Lemon Cake

1 Homemade Cake Mix mixture

1 teaspoon Lemon zest
1 stick cold Butter, sliced by the Tablespoon
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 cup milk, buttermilk, or sour cream
2 Eggs, beaten
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

In a food processor combine Homemade Cake Mix mixture, lemon zest, and butter slices. Pulse until crumbly. Pour into a large mixing bowl.

In a liquid measuring cup add lemon juice. Then add enough milk to make 1 cup.

Add milk mixture and eggs to the dry ingredients. Stir till combined. Do not over stir.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. I also look to see if cake is jiggly when pulling out of the oven. If it is, it probably still needs more time.

Cool 15 minutes.

Make Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Spread 1/2 of the frosting over tops and sides of cooled cake round cakes, or all the frosting over the 13x9 cake.

Store cake covered on counter.

Note: I zest and juice 1 lemon. I use 1/2 the zest for the cake and 1/2 or the frosting. I use 1/3 of the juice for the cake and 2/3 juice for the frosting. However, if I am doing something with the frosting that will not use up the rest of the zest or lemon juice, then just add it all into the frosting.

Homemade Lemon Cake Mix

2 cups Flour

1.5 cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 box Lemon Pudding mix

Mix all together. Can store in 16oz Mason Jar

Note: Homemade Cake Mix can be used to make a Lemon Cake, Dump Cake, Cobbler (make like dump cake as in sprinkle cake mix over pie filling then lay butter slices on top and bake for 45 minutes), Lemon Party Cake, Strawberry Lemon Cake, etc....

Lemon-Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake batter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Lemons juiced, divided between
       coffee cake, cream cheese layer, and icing
<3/4 cup buttermilk or sour cream
1 cup raspberries, blueberries, or 

           strawberries (cubed), fresh or frozen

Cream Cheese Layer
1 large egg at room temp

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raspberries, blueberries, or 

           strawberries (cubed), fresh or frozen

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Prepare coffee cake batter. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one a time, scraping down the butter and eggs as need be; add vanilla. Mix in lemon zest. In a liquid measuring cup juice lemons with a strainer to catch the seeds. Using a 1 cup liquid measuring cup add 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice and enough buttermilk (or sour cream) to make it 1 cup. Add buttermilk mixture to batter and combine. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in 1 cup of berries.

Prepare Cream Cheese layer. In a stand mixer with the whisk attached add egg add cream cheese; mix until combined. While the mixer is on low, add powdered sugar to cream cheese mixture slowly until fluffy about 2 minutes or so. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice and 1 cup berries.

Spread 1/2 the batter evenly into prepared pan. Add cream cheese layer. Top with the remaining batter.

Prepare crumb topping. In a food processor mix together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add butter pulse until mixture forms a coarse, pea-like consistency. Sprinkle on top of batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and remove ring.

While cooling make icing by whisking together powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice to create a thin glaze. Drizzle icing on cake that has cooled for 10 minutes.

Note: Try the recipe with one, two, or all three berries.

Buttermilk Biscuits

1 stick Butter

2 1/2 cups Flour, 

         plus extra for hands and work surface
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup cold Buttermilk,

         + 2 Tablespoons for brushing tops
2 teaspoons Honey

Cut up butter into 1/2 inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450.

In a food processor add flour, baking powder and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Add cubed butter and pulse several times until coarse crumbs form.  Pour mixture into a large bowl.

Make a well in the center for the flour mixture in the large bowl.  Pour 1 cup buttermilk into well and drizzle honey on top.  Fold everything together until it begins to come together.  DO NOT overwork the dough.  Biscuit dough should be uneven and barely stay together.  This helps create the air pockets of buttery goodness!

Pour the dough and any crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands.  If dough ever starts to stick to your hands add more flour to your hands.  

Flatten dough to 3/4 inch thick rectangle.  Fold one side into the center, then the other side.  Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle again.  Repeat folding again.  This should be done a total of 4 times.  

Cut biscuits out using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, DO NOT twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough.  Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used.  You should have 8-10 biscuits.  Arrange in a cast iron pan, make sure the biscuits are touching.  Placing them close together will help them push each other up.

Brush tops with 2 Tablespoons buttermilk.  

Bake 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  DO NOT open the oven to look at them part way through baking.  Take them out when they are bronze, flakey, and sky-high!

Cover left overs tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

Homemade Greek Yogurt - Quick Reference

- Start by 11am.
- Fill tub with cold water.
- 180 °F for 2 hrs.
- Remove jars with jar tongs
    empty tub
        refill tub with cold water
            finger tighten lids
                place jars back in tub
- 110 °F for 45 min
- Remove jars
    unscrew lids
        add 1 cookie scoop of saved yogurt
            stir
                replace lids and finger tighten
                    place jars back in tub
- 110 °F for 6 hrs.
- remove jars
    sit room temperature for 2-3 hours
- refrigerate jars overnight
- strain for 3 hrs.
- Put in container and place in fridge