Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake From Scratch

Lovely name, isn't it? Dump cake. It goes up there between mud pie and monkey bread on the unfortunately unappetizing food names list. Despite the name, the idea behind a dump cake is very appealing. You layer some kind of fruit in a baking pan, dump everything else on top of it, bake it and you're done. It ends up being some kind of cross between a cake and a fruit cobbler that is juicy and delicious. It certainly isn't pretty, but as far as cakes go it's about as easy as it gets. No mixing, no creaming, just dumping. It's the kind of dessert I can handle when I'm short on time or energy. Which is basically all the time.

The drawback of most of the dump cake recipes is that they use a cake mix. And sometimes jello, which my husband refuses to eat in any form. And sometimes other unusual ingredients that I don't normally have at home. While I don't turn my nose up at a boxed cake every once in a while, I do like to make things from scratch when I have the option so I worked on revamping a strawberry rhubarb dump cake recipe that I love. And like most things made from scratch versus the box version, the end product turned out even better. The difficulty factor did raise by about one notch. Instead of dumping a cake mix on the fruit, you have to process together 9 whole ingredients in a food processor. The strawberry flavor in the recipe comes from freeze dried strawberries instead of jello, and the touch of almond extract is amazing with the rhubarb. In fact, I bought 8 pounds of rhubarb to freeze about a month ago so I could try different rhubarb recipes and so far we are about halfway through the rhubarb and I've made exactly one recipe. This one. I can't seem to bring myself to try any other because the minute we finish a pan I'm craving a new one. It is just sweet enough and just tart enough, delicious on its own and amazing with some ice cream. If you've stashed away some rhubarb in your freezer or have a batch in your garden that needs a project, it doesn't get much easier or better than this.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

By HeatOvenTo350 Published 06/17/2013

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (or substitute with another 1/4 cup flour)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) sliced freeze dried strawberries
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 cups chopped rhubarb (thawed and drained if frozen)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into 10-12 pieces

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nonfat dry milk, salt and dried strawberries in a food processor. Process until combined and strawberries have been completely broken down.
2. Spread rhubarb in a 9x13 pan and top with brown sugar. Spread strawberry mixture on top. Pour water over the top and dot with butter pieces.
3. Bake 1 hour or until lightly browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving if eating warm.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time:10 min
Cook time:1 hour

Recipe Source: HeatOvenTo350

Thursday Thoughts - June 13, 2012

Some random thoughts for your Thursday:

1. Our house looks a lot like this lately. And it seems to get to that state a lot quicker than it used to. 

2. Amelia is working on standing while holding on to things. If you plop her by the toy chest, she'll entertain herself by pulling out toys one by one. She reminds me a little bit of the crane toy at the arcade. Except a lot cuter.

3. As you can probably see in #2, sometimes Amelia gets dressed up like a boy. Namely when I find the Red Sox outfit I bought years before I even met my husband and decide that it finally needs to be used.

4. Just seeing the basil grow in my garden makes me so happy. There is no dedicated spot for vegetables where we live so the basil is right among the flowers. That seems fitting to me because the sight of it is beautiful to me.

5. Someone likes to play with their hair while eating. Too bad that same someone doesn't like a washcloth rubbed all over their hair to get the tomato out of it. 

Have a great week!

When it comes to a 7UP cake, there seem to be two classes of people - those who love it, and those who haven't heard about it yet. If you have tried a 7UP cake you will probably nod your head when I describe this cake as one of the best pound cakes you can make. It is moist, buttery and perfectly sweet with just a touch of lemon flavor from the 7UP and lemon zest. It is easy to make and beautiful in presentation. I forget who in my family made it first (I think those bragging rights go to my sister) but it was shared and loved so quickly between the rest of the family that it became an instant family classic.

 My mom and I made the mistake of baking a 7UP cake when she was visiting me right after Amelia was born and it only took a single bite after it was freshly glazed to make us realize our error. A cake that good and that decadent combined with a couple women (one of them a hormonal nursing mom) stuck in a house with a newborn is probably not the wisest idea if you are considering calories. I remember it was with both sadness and relief that I ate the last piece. (My mom has never let forget that I ate that last piece, either.) This was the pound cake I mentioned earlier when I said Amelia preferred it over the chocolate cake on her birthday. Even though I love chocolate and I'm sure she will love it some day, too, given how wonderful this 7UP cake is I don't blame her one bit. 

7 UP Cake

By HeatOvenTo350 Published 06/11/2013

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup 7UP (Or other lemon-lime soda - not diet)
• 5 large eggs, at room temp
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups granulated sugar

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In another medium bowl, combine 7UP, eggs and lemon zest.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and shortening together with the granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla extract. With mixer on low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat in 1/2 of the 7UP mixture, followed half of the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the bowl and add the rest of the 7UP mixture, beat to incorporate, and then finish by adding the last of the flour mixture. Mix well to combine, scraping the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
3. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
4. Once the cake has cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and water in a small bowl. Drizzle over the top of the cake and serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook time:1 hour 15 min
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from America's Best Lost Recipes

Thursday Thoughts - June 6, 2013

Random thoughts for your Thursday:

1. Amelia turned one! She thoroughly enjoyed opening presents and eating cake. I baked both a chocolate cake and a pound cake and the pound cake won hands down. Looks like Amelia has her mom's love of butter. I'll be sharing the recipe for the pound cake later this week. It's one of my favorites.

2. Know those tire shreds you sometimes see on the freeway? My car tried to play PacMan with a nearly full one. It lost. Given that this is the second piece of road debris that has flown at my bumper in the past month, I'm thinking my car is trying to kill itself. 

