Pear Almond Cake

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I’m going full-on Christmas mode. Granted, my house has been decorated for two weeks, we’ve already made a gingerbread house, and the Jonas Brothers’ Christmas single has been played like 342 times, but still. Our last Christmas was hectic and abrupt because of our move, and I’ve been determined to make the biggest deal out of it this year (#momlife). To get things going in a festive direction, I’m sharing this pear almond cake today! Let’s talk all about it.

This is a one-bowl butter and sour cream-based bundt cake loaded with chopped pears and a sweet streusel and glaze. Cakes like this always read coffee cake to me, which basically makes it an appropriate choice for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert. Is there anything better than a green light for dessert all day long? NOPE. To make it, simply cream butter and sugar in a large bowl before adding eggs and extract. The dry ingredients come next and alternate in with sour cream. Finally, the chopped pears are folded in and the cake is ready to be topped with streusel.

This pear almond cake is seriously dense and hearty. The pears help to offset sweetness and add a ton of moisture. The end product is a cake that is super fruit-foward and great for munching on all day long. I’m sharing today’s recipe over on Stemilt’s blog! Stemilt is is a leading Washington state grower, packer, and shipper of fruit including apples, pears, cherries, and more. Each quarter, I’ve been developing recipes for their blog using their best in-season fruits. This month, I got my hands on their Anjou Pears and thought a sweet and simple pear almond cake would make for a delicious treat to enjoy all season long. Head to their site at the link below to read all about it and give the recipe a try! I can’t wait to hear what you think. Have a great week and tune in later this week for a second (!!!) recipe!

Click here for the pear almond cake recipe!

If you like this pear almond cake you should try:

Brown Butter Pear Tart

Poached Pear Trifles

Coffee Cake Muffins

Honey Cake with Figs and Whipped Cream Cheese

Apple Crumb Cake

Bourbon Bundt Cake

43 Comments / Cakes

When I turned 21, I was determined to be a badass. The youngest of my friends, I had watched the majority of them ripen to adulthood and opt for sugary martinis and syrupy cordials on their special days. Cosmopolitans, amaretto sours, and assorted varieties of fruit-flavored wines were usually on the list of go-to beverages, but me… well, I wanted the fill bigger britches. I wanted the stuff that grown men drank, the kind of booze that put hair on you chest. I opted for bourbon.

Let’s just say I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My Kentucky roots tricked me into believing that all the exposure to bluegrass and horse-speckled hills would somehow prepare my palate for the smooth (but not subtle) punch of a bourbon cocktail, but I could not have been more wrong.

On my 21st birthday, armed with my parent’s credit card and a friend to hold my hair back (kidding), we saddled up to a table at a local Birmingham whiskey bar, and I ordered a glass of Woodford Reserve over ice. The waitress suggested I try their bacon-infused variety (obviously, because it was 2008), and I delightfully agreed. For the next hour I put on a brave face and grimaced through microscopic sips of what I assumed was some kind of smoky rubbing alcohol. It was terrible, and I watched longingly as my friends enjoyed chilled glasses of Riesling and cranberry vodkas. I was not ready for the bourbon.

Bourbon Bundt Cake

Now, I sing a different tune about bourbon now. I love the flavor it adds to cocktails and baked goods alike and opt for its comforting warm flavors over just about any other libation. Here, in this bourbon bundt cake, the Kentucky-bred booze flavors a moist, one-bowl cake with flavors of fall and a subtle little kick reminiscent of what that 21-year old Kate was probably expecting from her birthday beverage. This cake is perfect for the season, fits in with any breakfast or brunch menu, and is still enough of a treat to enjoy at dessert. Consider this is your catch-all cake for the next few months. If you’re interested in hearing more about it, let’s dive in.

Making the Cake

This bourbon bundt cake is made with my favorite (you guessed it!) Kerrygold butter. In pound cakes and other simple bundts, I prefer to opt for their high-fat, ultra-flavorful unsalted butter. Kerrygold butter keeps this cake moist with a subtle richness that other butters simply can’t offer. To the softened butter, I add sugar and brown sugar which gets whipped together until light and fluffy. Eggs and vanilla come next before the dry ingredients are alternated in with the buttermilk and bourbon. The batter bakes up in a prepared bundt pan until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the bourbon bundt cake to cool slightly in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack or serving dish. Once cool, whip up the simple glaze of bourbon, powdered sugar, and cream, and pour the thickened mixture all over the cake. I love collecting the run-off glaze in the center of the cake and spooning any extra glaze back on top for a second dose of sweet. This bourbon bundt cake is simple but such a crowd pleaser.

I hope you’ll give this bourbon bundt cake a try this week! Next week we’re celebrating my birthday (!!!) with TWO special recipes that I can’t wait to share. In the meantime, many thanks to Kerrygold for sponsoring this post and for making this an awesome cake! Happy baking!

