Strawberry Ugly Cake

First of all, let me say I am so happy sitting at my desk writing a blog post!  Do you ever have those weeks where life just takes over and you have no choice but to put aside the things you love for the things you must?  Last week turned into that kind of week for me.  I’d mentioned with the holiday that I would be quiet for a few days but I didn’t intend for it to turn into a full week.  The best part of the musts that took over my life was a trip down to see LuLu in Austin.  Our state capital city is a beautiful and very hip area of Texas.  The time is always pleasurable when we visit, especially with LuLu, my oldest daughter having taken up residence there.

She did a wonderful job of feeding us and I will be blogging about her chocolate cake one day soon.  We marveled at how the tables turn in our lives as she whipped up the delicious chocolate cake and homemade frosting, while I perched at the counter with a glass of wine and watched.  When she is at “home”, home meaning the place where she grew up, the tables turn and I make the cakes and frosting while she sits!  This of course being the original way the table was turned.  Interesting how that works, as children grow up and start making their own “home”.  I’m getting a kick out of it!

So, back to that holiday weekend, Memorial Day.  Seems like it was forever ago.  I was asked to make dessert for a pool party we were attending.  I wanted to try something from Ryan at Ryan Bakes.  She is a beautiful lady turning out some fabulous looking stuff on her blog, www.ryanbakes.com. I decided on her Strawberry Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze.  Her photo was picture perfect and it sounded ideal, as the hosts both love strawberries.

She agreed to my use of her recipe.  I had most of the ingredients at hand but purchased the fresh strawberries.  I needed to bake this cake and glaze it the day before the party.  I got to work early on Saturday baking, being sure to allow plenty of cooling time so I could glaze and photograph it while the light was good.  Well, Ryan, your cake looked perfect, as I stated above, mine not so!  I decided to slice and add strawberries around the rim of the cake to aid in presentation.  Where my cake failed in presentation it made up for in flavor, texture and deliciousness!  It delivered the most moist, soft crumb, especially as pound cakes go.  The thick glaze begs for a finger to swipe a taste.  The red strawberries peeking out from the cake are a nice contrast to the thick, white glaze.

My Strawberry Ugly Cake was a hit at the party and the few pieces we carried home lasted only a short time.  A big “thank you” to Ryan for allowing me to try her recipe.  It may not have been the prettiest cake I’ve ever laid eyes on but I declare it a winner, nonetheless.

It’s time for an update on my bees too.  Flowers are blooming like mad in my back pasture and my bees are making the best of it.  Today it was necessary for me to add supers to three hives, to give the bees plenty of honey making space.  Some of my hives are starting to resemble high rises and this makes me smile.  I also caught a glimpse of Queen Anne today.  She is the city queen whom adoring hubby and I removed and brought to the country.  Her hive is small but growing and flourishing.  The time for honey harvesting is growing close and I am spending any reading time trying to educate myself before the process begins.  Sounds like a sticky situation, but I am up for it 100%.

It’s good to be back and thanks for stopping by.  Don’t hesitate to drop me a “howdy” before you go.

Enjoy!

Ryan’s Strawberry Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
aka
Strawberry Ugly Cake 

Ingredients:
2 Sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 cups diced strawberries tossed with 1-2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325* F.  Grease and flour 12 cup bundt pan or spray with Baker’s Joy.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add eggs, two at a time, beating after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add this mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream.  Add vanilla and beat for 2 minutes or until ingredients are mixed well.  Fold in diced strawberries.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.  Bake until cake leaves sides of the pan, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  allow cake to cool in pan before removing.  Invert onto a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 4oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Mixture will be thick.  Heat the icing in a microwave for 10-15 seconds to reach drizzling consistency.  Stir icing and drizzle over cake.  The icing will harden slightly after frosting and form a shiny, thick glaze.