Better in a Backpack

Hiking a ridge in Ticino Switzerland

What beats hiking in New England in the fall? My recent trip to Switzerland gave it a pretty good run for its money! I mostly hike in the White and Green Mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. But this fall my husband, son, and I decided to take a trip to Switzerland to go hiking in the Alps. To say it was stupendous is an understatement. The Swiss have hiking dialed. The trails are perfectly marked and maintained. The views at the top are ridiculous. And the huts along the way are über charming, clean, and well stocked with food, beer, wine, and soda pop. This is a hiker’s paradise. All I had to think about each day was the food that would go in my backpack for snacks and lunch. Being that we were in Switzerland, the obvious choices were bread, cheese, and chocolate. But many other great snacks and hiking food found their way into my pack each day. Below are some of these ideas and I’m sure you have many more. Feel free to share with Bring It! We love your ideas! Oh, and these snacks are not just for hiking. They can be packed for long drives, a lunchbox, or anytime you are on the go.

Selection of meats. Salami, pepperoni, and other hard sticks of meat are great for hearty fillers. Harder sticks of meat (including beef jerky) have great staying power on the trail. Don’t forget a utility knife so you can cut the meat into slices. Or just take “hauls” off the stick and pass them around (this is what my husband and son prefer).

Spicy mustard. In Switzerland the mustard comes in a tube (like toothpaste). This was a great way to carry small amounts of mustard and make it easy to pack and store while hiking. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this type of packaging here in the US, so I use a small plastic container like the one in the photo below. You can find these type of containers at EMS or REI. Long distance athletes generally fill them with honey or a sweet GU like energy snack and squeeze as they go.

GORP and Granola Bars – I’m sure you all have your favorites so just add them to your pack and you are ready at all times.

Dried and fresh fruit. If you go with fresh fruit, make sure it is a sturdy selection. Apples are always my first choice. If apples aren’t available, pick the hardest piece of fruit from the fruit bowl.

Small thermos with tea or hot chocolate. This really depends in the temps, but if it’s cold outside or likely to be chilly at the top , nothing beats a thermos filled with a hot beverage. Pass it around for others that did not have the forethought to pack this heart-warming treat. It will be a real crowd pleaser.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. For everyone who knows me, you know peanut butter is my all-time favorite food…..making the peanut butter and jelly sandwich an obvious choice. It packs well, does not need to be refrigerated, and always tastes great, even if smushed. (Another great way to pack PBJ is to spread it on a tortilla or wrap, roll it up, then pre-slice the “log” into individual PBJ spirals.)

Gummi Bears, Swedish Fish, or Jelly Beans. I pretty much don’t leave the house without them. Find your favorite and Bring It!!

Sawyer rounding the bend on the Jegihorn, Saas Grund

View from a mountain hut

Nice perch above the clouds

Snacks in a pack!

Warm Millet with Roasted Vegetables

Warms the heart and soul

Now that it’s fall, comfort foods are an order. I love this warm millet salad mixed with roasted vegetables. Millet is my GO TO grain lately (check out these millet muffins if you have a chance). For you gluten free folks, this is a gluten free food and has lots of health benefits (good source of protein, essential amino acids, and fiber) so go for it!. Also, in a websearch, while trying to figure out what this grain was all about, I found it listed as the oldest human food and first domesticated cereal! So, I’m thinking it must be good for you, right? And if not, then it gets big points purely for it’s staying power. For this warm millet salad I used Brussels sprouts and carrots but you can mix it up with sweet potatoes, beets, asparagus, beans, or any other vegetable of your choice. And you can always throw in some tofu to make a complete meal.

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts (or mix of other vegetables), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into disks similar in size to the Brussels sprouts
5 Tbsp canola oil, divided
3/4 cup millet
2/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
2/3 cup chopped dried cranberries
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp grated lemon zest

Method

Perheat oven to 450. Toss Brussels sprouts and carrots with 2 Tbsp canola oil in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Arrange sprouts and carrots in a single layer in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Roast 20 minutes or until tender and a little brown. Cool 5 minutes.

Heat large pan over medium heat. Add millet and cook 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Transfer millet to large bowl. Cool 5 minutes. Fold in Brussels sprouts and carrots, walnuts, cranberries, and parsley into millet.

