#brunch cake

[lundsandbyerlys]

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

This luscious cake recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate is perfect for your next gathering – or just for your Sunday morning brunch!

Does anyone else hold their breath when they’re turning a Bundt pan over or is that just me? I’ve had way too many Bundt cakes not come out of the pan in one beautiful piece, which – after the process of making the cake, baking the cake and cooling the cake (so much time!) – can be more than slightly devastating. Some people would cheerfully tell you “Well now you can just make a trifle out of the cake pieces!” but I’m telling you that’s just not acceptable. You wanted a Bundt cake, not a trifle!  

So, I did some research to find out how in the world anyone has success with Bundt cakes. I just couldn’t risk another cake sticking to the pan. My findings were supportive of using lots of butter (not cooking spray) to grease the pan and a light layer of flour over the butter in every single little nook and cranny in your Bundt pan. Follow this tip and success shall be had!

This Bundt cake? It came out nearly perfect. Minus one tiny spot on top (that was easily covered in frosting), it slid right out of the pan. Hallelujah!

This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake is worth every extra second you have to spend buttering and flouring your pan, mixing together the ingredients, baking it in your oven and letting it cool. The cake is tender but firm, bright and lemony, filled with lots (but not too many!) of sweet blueberries and topped with an irresistible cream cheese frosting. Sure you could eat this without the frosting, but why in the world would you want to? My life advice for the day: whenever in life you’re presented with the option of having cream cheese frosting or not, always choose the frosting.  Deep stuff, I know.

Plus, if for some reason your Bundt cake doesn’t come out of the pan perfectly, that frosting can cover it right up.  

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Preparation time: 1 hour 20 minutes Makes one Bundt cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups fresh blueberries

For the cream cheese frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional but delicious!)

2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk    

Directions

Heat oven to 325 F.

Liberally grease Bundt pan with butter and sprinkle with flour.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir well to mix.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition.  

Add yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla; beat until well combined.

With mixer on low speed, add in flour mixture and beat until just combined. 

Fold in blueberries.  

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until top is slightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.  

Let cool completely.

Once cool, flip over to remove cake from pan.  

To make the frosting:

In bowl combine cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract; beat until well combined.

Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Add a tablespoon or two of milk if the frosting is too thick. You want it to be easily spreadable.

Frost the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Slice and enjoy!  

[lundsandbyerlys]

Peaches & Cream Coffee Cake

This decadent coffee cake recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate is a great way to enjoy sweet summer peaches for breakfast.

While I’ve planted a garden almost every year for the past 3 years that we’ve lived in our house, it’s safe to say that this is the first year I’ve actually had a real bounty of produce coming from it. My zucchini plants are going crazy, I have more cucumbers than I know what to do with and I’ve been eating more kale daily than ever. And I eat a lot of kale.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I more than doubled my garden space. The last couple of years I’ve tried to cram too much into too little space. This year, I took out some bushes by our garage and made it into my second garden. Along with the zucchini, cucumbers and kale, I’m also growing broccoli, butternut squash, acorn squash and tomatoes.  Oh, and somehow a random green bean plant was put in there. I think I meant to buy a summer squash plant and it must’ve been a green bean plant instead.

While I’ve been pretty self-sufficient when it comes to vegetables lately, fruit is a whole other story. I absolutely LOVE this time of year for buying and eating fruit. The cherries are incredible, the berries are the best and the peaches! Oh, the peaches. So juicy and sweet!

My favorite way to eat peaches for dessert is to caramelize them in butter, sugar and a little vanilla, and put them on top of ice cream. For breakfast, this Peaches & Cream Coffee Cake has my heart.

I love coffee cakes because it’s really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast, right? They’re just as sweet and delicious as dessert cake and typically have the added bonus of a crumb topping. What’s not to love?

This Peaches & Cream Coffee Cake is definitely not your typical coffee cake. While the base of the coffee cake is fairly standard, the cake is drizzled with a cream cheese mixture and fresh peaches. Of course, I couldn’t forget the crumb topping!

I think my husband said it best when he said, “This is the best coffee cake I’ve ever had!”

Peaches & Cream Coffee Cake

Makes one 9x13 cake Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients Cream Cheese Layer: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature ¼ cup white sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Crumb Topping: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 cup white sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Coffee Cake: ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon almond extract 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ¾ cup buttermilk

2 large ripe peaches, peeled and sliced thinly

Directions

To make the cream cheese layer:

Add cream cheese and sugar to a bowl. Beat until well combined with electric mixer.

Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Set aside.

To make the crumb topping: Combine butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl; stir until well combined. Set aside.

To make the cake:

Heat oven to 350 F. 

Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides between each addition.  

Add vanilla and almond extracts, beating until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder; stir until well combined.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until just combined.

Add half of the buttermilk and beat until just combined.

Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk.  

Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish.

Spread cream cheese mixture over cake batter with a spatula.

Place sliced peaches in a single layer on top of cream cheese layer.

Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, until crumb topping is golden and cake is baked through.

[lundsandbyerlys]

Poppy Seed Coffee Cake

Delight your brunch guests with this easy breakfast cake, filled with swirls of cinnamon sugar and dotted with crunchy poppy seeds.

8-10 servings Preparation time: 30 minutes Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients ¼ cup poppy seeds 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup butter, room temperature 1 ½ cups sugar 4 eggs, separated 2 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon salt ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Combine the poppy seeds, buttermilk and almond extract. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the creamed ingredients alternately with the buttermilk mixture. 