If you like this bourbon bundt cake you should try:

Brown Butter Bourbon Madeleines

Derby Hand Pies

Brown Sugar Apple Bundt Cake

Maple Apple Cake

Bourbon Bundt Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 10 reviews

This bourbon bundt cake is lightly scented with booze and is topped with a powdered sugar glaze. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 70
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 9
Category: Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1–1/4 cup sugar (250 gm)
¾ cup (150 gm) brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240 gm) buttermilk, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 gm) good quality bourbon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2–3/4 cups (385 gm) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
¼ cup heavy whipping cream, plus more as needed

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Instructions

To prepare the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed for 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in any unincorporated egg. In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, bourbon, and vanilla extract. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until barely combined on low speed. Add half of the liquid ingredients and stir to combine. Repeat this process to incorporate the remaining dry and wet ingredients. Fold the batter together using a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well incorporated.
Lightly grease and flour a bundt pan and spoon the batter into the pan. Bake in the preheated oven until the cake has risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45- 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To prepare the glaze:

Whisk together the powdered sugar, bourbon, and ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream. Add additional cream 1 teaspoon at a time until your glaze is the desired consistency. Add additional powdered sugar to thicken as needed. Spoon the glaze over top of the cake and enjoy!

Lemon Pound Cake

29 Comments / Breakfast, Cakes

There’s something about January that is comforting to me. The gray skies force me inside to cozy up in worn blankets, and thick sweaters cover me like a second skin. Life’s pace seems to naturally slow after the holidays, and there is a calm within that time lulls me to rest. Almost instinctively, I read more, sleep more, think more, and as I fall in step with the gentle metronome of these winter days, I’m reminded to slow down.

Lemon Pound Cake

I like that this lemon pound cake feels right for January. Just as it seems fitting to warm myself by a simmering pot of stew on the stove or to sit with my children in front of the oven watching loaves of bread rise, I like waiting for this cake to bake and to cool. Just like these January days, this lemon pound cake feels simple and lazy. It’s the type of recipe that it suitable for snacking on throughout the day but is always best served with a cup of coffee or an afternoon tea.

Making the Pound Cake

Preparing this lemon pound cake is simple. Cream together butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Eggs and extract come next and incorporates before the dry and wet ingredients add in. Lemon zest and juice lend a bright and tangy flavor to this dense and moist loaf. After baking, the lemon pound cake should be golden, fairly flat on top, and left to cool in the pan before flipping out onto a serving platter. The glaze for this lemon pound cake is entirely optional. I like the tang and zip the sour cream and lemon juice icing adds to the loaf. Although the glaze simple, it makes a pretty adornment for an otherwise plain cake.

So what do you all do this time of year? Are you rushing to get caught up from the holiday whirlwind? Are you busy tackling your resolutions and to-do lists? Or have you, like me, settled on being settled for a while and to quiet yourself and your life? Either way, I hope you’ll give this lemon pound cake a try and let me know what you think. Happy Baking to you, friends!

If you like this recipe you should try:

Marble Loaf Pound Cake

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Blueberries

Blood Orange Bundt Cake

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Lemon Pound Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This lemon pound cake is a bright and sweet in flavor, but comforting and rich in texture. Perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 45
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 1 Loaf
Category: Cake

Ingredients

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar (200 gm), see notes
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1–1/2 cups (210 gm) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (120 gm) milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the glaze:

1–3/4 cup (200 gm) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sour cream (buttermilk can be substituted in a pinch)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl and the beating an additional minute to incorporate. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir on low until almost combined. Add half of the milk and the lemon juice and stir to almost combine. Repeat this process with the remaining dry and wet ingredients, and fold with a rubber spatula to incorporate the last bits of ingredients. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

To prepare the glaze:

When you’re ready to prepare the glaze, whisk together all the ingredients until a viscous glaze forms. Add more powdered sugar to thicken it up and more sour cream or lemon juice to thin it out. Drizzle over top of the prepared cake and enjoy!

Notes

For an ultra dense and moist cake, you can add up to a ½ cup of brown sugar to this recipe. This is a delicious addition, but in the spirit of the new year, I decided to keep it light for you all. Make the adjustment if you prefer.

Orange Swirl Bread

31 Comments / Breakfast

Happy New Year, friends! I hope your midnights were filled with kisses and bubbles and all sorts of wonderful glittery things. We ate dinner with friends but were home in our pajamas eating cereal by 11:00 pm. It was GLORIOUS. I’m all about parties and fun, but it felt good to be comfortable enough to be tired and content at home. Count on more of that from me this year.

