lemon Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Makin' it Mo'Betta

I’ve mentioned that I made a Margarita Cake for Easter, and wanted to share the recipe. It was really good, and it starts with a cake mix!

Margarita Cake –

slightly adapted from the

Cake:
Cooking spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or lemon cake mix (I used lemon)
4 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix (I used fat free, sugar free instant pudding)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
½ cup vegetable olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lime or Key lime juice
¼ cup tequila
2 tablespoons triple sec orange liqueur
1 teaspoon tablespoon grated lime zest
4 large eggs

Glaze:
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon tequila
1 tablespoon triple sec orange liqueur
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or Key lime juice
3-4 drops (optional)
2-3 drops of (optional)
1 lime, cut into thin slices (I omitted)
1 to 2 teaspoons coarse sugar (I omitted)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cake mix, pudding mix, sugar, water, oil, 1/3 cup lime juice, ¼ cup tequila, 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, lime zest and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, abt 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix on medium speed for 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look smooth and thick. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.
Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 42 to 47 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, about 25 minutes longer. (My cake pulled away from the sides as it cooled and I didn’t need to run a knife along the sides of the pan. It came out easily, unlike this one! My cake also fell some. ALL my cakes fall…I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!)
Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon tequila, 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and the lemon and orange Stevia drops in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Slide the cake onto a serving plate. Using a long wooden skewer poke 12 to 16 holes in the top of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish the cake with the lime slices and a sprinkling of coarse sugar. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes, then slice and serve the cake.

Verdict – This cake was all I hoped it would be….dense and moist like a pound cake, with a nice citrus flavor. The glaze was delicious and really complimented and added to the flavor of the cake. The new flavored stevia extracts from NuNaturals are amazing! Very intense flavor. I can’t wait to try them in different recipes. (Review & Giveaway coming!) I only tasted a hint of Tequila in the glaze, and I think that is just because I knew it was there. It could be left out if you prefer, or increased if you want to intensify the flavor. (If you add more liquid, you may need to add more confectioner’s sugar,depending on the consistency of the glaze.) Overall, this is a perfect dessert for spring/summer and is going in the ‘keeper file’!

I’m linking this recipe up with , , , , , All the Small Stuff, , @ For The Love Of Blogs,,, , , , , , , , , , , for Savory Sunday; (Ingredient Spotlight: Citrus)

On Tuesday I made a quick stop at grocery store. It’s pretty awesome compared to the grocery stores near my house, so I was like a kid in a candy store. Even my 9 year old was thoroughly impressed – but, she was a kid in a candy store…with the huge display of candies, chocolate covered goodies, etc. I picked up just a few items (and lunch) but they have sparked some serious cravings. And the best thing to do for cravings is SATISFY them – otherwise, you’ll obsess over them, consuming everything else in the house and still will be left with that unfulfilled yearning, that gnawing sense of NEED in the pit of your stomach…..oh….sorry, got carried away. That’s probably just me that OBSESSES over things. So anyway, back to my purchases. I picked up this lovely jewel –

I don’t even like tomatoes, but this one was so pretty i had to have it. I’ve got tomatoes on the brain b/c mine are not growing in the garden. Well, they are growing, but not very big, and not turning red. And then the stupid birds are pecking at them. I want red freakin’ tomatoes. See, that obsession thing again. I did get my first, perfect, red cherry tomato today – so I’m feeling a little less over the top about them not growing. Once again, I digress.

I found this gorgeous tomato and bought it thinking it would go into a pasta recipe I saw. (Which now I can’t find, otherwise I’d share). However, after looking at this tomato and my sister mentioning BLT’s, all I could think about was piling some bacon on this bad boy. So much so that I caved and made a special trip to the store with Mr. Two to get everything I would need for a mac daddy BLT. I should also mention that I have never eaten a BLT before. But I had a hankerin’. I’m pretty sure this is another Southern-ism

I guess I had a BLOT – since I added onion!

don’t ask me why it’s blurry in the middle

and can you believe my local grocery store ONLY had iceburg lettuce…that’s it! ugh!

Neither shot can do this sandwich justice. All I can say is….OH YEAH! It was that good.

And then I did something really mean…I hid the bacon so my husband wouldn’t eat it all, so that I can have another sandwich later. hmmm, better keep that quiet.

This was another purchase. It’s not nearly as pretty as the tomato, but for some reason I wanted it. It’s called ‘Morning Mix’, and is full of healthy sh…um, stuff. Oats (obviously), cinnamon covered raisins and apples, sunflower seeds, etc., etc. It looked very….healthy. So I bought it. and don’t know what to do with it. I’ve mixed it in some yogurt – that was good. I took some, mixed it with almond butter and mini chocolate chips for a snack – that was the bomb. But this morning, I really wanted MUFFINS!! So what did I do? I made muffins.

and added some mix to the tops of half. YUM. I made (again). Made my usual changes – 1/2 white flour, 1/2 wheat, made it “egg-free”, added a little extra lemon juice since I didn’t have any zest, and threw in a half of a peach I had left in the fridge.

I am also not a huge fan of peaches (surprise, surprise) so I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out.

but the combination of blueberry, lemon and peach worked. They were deee–licious. Unless you’re Mr. Two, who took one bite and pushed it away “not good”. I said “it IS good, it’s yummy and good for you, take a bite”. He said “NOOOOOO, no good”. and he ate Cheerios. and I ate his muffin.

Category: lemon

Margarita Cake

Margarita Cake –

hump day hankerin’