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; gently fold into mixture.

Pour half the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan. Mix the sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half of it on the batter. Pour the remaining batter into the pan; sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar. Cut through the batter with a knife for a marble effect.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

[lundsandbyerlys]

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This delightfully moist, rich coffee cake is wonderful for brunch and equally delicious for dessert!

8-10 servings Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes, including 40-50 minutes baking time

Ingredients For the cake: ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs, separated 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda ¾ teaspoon table salt

For the filling/topping: 2 cups or 12 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bars ½ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F.

Butter a 9x13 baking pan. If not nonstick coated, cover the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set pan aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 ½ cups sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. 

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. 

Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. 

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into batter.

In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for filling and topping.

Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. 

Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. 

Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips. 

With the palm of your hand, ever-so-gently press the chocolate chips a bit into the batter. No need to submerge them, you just want to make sure they adhere a bit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Recipe source: Smitten Kitchen

[lundsandbyerlys]

Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake with Crumb Topping

This mouthwatering new cake recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate is a wonderful way to use rhubarb, which is in season right now.

Slowly but surely, spring seems to be creeping into Minnesota, which only means one thing: bring on the spring produce! Okay, maybe it also means it’s time for patio sitting, walks around the lakes, leisurely bike rides and lots and lots of yard work, but in my mind, it’s all about the food.

It’s also a nostalgic time for me, as it brings back memories of picking peas, asparagus, green onions and rhubarb from my grandma’s garden. I remember thinking it was so funny how asparagus just grew straight up from the ground and how fun it was to snap the ends off the peas.

I also remember really not understanding the appeal of rhubarb. I think it stems from one of my older cousins having me take a bite of it raw, which is quite sour, and after that I didn’t have any interest in rhubarb crisp or cake.

Of course I came around and sometime in high school I tried my grandma’s rhubarb cake and life was never the same. I’ll be a rhubarb lover until the end of time. My grandma’s rhubarb cake recipe was quite simple, which of course is what made it so dang good, and let the rhubarb be the star of the show.

I like to keep my rhubarb cake pretty simple too, but this time I went ahead and changed one minor detail: I browned the butter.

If you’ve never browned butter, you are in for a major treat. The process of browning it (which really just involves letting it melt over the stove and cooking it until it develops little brown specs in it and you are overcome with a nutty buttery smell…OMG) gives the butter a toasted flavor that, in my opinion, takes baked goods from great to incredible.

That is exactly the case in this brown butter rhubarb cake. Even Marc, my chocolate and peanut butter dessert-loving husband, was blown away at how much he loved this rhubarb-studded cake.

We ate this for dessert but since it’s topped with a crumb topping, it could even be pulled off for breakfast as a coffee cake. Isn’t it great how adding more butter and sugar to something suddenly qualifies it as breakfast?

Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake with Crumb Topping

For the cake:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups chopped rhubarb

For the crumb topping:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 9" round or square baking pan.  

In small saucepan, add butter over medium heat. 

Melt the butter, and then continue to cook and stir with a wooden spoon as the butter begins to foam, and ultimately turns from yellow to light brown and then finally an amber color. It will also release that deliciously nutty aroma. It is best to use a light colored pan so you can see the changes.  

Immediately remove from heat.  

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  

 In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat together the brown butter and sugar until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add vanilla.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the buttermilk. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk until all is used, stirring until just combined. Don't over mix.

Fold in rhubarb.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Make the crumb topping by combining butter, flour, brown sugar and salt, and mixing until butter is dispersed and the consistency is crumbly. I use my fingers to do this but you can use a fork if you don't want to get messy.  

Top cake with crumb topping.  

Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, until tester comes out clean.

Let cool completely.

Cut into slices and enjoy!

[lundsandbyerlys]

Triple Berry Muffin Cake

This moist cake features a wonderful medley of fresh berries and a crispy, crumbly topping, just like your favorite breakfast muffin! Chef's tip: If you are using frozen berries, do not thaw them beforehand.

10-12 servings Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup shortening 1 egg ¾ cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup blueberries ¾ cup raspberries ¾ cup cut-up strawberries ⅓ cup sugar 1 teaspoon butter, melted

Directions

Heat oven to 375 F.

Combine ¾ cup sugar, shortening and egg in large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 

Beat in milk and vanilla. 

Blend in flour, baking powder and salt; fold in berries.

Pour into greased and floured 9x9-inch baking pan.

Combine ⅓ cup sugar and melted butter; sprinkle evenly over batter.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

[lundsandbyerlys]

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you like banana bread, you’ll love this cake: light, tender banana cake topped with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting. Tip: Freeze ripe bananas in their peels in freezer bags, then thaw them out when you’re ready to use them.

8 servings

Preparation time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the cake:

½ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (4-6)

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

For the frosting:

¼ cup butter, softened

½ (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

For the cake:

Heat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla.

Stir in remaining ingredients just until well combined.

Spread batter into two round cake pans. Bake until deep golden brown (about 30-35 minutes).

Remove from pans; allow to cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

For the frosting:

1.     In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Frost one cake completely; top with the second cake and cover with the remainder of the frosting.

[tastycue]

How To Make Lemon Cherry Coffee Cake This Lemon Cherry Coffee Cake features a soft lemon cake swirled with cherry jam, topped with a buttery lemon streusel, and finished with a tangy lemon yogurt glaze. Perfect for brunch, afternoon coffee, or dessert, this easy cherry coffee cake can be made from scratch or with a simple cake mix shortcut....

How To Make Lemon Cherry Coffee Cake