I always like to ask people what their New Year’s resolutions are, and in years past I’ve totally been one to produce a laundry list of goals. This year, instead of goals, I spent some time considering what types of things I wanted more of in 2019- what things would be productive and healthy inclusions to my coming 12 months? After loads of consideration (and, okay, a little list making), I want to share my ideas with you in hopes that you may be able to include some of these things in your own life. It felt good to be self-reflective in a loving, encouraging way, so I hope you get the opportunity to do so yourself. So here it is: my to-do list of sorts for 2019.

Cook More Real Food.

The end of 2018 saw me ordering lots of carry-out and fast food. I was exhausted from our pending move and decided to give myself a break by leaving dinners to someone else. But here’s the thing: I love to cook. In an effort to get back in my kitchen, I plan on joining Epicurious’ Cook 90 Challenge. They’ve mapped out ways to make it easier to prepare fresh, real food three times a day for an entire month. Even if I only end up cooking 75 or so meals this month, I’ll consider that a victory.

Take Better Care of Me.

When you’re a mom of two toddlers, self-care can go down the drain quickly. I spend a lot of time with greasy hair and unshaven legs because I’m really just kinda tired. My dear friend recently became really passionate about the benefits of clean skincare, so I decided to invest in a few new products that I knew were good for my body from the outside in. If this whole thing is new to you too, you can check out Follain online, which is kinda like the Sephora of clean beauty. Two of my favorite products so far are this nighttime moisturizer and this rosehip oil. I may still have fuzzy legs, but it feels good to know I’m taking a little better care of me

Get Organized.

Ok, this looks totally different for everyone. I know you’ve heard me ramble on about decluttering and my favorite day planners, but I wanted to do a little extra at the beginning of this year to stay tidy. For me, that meant closet and drawer organization. I purchased brand new velvet hangers online and invested in several sets of plastic drawer organizers. Now my closet look streamlined and my chip clips, measuring spoons, bobby pins all have a home in my drawers. I don’t know what getting organized would look like in your life, but I think that it’s sometimes healthy to have a little method to our madness.

Spend Time Connecting.

Look- 2019 was weird, y’all. I felt out of sorts and insecure and really kinda lonely at times. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m alone in this. So in 2019, I want to be more connected. For me, this means more one-on-one conversations with dear friends and more date nights with my husband. It means more time playing on the floor with my kids instead of shooing them away. It means more time praying and more time spent telling people why I love them.

A simple way to get connected? Engage in an out-of-the-box manner. I’ve long been a fan of snail mail, and I’d encourage you to consider taking time to write a note to someone you love. I adore Kate Spade notecards like these, and I have purchased multiple sets of custom watercolor stationary from my artist friend here. Put your phone down and spend some time loving someone- it’s always worth loving a little harder.

Challenge Yourself.

I think we sometimes have the tendency to play it safe. We stay on the sidelines because the possibility of failure seems kinda scary or just downright depressing. I’m planning to challenge myself more in the kitchen this year. I don’t want to stray away from recipes or skills that seem outside of my wheelhouse simply because I think I’ll fail. I want to be better! So count on me deboning whole chickens, cooking more seafood, and experimenting more with from-scratch recipe development. 100% I’m going to fail sometimes, but my bet is that I’ll surprise myself a little too and that will feel awesome. For a baking challenge, I’d encourage you to check out my cinnamon bread, tiramisu profiteroles, or maybe even today’s recipe: orange swirl bread.

Orange Swirl Bread

I actually developed this recipe for orange swirl bread for Southern Cast Iron last year. My image landed on the cover (!!!) and I have been waiting for the right time to share the recipe on this site. If you didn’t buy the magazine when it was out (how dare you, btw), you’ll finally have the chance to take a stab at this recipe yourself right here from the comfort of this site!

Making the Bread

This orange swirl bread is an airy yeast bread with orange zest, cinnamon, and sugar spiraled in the center. The dough is rolled, braided, and formed into a wreath before it’s baked in a cast iron skillet. Once golden and baked, the bread is drizzled with an orange glaze that makes the otherwise mild bread just a touch sweet. I like to serve wedges of this bread for breakfast and snack on little edge pieces in the evening as dessert. My children love feasting on this in the morning, and honestly, it’s just so beautiful that I’m really proud to serve it to anyone. You know?

Spend some time reading through the instructions for this orange swirl bread before you get started. The rising process takes time and you certainly don’t want to rush it. In a pinch, you can bake the loaf, freeze it, and rewarm to serve with the glaze at a later date. I think it tastes best warmed, but there’s no shame in grabbing a room temp piece on the go.

I can’t wait to spend more time with you all this year. I’ve got a ton of ideas and I can’t wait to connect with more of you. So happy new year, happy January, and as always, happy baking. Cheers!