Whisk together remaining 3 Tbsp oil, vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and lemon zest in bowl. Stir into millet mixture. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Roasted vegetables

Endurance Crackers

Caponata with Endurance crackers fresh from the cooler.

Because it is fall, and traditionally (for me) a time to cleanse (curse you watermelon sangria!), I was planning to do a cleans-y post. Mostly I needed a break from apple mania and an excuse to share the Endurance Crackers that I started making this summer and that, it turns out, are something of an Internet sensation. As far as I know they originally came from an excellent vegan site called Oh She Glows. I am very un-vegan but I love vegany things so naturally these seedy babies looked right up my alley. I made them a bunch this summer, and shared them around to universal approval from kids and adults, vegans and carnivores. They are full of good stuff and free of all the usual perps—gluten, nuts, grains, sugar.

For a fleeting moment I even thought they would pass the paleo test. But noooooooooo. Apparently chia seeds—like my beloved chickpeas and black beans—don’t make the cut. The little wonder food, secret pellets of the Incas, bearer of magical running power has a husk and therefore it’s a no-go with the cave man clan. But chia seeds are key to the whole gig because they have this crazy power of gelling things together which gives the simple mix a way to morph into a legit cracker.

Long intro. Here is the recipe, with advice and tweaks from myself and other cybercrackerphiles. There is even a sweet variation below (thank you Rowdy Baker) that is pretty tasty. And paleo peeps, I have failed you again… unless…maybe…click here and see.

Original Endurance Crackers from Oh She Glows

Yields about 22-24 large crackers

Ingredients

½ cup chia seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pepita/pumpkin seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup water
1 large garlic clove, finely grated (I just used my garlic press.)
1 tsp grated sweet onion
¼ tsp. kosher salt (Crazy salt is darned good too.)
Olive oil for brushing, if desired

Optional: Herbamare, kelp granules and your choice of additional spices and fresh herbs to taste. (I’ve never jumped on the kelp wagon but have tried cumin, paprika and curry as well as chopped fresh rosemary, dried oregano, cracked pepper. You get the picture. One person adds a puree of six or so dates and cinnamon for a sweet version.)

Method

Preheat oven to 325° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a separate small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic and grated onion. Whisk well.

Add the water mixture to the seed mixture; stir until thick and combined. Season with salt and optional spices/fresh herbs.

Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon (or your hands) until it’s less than ¼” thick.* It may be little runny, but just keep smoothing. If it becomes too thin in parts, just patch them up. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Loosen with a long flat spatula or pizza peel, cover with another greased or parchment lined cookie sheet, and invert. Alternatively cut into smaller squares and flip. Don’t worry if it breaks in a few places. They’re crackers, right?

At this point, you can deeply score the surface into whatever size crackers you like (diamonds are shmancy. Rectangles and squares are perfectly fine.) This is also when you can go pro and brush the surface lightly with oil to make them nice and crispy.

Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms with be lightly golden in color. Allow to cool completely on the pan and break into pieces. Store in a covered container. They freeze well too.

*Newbie cracker maker? Make it even easier on yourself by using two baking sheets and forming smaller, easier to flip rectangles.

Sweet Version, care of The Rowdy Baker

½ cup raw sunflower seeds
½ cup raw sesame seeds
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ cup raw chia seeds
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup water
5 ounces dark (at least 70% cocoa) chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup raisins (optional)

Method

Prepare as above through final cooking and then:

Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with the chopped chocolate. Wait a few minutes and then spread with a flat spatula. Sprinkle with raisins if desired.

When the chocolate has hardened (you may refrigerate it if you wish, to hurry it along) break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Paleo Crack…ers

Plate of possibly paleo, definitely delicious crackers

And then it happened. Just when I thought I would never find a decent snack that would pass the paleo test (note: I do not have the discipline to be a paleo eater, but in case I find it someday I want to be sure I could eat something other than bacon, cauliflower and coconut oil), I found these crackers. Even better than how good they are, is the fact that they contain no exotic or expensive ingredients—sorta what you would expect from a site called “brokeassgourmet.” Gabi, the aforementioned gourmet, describes her Simple Seed Crackers crackers as “shortbready” which I thought was odd, but after my 8th cracker or so I must say I agree. I suspect the sesame seeds may be in a gray area with paleos (they have a husk and all—see chia seed reality check in Endurance Crackers), but I’m going to enjoy these for a few days before I ask.

