Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake

No one is asking, but just for the record my philosophy on nutritious food versus junk food could be summed up like this: Enjoy what you eat, so long as it doesn't get in the way of the truly important things in your life. By that I mean, be educated but don't agonize over every tiny thing you put in your mouth. Savor that chocolate cake but don't eat the whole thing or you'll find yourself with little energy for pursuing life's other joys and more active pursuits.

This philosophy applies when I'm baking. I used to try all kinds of healthy ways to doctor up baked goods, but found the results going to waste. No one wanted to eat them, not even me. At first I felt guilty for returning to my first loves--butter, sugar and eggs--but then I embraced sweets for what they are, a treat. I get my kids in the kitchen to help me, invite some friends over for coffee, give them to visiting neighborhood kids and even to the guy looking for a handout on the side of the road. Suddenly cookies are more than cookies. They're an event and something that, I hope, makes life a little more enjoyable and special for everyone.

I still make some concessions for nutrition in my baking, but only so long as it enhances or doesn't interfere with the flavor. For example, I use kefir instead of buttermilk, because I always have it on hand. I also cut my all-purpose flour with half whole-wheat flour, because honestly I like the results better. When I'm making something like apple cake I use applesauce in place of oil. And I have a soft spot for recipes like this one I found on allmyrecipes.com that uses sensible, simple tricks to cut out the fat and calories. The original recipe, from Cooking Light magazine, reduces the amount of sugar (something that can be done with almost any recipe) and butter and makes use of an egg white. Simple. Easy. Better for you. But it still results in a dense, moist cake studded with fresh blueberries and lemon zest and capped off with a buttery crumb topping. 

Enjoy...really!

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake

(Modified from myrecipes.com recipe)

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use equal parts white and whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
  6 Tb butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk or kefir
2 cups fresh blueberries
  the zest of one lemon

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tb butter, chilled

1.) Preheat oven to 350'. Grease and flour a 9" springform pan. Set aside.
2.) In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour through salt. Set aside.
3.) In a large mixing bowl, blend vanilla, butter and sugar until smooth. (There are 8 Tbs of butter in a stick. Use 6 Tbs, softened, for the cake and set the remaining 2 Tbs aside in the fridge for the crumb topping.)
4.) Add eggs.
5.) Add the flour and kefir/buttermilk, alternating. Start with the flour and end with the flour.
6.) Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest with a large wooden spoon, being careful not to break up the blueberries. This is a thin batter, so fresh blueberries are best. The Web site recommends using less buttermilk/kefir for peak-season berries. Reviews of the Cooking Light version of this recipe said that the blueberries tend to sink (about half of mine did). To avoid this you can either toss the blueberries in some of the flour mixture before folding them in or reduce the buttermilk by 1/3 cup. I would say the same holds true for using frozen berries, as they'll add a lot of moisture to the batter. If you use frozen berries, don't thaw them first or you'll end up with a purple cake.
7.) Pour the batter into the springform cake pan.
8.) Meanwhile place the crumb topping ingredients in a separate bowl (I just used the one I mixed the dry ingredients in earlier). Use a fork to mash the butter into the flour mixture until you get rough crumbs. You can also work this with your hands if you prefer. I know I did.

 9.) Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top of the batter in the springform pan and pop it in the oven. OK, gently slide it into the oven.

 10.) Bake until nicely browned on top and the cake springs back to the touch in the center, about 45-50 minutes.
11.) Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least a 1/2 hour. Remove from the springform pan and serve. The trick I used for getting the cake out of the springform pan so that you don't have the metal piece underneath is to let it cool all the way, gently place a large dinner plate over the crumb topping and flip the cake upside down. Slowly peel off the metal plate on the bottom of the cake then transfer the cake, right-side-up to your serving platter. If you loose some of that yummy crumble in the process, just sprinkle it back on top. Trust me, no one is going to notice while they're gobbling this down.

Recipe Makeover: Glazed Lemon Cake

Lemons make me happy.

So I was excited to see a recipe for "Simple Lemon Cake" in this month's issue of Everyday Food that made use of four whole lemons. Wow, right up my alley. I read the recipe over and thought it sounded a little involved but wanted to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did. After quite a bit of tweaking and the addition of a glaze, it came out delicious. Dense, moist crumb studded with bright yellow lemon peel and a tangy glaze that balances the bitter/sour of the lemon peel in the cake. Wow. There's something old fashioned and Depression-era about boiling down the lemons and pureeing them to use in the cake. A revelation--well to me anyway.

But what a lot of work to get there due to a poorly constructed recipe and a few of my own gaffs. I could go on for four more paragraphs about all that was wrong with the magazine's version of this recipe (which I did in an earlier version of this post and then decided just sounded too cranky). Instead, I will post the ingredients for the cake in a more logical order and with all the changes I made. I also included the recipe for the glaze I added. For the original version of the recipe, check out this month's issue of Everyday Food. Serve this alone or with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Glazed Lemon Cake

4 lemons, sliced into 2" pieces, ends and large seeds removed

3/4 cup butter, room temp

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

2/3 cup milk or kefir (buttermilk would probably work great too)

2 cups flour (I use half wheat mix)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 Tbs lemon solution from cooking lemons (or equal amt lemon juice)

Cake:
Preheat the oven to 400'.

