Hey there! Hope you are enjoying the week so far. Last week I was talking to my grandma and she told me of a pound cake she'd just made. Now, look ... we always talk food among other things, but it was pretty neat to hear a woman that has made cakes and pies like crazy forever, brag about the most recent one she'd made. She just couldn't put her finger on what happened different, same recipe, same tools, same oven, but she swore it to be the best in her many years. She just bragged and boasted with an audible smile. You should've heard the excitement in her voice. I immediately got tingles and realized this is where I get my DNA. This is the woman that passed that dominant happy with life's simple victories trait down to me. Grandma has made cakes her whole life for friends, family and church goers and is still able to do something to surprise even herself in the kitchen. It inspired me as she always does and before I knew it she was telling me her recipe and the tricks she pulls to make it perfect. I jotted it all down on an envelope and made a note to go get some cake flour and an apple. I was about to make my grandma's cake, with a few changes. Take a look so far ....
That's my addition to the recipe, a granny smith, small diced. It's sitting with some lemon juice now, but I added some cinnamon to it before adding it to the bundt...
Imagine greasing that baby ... it took forever because I'm just not a spray oil person and I wanted to get all the nooks. Even though this is non-stick, a grease and flour is par for the course. I have a few ornate bundts, but I plan to share this with you on a future Cooking for Real, so I don't think I'll use those on camera, prolly go with the basic humps. Why? Well, sounds silly, but sometimes if you use fancy looking stuff on television, people don't think they can do the exact recipe without it. Look, a bundt is a bundt is a bundt. Matter of fact, I bet my grandma uses her same bundts from ages ago when they were first introduced to the market. I digress, this is before the final pour of cake batter ...
Now, it's baking away ... I'll post a pic after it cools and I turn it out.
UPDATE:
Here it is on the way out of the oven ...
And after waiting what seems like forever for it to cool down, I finally turned it out ...
It was still a bit warm and I left a lil swatch stuck to the bundt because of it. Not too bad, I just couldn't wait longer. I took my first slice from the not so perfect part ... and now, it looks perfect and it's yummy! After the first bite I decided to put it in a show I tape in August and it should air before the year is up, so stick around for the recipe! Thanks for hangin' as I baked in real-time!
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23 comments:
you stay testing recipes, huh? my granny (RIP) always baked her cakes low and SLOW so they took forever..but well worth it. is that how you/your grandma bake yours?
chrystal, i miss det, don't you??? and just like your granny(rip) yesssss ... i'm BBQ'ing a cake as we type! slow and low ... 325 for 90 minutes lol
What a beautiful bundt pan Sunny! I'm afraid that I'm a Baker's Joy kinda gal, especially on a pan like that. I LOVE that stuff. I know I would miss a nook or cranny somewhere otherwise and ruin my cake.
My grandma was known for her pound cakes - if she came to visit she likely bring one. If it was your birthday you got a pound cake. If you went to dinner at her house, she made a pound cake. And if she gave you one, it was always on a pretty plate she expected you to keep. If you returned it, you were like to get another cake!
She has passed on now, and I have spent years trying to get to her pound cake recipe. I finally got as close as I think I can get, but it took a lot of pound cakes to get there!
Can't wait to see this version with the apples. I actually have some apples I need to use!
mary, thanks! got it at w.sonoma a few years back along with a few others, the others were 'lost' in a move :-( along with half of my kitchen suite. so i am slowly buying back my stuff piece by piece. and look at us cut from the same pound cake cloth! don't worry about not having the recipe from your family tree, i'll loan you a branch from mine :-), besides, you still have the pound cake gene ... if you want the recipe before it airs, lemme know with a good email addy and i'll send it over. apples were good, did a layer, but may stir them in next time, they didn't mess much with the moisture.
Hi Sunny,
I just saw Cooking For Real for the first time the other day and I had to post a comment here. I love your show, and you are so energetic and enthusastic about cooking. I've watched about 7 shows in a row now, and even though some of the dishes you've cooked I hate (I hate fish, sorry!) I watch every minute of the show!
I missed the new show last Saturday sadly, hopefully I'll catch the rerun someplace here or there.
But I just wanted to say thank you for being you. You really are "Sunny" and it's a pleasure to watch you.
Thanks for the great 24 mins of TV Sunny :)
We come from a line of grandmas who bake bundts and pound cakes...vanilla, chocolate, marble. It's hilarious watching them literally do a pound of butter, sugar, eggs! Enough to make your arteries clog. But it tastes so DAG good!
I have never met a pound cake that I didn't like and I think that this pound cake and I could be best friends!! LOL! Can't wait to get the recipe!
Special note to you, Sunny:
I have just started getting into cooking as a passion. I mean, I have always dabbled here and there and have been able to make the 'basic' meals without a hitch but I am just getting into trying new flavors together and getting more creative. I watch your show every day and sit at the edge of my chair with a special note pad taking notes of anything special tips that I see to help me through. I even watch the reruns just in case I see something that I missed the first time! :-) I know, I'm a dork! Anyways, keep up the good work! Can't wait for the new season... Neither can my boyfriend!!!