If you like this orange swirl bread you should check out:

Raisin Swirl Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Peppermint Bark Bread

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Orange Swirl Bread

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.5 from 4 reviews

This orange swirl bread has a cinnamon sugar and orange zest filling and is topped with an orange glaze. The bread is an airy braided yeast loaf!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 240
Yield: 1 Loaf
Category: Bread

Ingredients

For the dough:

½ cup (120 mL) whole milk, lukewarm
¼ cup (50 gm) sugar
2–1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups (260 gm) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, divided
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (55 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:

½ cup (100 gm) sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.

For the glaze:

1 cup (120 gm) confectioner’s sugar
2–3 tablespoons orange juice

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Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm milk and half of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top of the milk and allow the yeast to activate, about 5 minutes. The mixture should froth and foam slightly. You can stir it gently to make sure all the yeast has been moistened, but if the yeast does not foam, dump it out and start over. Once the yeast has been activated, stir in the remaining sugar and 1/2 cup of the flour into the milk mixture. Add 1 egg and the salt and stir to combine. On low speed, add the remaining flour and beat to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Once evenly combined, increase the speed to medium (I use speed number 4 on my KitchenAid stand mixer) and add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then continue to beat on medium speed for an additional 4 minutes or until the dough is moist, sticky, and slightly stretchy.
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, covering it tightly with a piece of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in a warm spot in the kitchen until it has approximately doubled in size, about 1-1/2-2 hours.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a 12”x18” rectangle on a lightly floured surface. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest for the filling. Use the back of a fork to cut in the butter, smooshing it together to make a thick paste/spread. Spread this mixture evenly over top of the rolled out dough.
Starting with one of the long ends, roll the dough somewhat tightly into one long tube and pinch the ends of the dough to seal in the filling. Use a sharp knife to slice down the middle of the length of the dough, leaving one inch at the top of one of the ends uncut. You should end with two strands of rolled dough connected by a 1” chunk of dough at the top (this will serve as the starting point for your braid, so you want the dough to remain connected here). Turn the exposed innards of the dough roll to face upwards and then twist the dough, right over left, right over left, until the entire length of dough has been twisted into one long piece. Join the ends of the dough to make a ring, pinching the ends together slightly. Carefully transfer the ring of dough into a lightly greased 10” cast-iron skillet. Cover the skillet with a piece of plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once the oven is preheated and the loaf has risen slight (about 40 minutes), stir the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush a thin layer of the mixture over the surface of the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is puffed and golden brown throughout. Allow to cool slightly.
Once cooled slightly, combine the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice in a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Add additional sugar, if desired, to thicken it up or extra juice to thin it out. Drizzle over top of the bread and serve. Bread is best served warm and will keep covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Brown Sugar Apple Bundt Cake

29 Comments / Cakes

Happy Hump Day, you crazy baking fools. I hope you’re crushing this week, so much so that you’ve earned yourself a slice (or three) of this brown sugar apple bundt cake.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that last week I made a wedding cake. It wasn’t my first time preparing a wedding cake, but because this was the biggest one I’ve made to date I was also pretty nervous. Like any cautious amateur would do, I prepared the layers a week in advance, froze them in plastic wrap, and traveled with the unassembled cakes in a sub-zero temperature car to Atlanta where the wedding was being held.

Some of you are probably thinking that this is not a big deal. Maybe you think that I do this all the time or that I’m a professional cake maker. Maybe you assume that tasks like this come naturally to me or are not even remotely intimidating. I’ll have you know, you are entirely wrong.

I am a giant, sugar-coated ball of anxiety when it comes to baking for weddings. I literally lose sleep over the details and what-ifs and tiny lists of ingredients and supplies that I need to remember to pack. What if the cake is dry? Collapses? Tastes like garbage? What if I drop the entire thing while placing it on the stand? Or if someone finds a weird hair or a giant eggshell in it? What if, what if, what if?

Brown Sugar Apple Bundt Cake

I’m getting stressed just reliving it. This all goes to say that until further notice I’m sticking with one-bowl, single layer, easy peasy cakes like this brown sugar apple bundt cake. Aside from the risk of a stray hair or eggshell, there are very few things you could actually do to screw this up.

I was inspired to make this brown sugar apple bundt cake from flipping through some of Brett’s Nana’s old recipes. There were multiple recipes for old fashioned apple bundt cakes, and I knew this was the type of thing you guys would want coming out of your ovens around the holidays.

In most of the older recipes I’ve seen, the bundt cake is baked and a warm, syrupy mixture is poured over the cake before removing it from the pan. This yields a super moist cake, but to be honest, it’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. To add extra flavor AND pizzazz, I went with a brown sugar glaze, thick, ultra-sweet, and with just a hint of bourbon because we love ourselves. This brown sugar apple bundt cake is faithful to its Southern roots and festive enough to add to any holiday table. Let’s chat the ins and outs on this treat.