Paleo Crack AKA Simple Seed Crackers straight from brokeassgourmet.com

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted roasted dry, shelled sunflower seeds (you could also use salted ones, but then make sure to use a bit less salt when you mix the dough)
1 cup sesame seeds
1/4 medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp water (or more as needed)
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
(FYI: Total Cost of Ingredients –$3.50)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sunflower seeds in a food processor and process for about 2 minutes, until smooth (the mixture will resemble a dry peanut butter). Add onion, sesame seeds, salt, pepper and water and pulse or stir, just until a thick, paste-like dough comes together.

Uniform thickness is key.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and shape into a thick rectangle or square, to guide the dough’s shape while you roll it. Place a second piece of parchment paper over the dough and roll with a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/8” thick.

Remove the top piece of parchment paper and use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to lightly score (but not cut all the way through) the dough into squares (any size will work—mine were 2 1/2” squares). Slide the parchment paper with the dough on it onto a baking sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until golden-brown (be careful not to let the crackers get too dark—burned sesame seeds have a foul flavor).

Let cool for 10 minutes, then gently break apart along the scored lines (don’t worry if they’re imperfect—they’ll still be delicious).

Makes 24-32 crackers, depending on size.

Apple Cheddar Scones

Summer is skipping out and it’s just plain sad every year. But on the bright side, it’s apple season! We’ve only got a row of apple trees—six or so, with two pear trees thrown in—but darned if that doesn’t serve up more fruit than I can handle. It hasn’t even gotten chilly yet and already the apple fest has begun. We’ve made applesauce, apple cider, apple cider syrup (yum!), apple muffins, apple pie, apple compote and just now the first batch of apple cheddar scones. Oooh baby–they are the ultimate in apple goodness. Sadly, they don’t use many apples (get into cider and sauce for that), and they have a few more steps than my favorite slacker scones. They even require eggs fergawdssake, which is so un scone-y. But they’re worth it, and they work any time of day for any type of occasion, from picnic to shmancy party. This recipe, slightly tweaked at every stop, came via The Bitten Word and they got it from a book called The Perfect Finish. So there’s the provenance. If you need apples come on over.

Ingredients

Makes 6 generous scones (at least 8 normal sized ones).

2 firm tart apples (1 pound. I used about 5 small ones)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt plus additional for egg wash
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes plus additional for baking sheet if not lining it with parchment
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded (white is recommended, rogue westerners.)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs

Method

Position a rack at the center of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and core apples, then cut them into chunks. Placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely (in the fridge if you are eager). Leave oven on.

roasted-apples

Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or a hand mixer or by hand, but it is more work), along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.

Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (or use your hands to pat) the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Leave at least 2 inches between each scone.

Ready to bake

Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. (I have blown off the egg wash on occasion, which is just fine, but it actually does make it better.) Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. With a spatula, lift them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat.

Bring It!

Fully baked and ready to be demolished

Scones can be made ahead of time and stored unbaked in the freezer until you need them. Just take them on their baking sheet and at your destination brush them with the egg wash, sprinkle them with sugar, and bake them still frozen for just a couple extra minutes. Full disclosure, I have never done this, but it seems like a good idea. I hear these are not so awesome the next day, but ours have never lasted long enough to test that.

Zucchini Corn Summer Swansong Salad

It’s the end of summer, you can’t go a day without eating corn because it’s so darned good, and zucchinis appear in your car when your back is turned. What’s a girl to do? Make this salad! I almost didn’t make it because it looked so simple. That was a week ago and now I’ve made it three times. I even put it to the Bring It test, delivering it with a loaf of easiest french bread ever. It meets all the Bring It criteria, especially the part about being EASY.

Recipe from Giada De Laurentis via the Food Network

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 cup garbanzo beans
2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (cut off leftover cobs from last night’s BBQ)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, rinsed
5 romaine lettuce leaves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 ounce Parmesan, crumbled into 1/4-inch pieces

Method

For the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until combined.

For the Salad: Place the garbanzo beans, zucchini, corn, red onion, and lettuce in a large salad bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. Garnish with the crumbled Parmesan cheese and serve.