1.) Slice the lemons, removing the ends and picking out any large seeds. Not sure if this is necessary with the seeds but I worried it would effect the taste/texture of the final puree. Better safe than sorry. There's no way to make the crunch of seeds appetizing in a cake. Plus it seems like the seeds would make it unnecessarily bitter.

2.) Boil the lemons in water and a pinch of salt, 15 minutes, or until soft.

3.) Drain the liquid and set it aside for use in the glaze and to make lemonade.

4.) Cut butter into 1" pats and add to food processor with vanilla. Pour in cooked lemons. Pulse until smooth. Add eggs and yolks. At this stage it will look like this. If you missed any seeds, now's a good time to spoon through the batter and remove any husky feeling pieces
5.) In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking soda and powder.
6.) Add lemon mix to flour mix alternating with milk or kefir. Beat just until smooth.
7.) Now here I got annoyed because the original recipe claimed to make enough batter for one 9" cake pan. But I filled a small spring form pan 3/4 of the way and poured out six more cupcakes. You can probably get two 9" cake pans out of this or try a bundt pan.

 8.) Bake the cupcakes (if you make them) for 15-18 minutes and the cake for about 35-40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan.

Glaze:
1.) Place 1 cup confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
2.) Whisk in 1 tsp vanilla and the lemon solution 1 Tb at a time. I used 2 1/2 Tbs for my glaze. I didn't glaze the cupcakes, so if you want enough glaze for them as well, double this recipe.
3.) Prick the cake all over with a clean fork. Spread the glaze across the top of the cake, using the back of a spoon, until the glaze spills over the edge. Serve warm or cool.

Indian Restaurant Inspired Canteloupe Mint Smoothie

Canteloupe doesn't come in season in North Carolina for several more months, but I'm seeing them on sale more and more at the store. One of my favorite ways to eat canteloupe is smothered in the yogurt mint sauce served at our favorite Indian restaurant. I thought I'd try to make a smoothie that captures this unique taste sensation. This recipe is a refreshing version with the lightly sweet melon, fresh mint and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper for heat. The texture is thinner than a traditional smoothie, but adding ice just waters it down. Top with a fresh sprig of mint and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and get your morning off to a great start.

Spiced Canteloupe Mint Smoothie

1 canteloupe, seeded and pulp scooped out

5 or 6 fresh mint leaves

1 Tb honey

pinch of cayenne pepper

kefir or 1 cup plain yogurt and milk/soy milk

1.) Place canteloupe, mint and honey in blender. 

2.) If using yogurt and milk or soy milk, then add the yogurt and blend, adding milk/soy milk until you get a smooth consistency. You may have to add more honey than shown above if you're using plain yogurt.

3.) If using kefir, blend ingredients, adding kefir as you go until you get the desired consistency.

4.) Top with a fresh mint sprig and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

Crazy Monkey Protein Smoothie

My boys get excited when they see the chocolate syrup bottle come out of the fridge at breakfast time, and I love that they're getting lots of protein. Try this shake with a yogurt and soy milk/milk combination if you don't have kefir on hand. Don't tell the kids but I also sneak cooked sweet potato or carrots in this when they're not looking. They've never noticed! For easy cleanup, use an immersion blender like the one pictured below. They have fewer pieces to clean up than a blender.

Crazy Monkey Breakfast Smoothie
2 bananas, peeled
2 Tb chocolate syrup (I've also used 1/2 packet of hot cocoa powder)
2 heaping Tb smooth peanut butter
kefir (or 1 cup of plain yogurt and milk or soy milk)

1.) Place bananas, chocolate syrup and peanut butter in blender cup.
2.) Pour kefir until cup is 3/4 full. Blend until smooth. Serve.


For more recipes visit www.feedingfourfood.blogspot.com.

Kefir Update

My kefir grains arrived in the mail last week, thanks to Marilyn at www.kefirlady.com. Here's a picture of what they look like. Kind of a yellowish cottage cheese curd. The instructions said the kefir grains will grow and if you get too many you can always eat them. So I gave one a try. Tasted like a chewy, yeasty dough but with a slimy texture. I know, Mom Hogan, this is really grossing you out isn't it? To get started, I poured 4 cups of milk over the grains, secured a light cloth over the top and set it out on my counter for 24 hours.


What a huge difference from the powdered version! The first batch I made of kefir with cow's milk I used Yogourmet's powdered kefir starter. Part of the reason I'm using the kefir is because I'm lactose intolerant and the kefir is an inexpensive type of yogurt drink with lots of probiotics that's easy on the stomach. Well, over the course of a day I worked the quart of yogourmet's kefir into my diet. Not a good idea. I was sick for 24 hours because the powdered version didn't devour enough of the lactose sugars in the milk. With the kefir grains, I didn't have to boil the milk and within 24 hours I had kefir I could use right away. I have now had three quarts with no side effects, and I'm finding I really like the flavor. It's very mild, although the texture isn't as creamy. But I think the lighter texture is also because I'm using 1% milk versus the goat's milk I used for the hot cocoa recipe earlier. Haven't tried to make this into hot cocoa yet. I haven't drank milk since I was a kid. Now what am I going to do with all of those $2 Silk coupons you gave me Maridith? :-) I've been drinking the kefir straight with meals and also using it to replace both the soymilk and yogurt in my smoothies. The kefir grains from Marilyn also came with great recipes on how to use it to make sourdough, since the kefir beverage can replace the yeast in the recipe. So something else to try.

