Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

 

For Christmas, I got a bundt pan from my brother and within a week of receiving it, I made two delicious bundt cakes.  The first one I made, a sour cream pound cake, got devoured within minutes; so I didn't even get any pictures.  But this one here is a lemon poppy seed pound cake with a powdered sugar glaze.  Both recipes came from my BH&G Cook Book.  I substituted cake flour for the all purpose flour which definitely gave the cake the texture I was going for; moist and dense.  I loved that this recipe didn't involve separating eggs nor beating egg whites.

Mini Glazed Donut Muffins

I should be playing with my dog; she looks sad laying there on her bed but I had try just one more donut recipe today.  These mini donut muffins are a lot closer in taste to the store bought cake donuts I'm trying to replicate.  Because a cinnamon/sugar mixture wouldn't cut it, they were double dipped in a powdered sugar glaze.



Mini Glazed Donut Muffins
slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction
Makes about 24 mini muffins


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons + 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk


For the Glaze:
4 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons hot water


Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease mini muffin trays. Or line with mini paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.



Add the egg, beating to combine.



Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.



Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.



Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the batter into the prepared trays.



Bake the muffins for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.



In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.



When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Repeat, if desired.  (I recommend repeating.)

Serve warm or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Donut Bread Pudding

I went through a bread pudding phase a few years ago.  I've made a wide range of bread pudding from the classic to the chocolate banana to the apple version.  So, imagine when my sister told me there was a donut bread pudding (adapted from All Recipes)!

Believing it might be too sweet, I had my sister bring sugar donuts instead of glazed donuts as the recipe suggests.  The custard base wasn't sweet at all.  Almost bland.  In the end, I had to make a powdered sugar glaze to pour all over the top.  So much tastier.

National Donut Day

Funny that The Perfect Mini Donut Maker my brother ordered arrived at our front door yesterday evening.  Just in time for National Donut Day.  The mini cake donuts (adapted from Williams-Sonoma) weren't bad but they weren't what I was expecting.  They tasted like mini yellow cakes more than mini cake donuts.

 The Perfect Mini Donut Maker

Mmm...Donuts!

Powdered Sugar Glaze (adapted from BH&G New Cook Book) and Sprinkles