Lemony Sunshine

It has been raining here in San Jose, or at least it was raining. For over a week. We had a tornado watch. Its been dreary and gloomy, and I have missed the California sun. I decided to bring some sunshine into my kitchen by making lemon bread. Nothing screams sunshine like lemons.

I have several new recipe books that were given to me over the Christmas holiday, one being a Williams Sonoma baking cookbook. So I thought I would test Mr. Williams, or Mrs. Sonoma, or whoever managed to create such a name for themselves, and try their lemon bread. The recipe is pretty basic:

Cream shortening and sugar.

Add eggs.

And lemon zest.

Add dry ingredients followed by wet ingredients.

Bake for an hour.

And devour!

Congrats Mr. Williams or Mrs. Sonoma. You make a mean Lemon Bread!

**Note: Williams-Sonoma was founded by Charles E. Williams, though I am not sure this is his actual recipe.

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mama had birthday. She is 29 again, and looking fabulous! I decided I wanted to make her a special cake for her birthday. She has a favorite truffle from See’s Candies. Key Lime. Its delicious. Key Lime buttercream coated in white chocolate. Sounds kinda cakey. So I thought I would make a cake that had some of the same flavors.

I made a simple white cake. I should have added a bit of lime zest, but I didn’t want to overpower with lime. The cake was filled with a lime curd. Oh my goodness! Lime curd is fabulous. Don’t buy it. Make it! I used Alton’s recipe again, but changed a couple things. Here is the recipe:

5 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

4-5 limes, zested and juiced (It’s about 1/3 cup juice, its ok if its not enough, and wont hurt it if there is too much. Don’t add extra water…bleh!)

1 stick butter, cut into 8 pats

In a small saucepan, boil a small amount of water. In a metal bowl (that will fit over the saucepan without the water touching the bottom), whisk egg yolks and sugar. Add lime juice and zest and mix well. Place over boiling water, and reduce heat to low. Stir until yolk mixture has thickened. It takes longer than you think, about 10-12 minutes. It need to get thick, especially for a cake filling. I didn’t cook it long enough, and had to start over. Once it has thickened, remove from heat and add the butter, one pat at a time. Stir each pat until its melted and then add another. Cover and refrigerate your curd for up to a week.

To cover the cake I made a white chocolate ganache with 1 cup cream and 1 1/2 cups white chocolate, just to thicken it a bit. I didn’t frost the cake, but rather let the ganache fall over the top. Photographically, it was not the prettiest. But it tasted really, really good. Next time, more ganache to cover the cake well.

 

Happy Birthday Mom! Love you!

It’s about time…

I admit it’s a little sad that I lasted for 2 months with my little blog, and then suddenly stopped. Let’s just say that things have been a little out of the norm for the Goody Goddess. My desire for cooking and baking and eating hit an all time low when I discovered I was baking something extra special…a baby!

After what felt like an eternal hiatus, as I have been horribly distraught that I have no desire for sweets, I decided it was time to return to the baking.

I made a few things in December that really deserve some posting. My grandparents celebrated their 50th Anniversary with their children and grandchildren in mid December. It was a perfect opportunity to make a cake. Here are a couple shots of the German Chocolate decadence: That’s my sweet grandma and the love of her life. They are a wonderful blessing in my life. The magnolia flower is handmade…a first attempt. It gave me some struggles, but I am determined to conquer the art of sugar flowers!

Right before Christmas, I had another project. My mother-in-law has started a catering business, and I was able to help out with one of the events. She catered a luncheon for about a hundred missionaries from our church serving in the area. There were a lot of hungry young men, and she did a great job. I was assigned to make a cake to look like the badges that the missionaries wear. Apparently the newest missionary, and probably one of the oldest since he has been around for a thousand years or so, is Santa Claus.

It’s a little more embellished than the traditional badge, but it desperately needed some Christmas cheer. Sadly, I left the good camera at home. My dear sister-in-law was kind enough to take a picture with her phone. Technology is amazing!

That is pretty much the Goody Goddess up to date. I made some fleur de sel caramels for Christmas that were pretty delightful, but forgot to snap a shot. Next time I will add my own flair and make sure to post the recipe!