3. Have you ever had a bad thing happen that you actually ended up feeling lucky about? I feel pretty darn lucky about hitting that tire. I was in the car with Amelia when it happened and things could have been much worse. When I called my sister to tell her about it, she told me about an accident that had happened to her the day before where a beam fell and hit her in the forehead. She was feeling lucky, too, because she was on scaffolding at the time and the accident could have been much worse. It's weird to think that getting your forehead glued back together or a giant repair on your car can make you feel lucky, but sometimes it can. 

4. The hutch is still not finished, but it's close! This is the bottom part. It has a couple coats of finish on it already. The top . . . is bare wood still needing sanding. But hey, it's progress. 

 

Have a great week, everyone!

One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh food and salads. Whether they are at a barbeque with friends or just a simple light dinner at home, the salads are one thing I look forward to when the weather starts to warm up. I have my favorites, but I always like to try new kinds to mix things up a bit, and this cilantro-lime salad is one of the best I've tried in a long time. A really long time. It has already cemented itself in the "Favorite Salads" list in my head. (Don't tell me you don't have lists of favorites in your head, too.) It is full of different textures and flavors and they all go together so well. The cilantro and lime dressing keeps it fresh and light-tasting, and the chicken makes it filling enough for a meal. I love the sweetness of the mango and the crunchiness of the bell peppers. It's a mark of my love that I shared it with my one year old because I wanted to eat the entire bowl myself. Try it yourself and you'll understand. 

Cilantro-Lime Pasta Salad

By HeatOvenTo350 Published 06/4/2013

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dried rotini pasta
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 1 medium mango seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 avocado, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, sugar, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend or process 30 seconds.
3. Drain pasta once it has finished cooking and place in a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from bhg.com

Thursday Thoughts - May 30, 2013

Random thoughts for your Thursday:

1. Refinishing furniture is hard. Just thought I'd put that out there. Hopefully there will be before and after pictures of the project from H-E-DoubleHockeySticks next week. If however, there is an abrupt stop to all posting in the near future, know that it was a mid century hutch that killed me. 

2. These refillable squeezy packets are awesome. We've tried a couple and these are the best. They less expensive than most pouches, the hold a lot and they have a tough side zipper that opens really wide so filling them is easier. And they can go in the dishwasher. I'm in love. I just bought a second set on Amazon today. (Note - I'm not endorsed by the EZ Squeeze people. I just really like their product.)

3. This has become my most dreaded place in the house:

Why did diaper changes become a wrestling match? I've tried to explain in logical terms to Amelia why it doesn't work to change a diaper when she is rolling around like a dolphin but she doesn't seem to get it. 

4. Amelia's first birthday is this coming week! I got a zoo animal cake pan that I'm excited to use. I'm still debating between vanilla or chocolate cake. I might make both. 

Have a great week! 

Vermont Burgers

It's officially grilling season, folks. While some folks grill year round (my brother and dad, to name two) I generally put the grill away once the leaves start to fall and pull it out again around Memorial Day. That long winter without grilled burgers, chicken legs and steaks makes them taste all the better the next summer. 

This year when I pulled out the grill, the first thing I tried were these Vermont burgers. I ran across the recipe this winter and waited patiently until the weather, my schedule, and a sale on ground beef coincided. It was worth the wait. If you are wondering what makes something a Vermont burger, imagine some of the best Vermont flavors all wrapped up in a hamburger bun. First of all, there is maple syrup in the burger. This may seem strange, but I promise you that it is good. You know how some barbecue sauces are somewhat sweet? This is like that, but with great maple flavor. Second, there are grilled apples on top. If you can find McIntosh this time of year, that would be a great choice, but otherwise choose a non-sweet apple with some flavor. (i.e. - no Fuji, Braeburn or Honeycrisp.) This gives great contrast to the maple syrup flavor. Then there is bacon, which isn't necessarily Vermont-y, but . . . it's bacon. Finally, the whole thing is topped with a thick slice of sharp cheddar cheese. The salty cheese, the sweet maple syrup, the bacon, the apple, it's all a happy combination that feels very gourmet and special. Like most things from Vermont. (Full disclosure - I grew up in Vermont.) These burgers would be a great, easy way to try something a little different this summer. 

Vermont Burger

By HeatOvenTo350 Published 05/28/2013

Ingredients

• 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for basting (the real stuff)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper
• 4 slices uncooked bacon
• 1 apple, preferably a tart kind, like granny smith or Pink Lady
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese (Cabot is the best choice here)
• 4 hamburger buns

Instructions

1. Using clean hands, mix together beef, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 3/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Divide mixture into four equal pieces and shape into patties. Set aside on a clean plate.
2. On a medium gas or charcoal grill, cook bacon. (Alternatively, you could cook the bacon in a microwave or in a skillet.)
3. Core the apple and slice thinly into rings. Brush each side with lemon juice to prevent browning.
4. Cook the apple slices on the grill until they are just starting to get tender, about 1 minute on each side. Remove from grill and set aside. Add burger patties and cook about 4 minutes on each side, or until the meat is no longer pink inside. If you wish, baste the meat with additional maple syrup while cooking. When burgers are close to being cooked completely through, top with a slice of bacon, 1/4 of the apple slices, and a slice of cheddar cheese. Cover grill and let sit 1 minute or until cheese has melted.
5. Once cheese has melted, serve burgers on hamburger buns.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook time:15 min
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from wholefoodsmarket.org