SARAH LEE POUND CAKE COPYCAT RECIPE

I don't know how many times I've tried a copy cat recipe and later thought..."close, but no cigar".  But this one is the real deal !!!

Not only is this cake made from standard pantry staples, but it is rich, buttery, very velvety AND it tastes just like a Sarah Lee Pound Cake. I can think of a million great uses for this quick and easy gem.

8 ounces butter at room temperature (no substitutions)
2 cups powdered sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 2/3 cups CAKE FLOUR  (important, no substitutes)
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe calls for an 8 1/2" loaf pan. If you are using Pyrex, preheat your oven to 325°. If you are using a metal pan, preheat the oven to 350°. Spray the pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper (or foil) and spray again.

The following mixing time and speed is important, don't adjust:

Cream the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for a FULL FIVE MINUTES.

Add one of the eggs and a couple spoons of the flour and beat another FULL TWO MINUTES.

Add the 2nd egg and half of the remaining flour and beat another TWO FULL MINUTES.

Add the sour cream and the rest of the flour and the extracts, and beat another TWO FULL MINUTES.

Spread the batter into the greased parchment paper lined loaf pan and bake 65 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean.

Cool (in the pan) on a rack for 20 minutes before you take it out of the pan.  Wrap the HOT pound cake snugly in plastic wrap and cool completely (yes, put the plastic wrap right on the surface of the HOT cake). Cool to room temperature before cutting.

NOTES: It is important to use cake flour. With all of the mixing in this recipe, all purpose flour or bread flour wouldn't give you a very good cake.

ENJOY !!!!!

CROCKPOT PICNIC BEANS

I've been making these beans for my family for 40+ years and they are always a hit. Now that we are empty nesters, I make a big pot (6 quart) of these and then freeze them in 2 cup containers for a quick and yummy side dish for any meal. 

I put the following ingredients (which are always in my pantry) into a large crockpot before I go to bed and let them cook on LOW all night.

2 cups DRY navy beans (rinse but do not soak)

6 cups water

1/2 cup dark brown sugar  (light brown sugar works well too)

3 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

3/4 cup sweet onion chopped small 

(1) 8 ounce can tomato sauce

small pinch of cayenne pepper

6 slices crisp cooked and drained bacon

Now, a word about the beans:  Over the years, I've tried every kind of DRY bean there is and they ALL work, however, the tiny little "navy beans" work the best and tolerate re-heating without going mushy. I highly recommend that you use navy beans. Make sure you rinse and sort the dry beans, but do NOT pre-soak them.

Put everything into a crockpot and cover with 6 cups of water. Stir well and set on low for 12-ish hours (I just start them before bed and let them cook overnight......I've even left them in the crockpot for 24 hours with no problems......depends on how hot your crockpot runs).

The last 3-4 hours of cook time, prop the lid of the slow cooker open (just a little) with a spoon (it will thicken the sauce).

Note about onions: When I decide to make these beans (and I'm out of fresh onions), I use a scant tablespoon of dehydrated onion flakes, they work well.

ENJOY !!!

APPLE CRISP FOR TWO

YUMMMMMY APPLE CRISP

FOR TWO

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I call this "Apple Crisp for Two", although I guess that is a bit of a misnomer. It actually makes 3 large desserts (if you include the ice cream). I should call it "Apple crisp for two (and a little more for later)" 😇   

We love a good fruit crisp with a slightly crunchy (but not HARD crunchy) topping and lots of gooey filling. That perfectly describes this dessert. It is one of the best crisps we've tried in years!!!!!

APPLE LAYER
2 large Granny Smith apples (see note)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Toss with the above ingredients and place in a greased baking dish (I use a 9" x 5" loaf pan). Sprinkle two tablespoons of water over the filling. NOTE: Do NOT mix the water into the above mixture, just sprinkle it evenly OVER the filling; trust me it works perfectly and makes the BEST sauce.

TOPPING LAYER
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons melted butter

Use a spoon and mix the topping ingredients until everything seems coated with butter. Evenly sprinkle it over the apple layer (but do not mix it in).

Bake in pre-heated 350 oven for 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender.  Let cool 15 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long). We like ours, served with ice cream.

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NOTE: Make sure you use a good baking apple like Granny Smith. Regular eating apples don't work well in this kind of recipe (they get mushy).

ENJOY !!!