annie blog

The Easiest Cake, Ever

This cake is so easy, y’all. It is delicious, too, and always feeds a crowd. This is the perfect dessert to take to a potluck or to have on hand when company is coming. The recipe is great for making ahead of time and will keep well and taste wonderful the day after it is made. And, the sauce is really pretty, too.

Pound Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks butter, softened
1/2 C + 1T. milk
5 large eggs
2 t. flavoring of choice (vanilla, almond, lemon — or a mixture)

Preheat your oven to 325. Butter and flour a tube or Bundt pan. Place the ingredients in your standing mixer bowl in the order they are listed. (Note: It is really necessary that you make this in a standing mixer.) Beat at low speed 1 minute. Scrape down sides. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a rack. Invert the cake on to the rack and remove the pan. Cool it completely.

Now, pound cake is plain but so versatile. I suggest that you make this strawberry sauce to serve on top of it.

Strawberry Coulis

12 – 16 oz. cleaned, quartered strawberries
1/4 cup water
3 T. sugar (this depends on the sweetness of the berries, of course)
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in a blender. Puree until very smooth. Pour the sauce through a sieve in order to remove the seeds. This keeps well in the refrigerator and can be made a day ahead.

The Easiest Cake, Ever

This cake is so easy, y’all. It is delicious, too, and always feeds a crowd. This is the perfect dessert to take to a potluck or to have on hand when company is coming. The recipe is great for making ahead of time and will keep well and taste wonderful the day after it is made. And, the sauce is really pretty, too.

Pound Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks butter, softened
1/2 C + 1T. milk
5 large eggs
2 t. flavoring of choice (vanilla, almond, lemon — or a mixture)

Preheat your oven to 325. Butter and flour a tube or Bundt pan. Place the ingredients in your standing mixer bowl in the order they are listed. (Note: It is really necessary that you make this in a standing mixer.) Beat at low speed 1 minute. Scrape down sides. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a rack. Invert the cake on to the rack and remove the pan. Cool it completely.

Now, pound cake is plain but so versatile. I suggest that you make this strawberry sauce to serve on top of it.

Strawberry Coulis

12 – 16 oz. cleaned, quartered strawberries
1/4 cup water
3 T. sugar (this depends on the sweetness of the berries, of course)
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in a blender. Puree until very smooth. Pour the sauce through a sieve in order to remove the seeds. This keeps well in the refrigerator and can be made a day ahead.

The Fourth
of July is one of my favorite holidays.

We ended up having several friends over for cake and then walked the 3 or so blocks over to the Recreation Center where the fireworks were being released/lit/launched — what is the proper word here? We can see most of the fireworks from our house but we elected to walk over so that we could see it all.

That put us right underneath the fireworks.

Chocolate Cake, fireworks, and friends are a pretty unbeatable combination.

Happy Monday, y’all!

The Fourth
of July is one of my favorite holidays.

We ended up having several friends over for cake and then walked the 3 or so blocks over to the Recreation Center where the fireworks were being released/lit/launched — what is the proper word here? We can see most of the fireworks from our house but we elected to walk over so that we could see it all.

That put us right underneath the fireworks.

Chocolate Cake, fireworks, and friends are a pretty unbeatable combination.

Happy Monday, y’all!

The Fourth
of July is one of my favorite holidays.

We ended up having several friends over for cake and then walked the 3 or so blocks over to the Recreation Center where the fireworks were being released/lit/launched — what is the proper word here? We can see most of the fireworks from our house but we elected to walk over so that we could see it all.

That put us right underneath the fireworks.

Chocolate Cake, fireworks, and friends are a pretty unbeatable combination.

Happy Monday, y’all!

I’m Taking A Poll
and it would be swell if you’d take a moment or two to participate.

My question is this: How many autistic people do you know?

I’m talking about autistic folks that you know in your day-to-day life. Like your neighbor’s son/your second cousin/a little kid you have in your Sunday School class, your Scout troop, your soccer team.

Much is said about the rates of autism occurring in the world now and since my whole world is tinted with autism I just got to wondering how prevalent it is in the lives of people who read my blog.

So, if you don’t mind, please put your answer in the comment section.

Thanks, ahead of time, for satisfying my curiosity.

Happy Friday, y’all!

I’m Taking A Poll
and it would be swell if you’d take a moment or two to participate.

My question is this: How many autistic people do you know?

I’m talking about autistic folks that you know in your day-to-day life. Like your neighbor’s son/your second cousin/a little kid you have in your Sunday School class, your Scout troop, your soccer team.

Much is said about the rates of autism occurring in the world now and since my whole world is tinted with autism I just got to wondering how prevalent it is in the lives of people who read my blog.

So, if you don’t mind, please put your answer in the comment section.

Thanks, ahead of time, for satisfying my curiosity.

Happy Friday, y’all!

I’m Taking A Poll
and it would be swell if you’d take a moment or two to participate.

My question is this: How many autistic people do you know?

I’m talking about autistic folks that you know in your day-to-day life. Like your neighbor’s son/your second cousin/a little kid you have in your Sunday School class, your Scout troop, your soccer team.

Much is said about the rates of autism occurring in the world now and since my whole world is tinted with autism I just got to wondering how prevalent it is in the lives of people who read my blog.

So, if you don’t mind, please put your answer in the comment section.

Thanks, ahead of time, for satisfying my curiosity.

Happy Friday, y’all!

Recipe Rerun

I rediscovered one of my old recipes the other day, and I liked it so much that I decided that I must share it with y’all again. It is called Alabama Chicken and came to me via an America’s Test Kitchen email that I used to receive. The preparation is so easy and the sauce, delicious.

It is grilling season, y’all.

Alabama Chicken

Use several pounds of skin on, bone in chicken pieces. I used drumsticks last time and they were really yummy.

White BBQ Sauce
3/4 cup mayo
2 T cider vinegar
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. prepared horseradish
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using and up to 2 days.

For the chicken, mix 1 t. salt, 1 t. ground black pepper and 1/2 t. cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over chicken. (You might need more than this — I doubled the rub amount last time and wasn’t sorry that I did so.)

Grill the chicken until skin is well browned and the meat registers 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the grill and brush with the sauce. Tent with foil and rest 10 minutes. Brush with a little more sauce and serve, passing remaining sauce at the table.

Happy eating!

Recipe Rerun

I rediscovered one of my old recipes the other day, and I liked it so much that I decided that I must share it with y’all again. It is called Alabama Chicken and came to me via an America’s Test Kitchen email that I used to receive. The preparation is so easy and the sauce, delicious.

It is grilling season, y’all.

Alabama Chicken

Use several pounds of skin on, bone in chicken pieces. I used drumsticks last time and they were really yummy.

White BBQ Sauce
3/4 cup mayo
2 T cider vinegar
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. prepared horseradish
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using and up to 2 days.

For the chicken, mix 1 t. salt, 1 t. ground black pepper and 1/2 t. cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over chicken. (You might need more than this — I doubled the rub amount last time and wasn’t sorry that I did so.)

Grill the chicken until skin is well browned and the meat registers 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the grill and brush with the sauce. Tent with foil and rest 10 minutes. Brush with a little more sauce and serve, passing remaining sauce at the table.

Happy eating!