fidget smile wave

So I’ve been a bit scattered as of late.  I just can’t seem to get into a schedule pattern that I can maintain.

Why you ask?

Well, I’ll tell you since you seem insistent on an answer.

I’ve joined a roller derby league!  It is so much fun.

Don’t get me wrong, right now I stink.  I thought I knew how to roller skate, wrong.  I stink but that’s okay.

As Adam says, I’m learning.  So wise that one, I think I’ll keep him.

Down side, it’s two hours away. Boo!  So that means I have a marathon day once a week where I work for 10 hours, drive two hours to practice, practice for two hours, drive home for two hours and then tell Adam all about my day.  Oh this isn’t a complaint, as long as it’s fun I’ll keep doing it but I’m afraid I haven’t balanced out the rest of my week.  Things keep getting pushed back.

I don’t do all of my other exercises, meal planning is a bit off and I haven’t been able to tell you all about this cake I made.  Well bear with me.  I’m getting there. I don’t like when I don’t have a regular schedule so this little disorder should be temporary.

Meanwhile I made you this cake.  It’s lemony. It’s blueberry-ey.  I used this icing.  You should make this, it should get you in the spring state of mind.

Lemon Blueberry Butter Cake w/ Black Tea Frosting

From Sky High

ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter – room temp

2 Cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 + 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

7 egg whites

3 Cups cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 + 1/4 Cups milk

Lemon Blueberry preserves

ingredients

3 Cups blueberries

3/4 Cup sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 + 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated ginger

Black Tea Frosting – recipe here

Make the preserves first because you will need them for your batter.  In a blender puree blueberries then put in a heavy bottom nonreactive saucepan.  Add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and ginger.  Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring often to dissolve the sugar.  Continue stirring and cooking until preserves have thickened and have reduced to about 1 cup, about 20 minutes.  Let cool.

For the cake.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the bottom and sides of 3 8″ square or round cake pans.  Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter that too.

In your mixer, cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract until light and fluffy.  Slowly add egg whites beating in between each addition.

Combine the flour, baking power and salt and add to the butter mix alternating with the milk, scrape down the sides of bowl. Beat on high for about 1 minute until batter is smooth and lump free.

Scoop out 1 cup of batter and place in a separate bowl.  Divide the remaining batter between the three cake pans.  Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the blueberry lemon preserves to the reserved batter and mix until combined and pretty.

Drizzle the blueberry batter over the cake pans and using a toothpick swirl it around to marble it without really mixing it in.

Bake for 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Let cakes cool at least one hour.

Make the black tea icing recipe.

Place one cake layer on plate, spread preserves over it.  Top with second cake layer and spread preserve mix over that one and top with final cake layer.  You can put the remaining preserves in the fridge for about a week.  Have it with toast or ice cream!

Ice your cake and then enjoy!