imported my blog to this website: http://seekatiebend.wordpress.com/.

Please come visit me there. I will work to spruce it up and repair my posts and once all of that is done, I will shut this blog down. I hate to do it, but I think there are currently better sites available for this thing called blogging.

Farewell, dear blogspot peeps! Hope to see you on WordPress!

Lemon Cake

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." -- Ernestine Ulmer

I want to talk about something VERY important. No, it is not politics, parenting or religion. It is lemon cake.

Lemon cake has probably become one of my favorite cakes. Of course, some days require chocolate, but during summer, when sunshine constantly beats one to the pulp, and occasionally a rain shower deigns to visit, lemon refreshes like nothing else.

The most tantalizingly tart recipe I have ever tasted originates from the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa. That woman knows how to COOK! Of course, she "ain't skeered" of butter and sugar, so save her desserts for a special treat or a gift. I love her lemon cake recipe, though, because it uses lots of fresh lemon juice and zest. When I finish baking this cake, the skin on my hands stings from juicing lemons -- but it is well worth it.

When baking this particular confection for my parents, I follow the recipe exactly and use the glaze. My dad loves the cake part so much that he does not want it "ruined" with icing. But most of my friends (and I) prefer this cake baked in two 9-inch pans (the batter is perfect for this size cake) and frosted with the "Luscious Lemon Frosting" I have concocted. Most of my concoctions come from poring over recipes then combining the elements that I like the most. Following is the recipe for the frosting. I like to use a Wilton size 10 icing tip for the beading on the cake (pictured above) and alternate blueberries with the beads, because I consider blue and yellow to be the most incredible compliments to each other.

"Luscious Lemon Frosting"

1 tablespoon fresh, zested lemon rind

9 tablespoons butter

6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 dash salt

Add lemon rind to butter and cream well. Add dash of salt part of sugar gradually, blending after each addition and alternating with lemon juice and cream until it is the right consistency to spread. Blend until creamy. You may need to use a bit less lemon juice to keep the icing stiff enough for decorating.

Bon appetit!