Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake

With my in-laws as well as brother and sisters in laws close by, we frequently have get-to-gethers for birthdays, Mother's Day, etc. Of course I always volunteer to bring the dessert whenever possible (for selfish reasons.) Nine times out of ten it involves chocolate, but with the summer heat, lemon has been my go-to alternative. I love it's fresh, light, and tart taste.

I love cakes for feeding a crowd and not only was this lemon cake delicious, it was something a little different than your standard chocolate/vanilla frosted cake. I loved the look and taste of the glaze and lemon sugar topping. It was a major crowd pleaser and will be making frequent appearances from now on. 

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet CakeRecipe from America’s Test Kitchen Best Summer Desserts found via Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) cake flour (no substitutions)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup white sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

Glaze:

3 cups (12 ounces) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons buttermilk

Instructions:

Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position (unless you’ve found that another position works better in your oven for baking) and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the white sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until moist and fragrant (about 1 minute). Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture and place it in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

Add the softened butter to the remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix until smooth (about 30 seconds)

Scrape the batter into the reserved baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 25-35 minutes). Be careful not to over bake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Gently spread the glaze over the cake and sprinkle evenly with the reserved sugar mixture. Allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours.

Posted by : Sallie

Asian Sesame Noodles With Marinated Chicken And Vegetables

Are you sick of heating up your kitchen for dinner? Are you trying to use your food storage to make meals that your family will actually eat? Do you like Asian food? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you've got to try this.

There were so many things I loved about this meal.

*I didn't have to turn the oven on.

* It used several ingredients from my food storage (noodles, sugar, oil, peanut butter).

*The veggies. Don't leave these out. They added a fabulous fresh taste and great texture. (I was a little skeptical about the red cabbage. I'm not a huge fan of it in salads but it was delish.)

* The marinade does double duty for the chicken and the noodles.

*Easily adapted to fit your family's taste. You could slice or dice the chicken and turn it into a one pot meal. Add broccoli, snap peas, snow peas,or bean sprouts. I think bok choy would be a great substitution if you don't like cabbage. You could also skip the chicken for a delicious vegetarian meal. 

*I love, love, loved all the different tastes and textures. The tender noodles, moist grilled chicken, fresh veggies, and the sweet and spicy sauce. Because it was summer, we ate the noodles slightly cooled instead of hot. Another great summer meal to add to my collection.

**Cook's Notes:

The chicken only needs to marinade while you are making this dish but can marinate for longer.

Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients. Most, if not all can be easily found in your favorite grocery store. Also, a little goes a long way. You'll have plenty of leftovers to experiment with other delicious Asian dishes.

ASIAN SESAME NOODLES WITH MARINATED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES


Marinade for chicken and sauce for noodles:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. white vinegar
1 c. soy sauce
1 T. hoisin sauce
2 T. sesame oil
3 T. vegetable or canola oil
1-1 1/3 c. brown sugar (depending how sweet you like it--I of course use it all )
1 T. sesame seeds
1 T. lime juice
3 T. peanut butter
1 t. ginger (freshly grated or ginger powder)
1 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. sweet red chili sauce *My favorite is Mae Ploy brand*

16 oz. thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
1/2 c. carrots, sliced
1 red or orange bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 c. red cabbage, sliced thinly
4-5 chicken breasts

Combine in a bowl the ingredients for the marinade. If the peanut butter is too thick and won't whisk into the sauce well, microwave it for a few seconds (I microwaved mine for 15 sec.) until soft. Once marinade is smooth, take 1/2-3/4 c. of the marinade and place in a Ziploc bag or in a bowl with the chicken. Put chicken in the fridge until ready to grill. Set the rest of the marinade aside until the noodles are cooked.

Cook the noodles until tender and then drain and rinse. While noodles are cooking cut the vegetables very thinly (you don't want big chunks of vegetables, just thin slices). When the noodles are drained and cooked, place in a large bowl. Add the vegetables to the warm noodles (this will help soften the carrots). Pour the remaining dressing (not from the chicken, the extra) over the noodles. Let noodles sit until chicken is cooked.

Grill the marinated chicken until cooked through. Serve the grilled chicken along side the sesame noodles. Garnish the sesame noodles with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Source: Deal To Meals
Posted by: Sallie