Now the only problem I'm having is that my kefir grains are converting one quart of milk every day. I'm using 1% milk but that's still way more dairy fat than I'm used to and it will start to get expensive. I haven't figured out how to handle this. I put it in the fridge to slow it down but apparently that doesn't make the kefir grains very happy. So if anyone wants to buy freshly made kefir beverage from me, I will have a few quarts available each week. Bring your own container and I'll only charge you $2 a quart to cover the expense of the milk. I'm pretty sure that's much less expensive than you'll find it at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. When the kefir grains start to double I'm happy to share those for free.

Hot Kefir Cocoa

Already trying to answer the question, "Now that I've got a quart of kefir in my fridge, what do I do with it?" I used some in place of soy milk for a berry smoothie for breakfast this morning and then thought I'd make a little pick-me-up in the afternoon. Mmm, warm, spicy, tangy, creamy hot cocoa. So yummy--really! Kids both drank the smoothie in the morning; Linc tried the cocoa but was not a big fan. He said maybe if it was with cow's milk next time. Or marshmallows. :-)

Hot Kefir Cocoa
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups kefir (mine was goat's milk but cow will work great too)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine cocoa, sugar and water in saucepan. Cook on low heat and stir constantly two minutes. Don't scald it. When the sugar is all dissolved, stir in the kefir and heat gently, just until hot. You don't want it to boil or you'll kill all those lovely bacteria, and then what's the point, right? Makes 4 servings. I had leftovers and poured them back into the jar when cooled. Heated it up the next afternoon and mmmm. I'd try to use it all the first time though if you can. I'm not sure how healthy those bacteria are after being heated so many times. It was delicious though!

Kefir Culture

In researching a fiction story I'm writing (yes, I've started writing fiction again) I came across a plethora of information on kefir. The character in my story has a herd of goats and I was trying to come up with something she could sell from the goats' milk--other than milk and chevre of course. I started wondering if it was possible to create an alcoholic beverage from fermented goats milk and Googled "fermented goats milk." Well, there is a tradition of alcoholic beverages involving milk, but more interestingly, and more apropos for my story, was the information I found about kefir.

Kefir is a yogurt-like beverage derived from fermenting milk with a kefir grain (kind of like a slimy cauliflower-looking organism) at room temperature. All you need is some milk, some grains and a jar. Kefir is supposed to be full of pro-biotics and even more beneficial to your digestive tract than yogurt. Also, according to a WebMD article I read, kefir reduces the lactose content of milk so that lactose intolerant people like me can drink it. I thought I'd give it a try so I went to the health food stores we have here in town. I found kefir for sale in the dairy section but wanted to make my own. For research purposes for my story, I bought one quart of goat's milk and the powdered form of kefir pictured above for a total of $10. I had to boil the milk first, according to the package directions, let it cool, and then inoculate the milk with one of the powdered packets. Then I poured it into a clean Mason jar (thanks Mom!) and let it sit on the counter for 24 hours. It looked exactly the same to me the next morning, I have to say. But I refrigerated it for 8 hours according to the instruction and drank a glass.

First reaction? My mouth did not want to swallow. Everything in me was screaming, "Sour milk! Spit it out!" But then, when I did get it down, it was pretty good. Not a glowing recommendation for taste, I know. But I have to be honest. The description of it being like a liquid yogurt was pretty dead on for this batch. The after taste was better than the first impression. I can see mixing it with a little honey or making it into a berry smoothie for breakfast.

Now all the research I did on kefir on-line said that the powdered form and all the commercial versions you get at the stores are not the real deal. You don't get the same health benefits due to the way they have to process it in order to sell it, and it can be quite expensive. On the other hand, if you can get a hold of some real kefir grains (I found a lady in Ohio who will ship them to you for a flat $20) you'll have kefir as long as you give it milk to eat. So I'm going to try that next. Also to try: cow's milk. I have some Lactaid on hand just in case my science experiment goes awry. :-)

Oh, and BTW: Happy Thanksgiving all! I have debated about whether to post a Thanksgiving recipe but as I have gotten off scot-free from having to make anything other than a dessert this year it seemed like sheer hypocrisy. A few things I'm thankful for this year: my Feeding Four family and friends, my Kitchenaid mixer, and dark chocolate. Oh and not having to make Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you Aunt Jennifer!

P.S. I originally titled this post "Kefir Culture" because there is a quite an interesting following to kefir. Just wanted to reassure you that I'm not moving to a commune or actually starting my own goat farm. Yet.