Dressed salad and sliced romaine. These two should really get together

Bring It!

Cut the romaine and put it in a sealed container. Combine all other ingredients (except the parmesan), toss with dressing and put in another sealed container. I actually like to let it sit a bit in the fridge to make the onions less aggressive and to let the flavors all schmooze together. Just before serving combine both containers into a serving bowl, toss and add the parm on top. To be totally honest I have yet to add the parm but I’ll bet that takes this over the top.

Watermelon Sangria

Watermelon Sangria. Summer in a glass.

I don’t think it’s going to get any better than this. Summer that is. And whatever else I might find to put in this glass. This recipe comes straight from Joy the Baker, with gratitude and reverence. If you don’t follow Joy you should. She’s smart, funny, and wildly successful at creating ridiculously good food and drink. And she does not fuss. When I saw this recipe I immediately thought, “Great! A way to use up those three half bottles of Limoncello in my freezer.” Flash forward a month later and there I am making up an excuse to go to the grocery store so I can really go next door and buy Limoncello.

Trust me though, this is worth a new bottle of Limoncello. So as I said this comes straight from Joy the Baker BUT I have notes for practicality. Joy lives in urban California where a “small” watermelon is the size of a small melon. I live in rural NH where a small watermelon is the size of a large baby. Plan accordingly. Joy muddles things artfully in stages and I slammed all the fruit together in a blender.

Also, if you’re wondering if you can store the leftovers a la freezer daquiris, wonder no more. Yes! In fact the entire first batch (which my impatient not-gonna-go-to-the-store-one-more-time self made with boxed pinot grigio and no strawberries) went straight to the freezer and was a darned good consolation prize between batches. It has no high fructose corn syrup laden limeade in it though, so the texture ends up more icy.

Enough said. Dig out that Limoncello and prepare to be refreshed!

Limoncello. Out with the old, in with the new.

The rose of choice. French, screw top, cheap. All good!

Watermelon Strawberry Citrus Sangria

makes a big bunch

Ingredients

4 cups watermelon juice, from one small watermelon (see note above)
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 bottle Rosé wine, not too sweet is best
1 cup vodka
1 cup limoncello or Cointreau
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lime
1 orange sliced
1 lime sliced

Method

Slice a watermelon into large chunks. Reserve a few smaller chunks for the sangria jar and for garnish. Blend watermelon chunks with a handful of sliced strawberries until smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to blend the fruit in two batches. Strain fruit juice through a fine mesh strainer and into a large measuring cup. You’ll need about 4 cups of watermelon/strawberry juice.

In a large container stir together, watermelon/strawberry juice, wine, vodka, limoncello, orange juice, and lime juice. Stir in the remaining sliced strawberries, a few watermelon chunks, sliced oranges, and sliced lime. Chill thoroughly before serving. Serve over ice.

Spaghetti Squash Enchiladas

Ingredients for Cilantro Pesto sauce

When my friends and I go away we pair up for meals. Each pair is responsible for breakfast, dinner, and dishes for one day of the trip. When your day is over you can kick back and relax for the remainder of the trip. As you can imagine, this method of dividing into cook teams has become a fierce competition. At the end of the week we vote for who made the best meal. Last trip the spaghetti squash enchiladas won hands down. Jeannie Wall came to the table with this winner — darn her for being good at everything! We are just glad she shared the recipe. It is ridiculously good.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked spaghetti squash
2 peppers
2 onions
20 mushrooms
1 large or 2 small zucchini
10 whole wheat tortillas (you could use flour or corn tortillas too)
2 cups divided Swiss cheese (or cheese of your choice)
1 jar salsa (or homemade if you have the time)

Cilantro Pesto:

1 bunch of cilantro (about ½ cup), chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp lime juice
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Salt

Thai Sauce:

1 Tbsp each hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Method

Toss peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until tender. Combine with cooked spaghetti squash. And since it is corn season when this post is going up, I added fresh corn right off the cob.

Combine ingredients for cilantro pesto and stir together. Combine ingredients for Thai sauce and stir together.

