Easy Lemon Bundt Cake

Here's another super duper easy recipe for lemon bundt cake. I made up this recipe and have never had any complaints : )

For those who like to cheat a little when baking this is a great fast cake to make! This is what you'll need:

Hands On Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time 45 mins - 1 hr.
Servings 12-14

Description: The Bomb!

Ingredients for Cake:
1 package yellow Cake Mix (Duncan Hines is always my favorite)
1 (3 3/4 oz) package Jello-O Vanilla Pudding
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. canola oil or any other cooking oil
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice and the zest of all the lemons you use (usually about 2-3 lemons total)

Glaze:
1 stick of butter
1/4 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/4- 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice (some people like very tart - some like less tart - it doesn't really matter in this recipe if you use less or more - it's totally up to you!

Preheat oven: 325 degrees
Grease a bundt pan with your favorite spray - I love Baker's Joy
Mix all cake ingredients together - if you don't want to bust out your Kitchen Aid mixer you can whisk by hand about 2 minutes - a good arm workout!

Pour batter into pan and pop in the hot oven.
Bake 45 mins. to 1 hr. depending on your oven. I find at 45 mins. my cake tester comes out perfect but since you are baking at a lower temperature yours could take a wee bit longer.

After your cake is done, cool on a wire rack in the pan for about an hour. Invert into a nice deep pie dish - hopefully you have a little space around the edge (not much but just a little).

While your cake is baking is a good time to cook up your glaze.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar AND then the water last (be careful it doesn't splatter on you. Pouring water into hot fat can hurt : ( Just go slow........Bring to a boil and keep it boiling for 5 minutes. It will be nice and bubbly. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and LET COOL for about 10-15 minutes. Then add your fresh lemon juice. Make sure to not add the lemon juice right after you take it off the stove because you'll burn off all the yummy lemon oil. I like to take my cake tester and poke a lot of holes into the bundt (go all the way to the bottom). The more holes the better! Baste your cake with the the lemon glaze. I like to pour a little pool into the center of the bundt and then keep basting all over the sides and top until it's absorbed. There have been many times when I baste over a couple of hours instead of all at once. That way the glaze has time to really soak in : )

This cake tastes delicious by itself or with fresh cut strawberries mixed with a little sugar : ) And of course fresh whipped cream is always wonderful too!

morning glory vine from my garden looks stunning against the yellow don't you think?


 

Romancing the Strawberry & All About Apples

Hello Friends~

I know it's only been a couple of days since my last post but I have two more pincushion sets I wanted to share with you : ) Remember that fun movie with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner "Romancing the Stone"? Well I sure do since I probably watched it 30 times one summer on Showtime when I was a kid! Anyway......I don't know if any of you shop owners out there wrack your brains trying to come up with the perfect title for your shop listings, but yesterday I was sitting there trying to come up with a good title for my (what I would call a "romantic" version of some strawberry related pins and all of a sudden it hit me: ROMANCING THE STRAWBERRY! Did I get it right?
Ever since I was a little girl I have had a real love for Apples.......why? The only thing I could think of is they remind me of a cute dress I used to wear in Kindergarten that had the ABC's, 123's and Apples on it! So maybe that's it! When I first opened up Pinks & Needles in February of 2008 apples were some of the very first pins I made : ) And they're still soooo popular! This little eggcup set I've entitled "All About Apples" is very simple and makes me happy just looking at it plus these 4 pin toppers are extra extra tiny!!!! Perhaps they're about 1/3 of the size of a regular apple pin!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today!
I've been working overtime trying to get a bunch of stuff taken care of before we leave on our yearly vacation in early June! I can't wait!

In the Press

Hi all~
So I'm pretty excited about Sarah from Quilt Fabric Delights in Australia ~ she's done some advertising for "Pincushion of the Month Club"! Here's a little sneak peek as to what you can expect by signing up. Squirrel Mama's design is first on the list - if you love hedgies and strawberries! Each kit will include a pattern and all the makings to sew yourself a cute pincushion. Every month will be different and included with each kit you'll receive a coordinating pin topper made by me : ) Head on over to QFD to check it out!