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Coat 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray or rub with oil to prevent sticking. Heat tortillas and spoon in squash mixture. Add one tablespoon of each sauce plus cheese (make sure to have enough cheese left to sprinkle on the top). Set stuffed tortillas in pan. Once all tortilla are made, cover with salsa, more cheese, and tin foil. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove foil and cook 10 more minutes until top browns.

Bring It!

Bring already cooked enchiladas in pan and re-heat when you get there. Or, if not eating that day, bring items in tupperware and assemble when ready to cook. Oh, and if there is any sort of a competition, you will win. If there is no competition – start one!

Roasted veggies mixed with spaghetti squash

Sicilian Caponata

Sicilian caponata with endurance crackers

In case you can’t get to Italy this weekend this is your consolation prize.

It’s another find from Sunset magazine. So good, so satisfying. I started making this because I have a slight obsession with eggplant and because we were visiting Vegans (with a capital V–they were serious). I quickly realized this was equally appealing to carnivores, and downright meaty in texture and heartiness. The Vegans had to share. A vat of this in the fridge, with or without the toasts and ricotta cheese, and you are set to make a meal out of pretty much anything. Perfect for bruschetta deconstructed and as a spread/filling/topping with crackers, wraps, omelets, tortillas, or accompanied by your carb vehicle of choice.

Ingredients

1 loaf (1 lb.) crusty Italian bread such as ciabatta, cut into 1/3-in.-thick slices
About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. dice (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green olives (a few pulses in the food processor works too)
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup ricotta cheese (or whipped cream cheese)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°. Lay bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tbsp. oil. Bake until toasted and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tsp oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, cook garlic in remaining 2 Tsp oil, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add celery, bell pepper, and olives, stirring to combine, and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water, the vinegar, tomato paste, raisins, and pine nuts and cook until heated through. Stir in reserved eggplant, salt, and sugar, then mix in herbs.

Serve caponata with ricotta on the toasted bread (technically I think that turns it into bruschetta.)

Bring it!

Spoon cooled caponata into one big or several small mason jars and make a label if you’re feeling fancy. Official word is to chill caponata up to 2 days in the fridge and store toasts airtight up to 2 days but I’ve pushed it out way longer with no scary consequences.

Caponata with Endurance crackers fresh from the cooler.

Glazed Lemon Cake

Sawyer on his 2nd piece!

Edie’s son told her she had to post “those bacon wrapped thingies” on our blog. My son told me I had to post “that lemon-y lemon cake”. He said that lemon cake is the best dessert he has ever tasted IN HIS LIFE! At 13, he’s not exactly a connoisseur but, he’s been around long enough and sampled enough desserts to be a trusted source. So here it is, courtesy of my son Sawyer, the Glazed Lemon Cake straight from the Silver Palate Cookbook. If you own the cookbook, grab it off your shelf and make this cake now. If you don’t own the cookbook, you should strongly consider this purchase. Every recipe is a winner. In the meantime, here is the recipe, straight up, no modifications. And my motto…..if you have lemons, make lemon cake!

Ingredients

2 sticks salted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tightly packed Tbsp grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon Icing (see below)

Method

Preheat oven to 325 and grease 10 inch tube pan. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add lemon zest and lemon juice.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. (I only bake this cake for 50-55 mins but my oven tends to cook things faster than what most recipes call for – so check cake early to see if it’s done early),

Cook cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and spread icing on it while cake is still hot.

Lemon Icing

1 pound confectioners’ sugar
1 stick salted butter, softened
3 tightly packed Tbsp grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice

Method

Cream sugar and butter thoroughly. Mix in lemon zest and juice. Spread on warm cake.

Pucker up!

Lemon cake pre frosting

Lemon cake frosted

Editorial comments from Sue

The frosting can pack quite a PUCKER. You can tone it down a bit depending on your tastes by cutting the lemon zest and lemon juice amounts by maybe a third. We all love the pucker at my house so we go full tilt.

Bring It!

Full disclosure, this cake is a bit of a mess. Bringing this cake from your kitchen to a party, well, it might not be pretty but it will still taste great. If you have one of those round cake Tupperware containers, perfect. Use that. Or, you can bring the cake unfrosted on a plate wrapped in foil. Transport the icing in a separate container and frost when you get there. Also, adding fresh fruit to the top, such as blueberries or strawberries would be a great addition. Enjoy and pucker up!