Hi Sunny!! It's Jayda (Divva Dishes) from Atlanta byway of New Orleans!! It's been a while, I thought I'd take a moment to wave hi! Know that I still enjoy everything you're doing and it keeps on getting better! Congratulations! I just wanted to give you an update from the last email of encouragement you sent to me, not knowing me from Adam.. First of all I was blessed with a wonderful husband! It will be a year on Saturday the 18th. Second my mission to end hunger has grown so huge,and more has added.. I had my first prom campaign gathering celebrities to sponsor kids to attend prom, I had stylist and barbers to groom them, the kids were treated with everything from head to toe! One of the kids didn't have a ride to the prom, so I drove her, took her to dinner and had a ball of time!! I didn't attend prom, so it was a life changing moment.. This year was outstanding to say it was my first time, I can't wait to see what's in store for next year. I have so much going on, and I do realize this is a blog, I just had to share my testimony.. Three things before I end... 1)This cake looks like it was the BOMB! 2) I don't need the recipe, just send me a piece..3)That oven is huge, I so love it!! I forgot one last thing, I joined the Share Our Strength Great American Bake Sale.. I'm hosting a huge Party for a Cause. It's called Cupcakes & Cuties! Atlanta isn't ready for it, but I'm bringing it,lol!! I'll share pictures after. Stay Beautiful! Luv Luv Again, sorry for the ranting....
That bundt pan is gorgeous!!! I wish I were more of a baker. Unfortunately, God didn't give me that talent. :-(
Sunny, this is not the most appropriate place for this, but I couldn't find another way to get a message to you.
I work for a non-profit and we are having an online auction in September. I would LOVE to have something from you - signed book, swag, whatever - to auction off. How can I request that formally?
Thanks!
Cheri
Dallas, TX
Your Bundt is very pretty. I love the nooks & crannies of that pan. Very modern-looking, I think. I'm proud that it turned out for you.
loc, yaaay! thanks for catching the show! i'm energetic and enthusiastic about only the things i love and i love so much about life, so i'm happy most days. don't worry about your hate for fish ... i hated allll seafood except for oysters until i visited new orleans in my early 20s. i think it just wasn't cooked right before and i also think i just trusted my youthful palate and forgot that i'd grown up some since childhood. give fish a try as an adult if you haven't you may be surprised. if you still hate fish, don't worry ... you aren't alone :-). thanks for watching the show and i hope you like the new 24 mins on the way ;-)
the duo dishes, i know, this one starts with a pound of butter and gets crazy from there ... i actually asked my culinary producer if it was ok to do this recipe because of the butter content, some people really yell foul if you do over indulgent food ... but sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do! it tasted good and dense, i think 2 changes and it's ready for the camera and belly!
chyloe heacock, thanks for watching! ita about the pound cake, cuz even if i get a dry slice, i'll top it with strawberries or something. never a bad poundcake! and welcome to foodie land! so glad you are getting more interested in food and cooking. rent the movie ratatouille for inspiration ... really anyone can cook. it isn't like surgery, although some would make it seem that way ... those are the scary foodies lol. go to them for inspiration, but don't let them scare you off. i'm here to welcome you. cooking is fun and easy and there are so many different ways to appreciate food that you'll never get bored. don't worry you aren't a 'dork'. you're a foodie, way different :-) and i welcome to the blog and the show!!
jayda, congrats!!!!!!!! on it all! wow, looks like you are full steam ahead! happy for you and i look forward to more great things! your hubby is a lucky dude!
cooking mama, thanks, it's from william sonoma. i don't know if i have the baking gene, i think i have the eating baked goods gene and therefor i have forced myself to get my baking down to the science that it is.
princess, send me your email address and i'll get you in touch with the right person to clear me and i'll do it!
nikki, thanks! it's one of my faves ... i have turn-out anxiety every time i use it. so annoyed about the tiny patch that didn't make it ... it was a big 1st slice teeheehee.
mary, recipe is in your inbox! and i don't mind the things being stolen or missing in action, gives me a chance to get the thrill of the purchase and the thrill of the find all over again...
Sunny, I just wanted to let you know I just watched your interview on FB from Destination Success. This is going to sound REALLY corny but I was crying! Yes, I had to actually wipe my eyes! An epiphany came to me while I was listening to you. I began to realize that I was meant to be a foodie (I love your description of that by the way). My aspirations to be a food writer are even more set in stone now. I've realized that I need to take some culinary classes to make myself more "credible". Even though I'm almost 40, anything is possible and I won't give up. I just wanted to thank you for giving such an honest and inspiring interview. You made my day!
hi
miss sunny .......
it b mee ....... the birthday kid ....... i have decided 2 spend mee birthday with ....... u 2day ....... pound cake ....... for mee birthday thanks ....... sunny ....... ken aka mee amigo ....... on this day 7/18/09 detroit .......
cooking mama, awwwww really? well i am glad something i said hit a note with you. i am really not used to talking aloud about my path and stuff, but with this new position people are asking and i am kinda forced to say what is in my heart. sometimes upon reflection, i want to add details instead of being so general and things sound so cliche and almost not real enough. like is it just as simple as persistence? i'd have to say it is. it really is. i've pushed and steamrolled my way through life and have often been a cheering squad of one for my goals when i didn't have support. i've left non-believers behind for people that dare to believe that when i say something, i mean it and intend to move towards it. it has left me with fewer friends, but the quality is the best. all winners that inspire me to keep going. life is so short and i want to cram in as much as possible. so why not take a chance on myself? if i won't no one else will ... so you taking a cooking course to move ahead is ok to do at 40, i took a knife skills course at 33 because i needed it to get to the next level. you will get there with persistence and remember, realism. :-) i believe in you because you have a human spirit. you can do anything if you work towards it. in many faiths, doctrines and philosophies, all you have to do is work and believe. it works.
ken, u r craaaaazy! thanks for the smiles and happy birthday!!!! go paint the D red wing red!
thanks Sunny .......
went 2 the Beyonce concert yesterday here in the D ....... the girl did not disappoint ....... she was ....... the icing on the pound cake ....... mmmm mmm good ....... let me go before i tell u what else happen ....... thanks Sunny u made me smile ....... Ken aka Detroit Pistons ....... Tigers .......Red wings ....... LIONS ....... oh lord will u please help the lions .......
Hi Sunny! The cake looks great. I hope we can meet sometime. I live in North Jersey and I like to go to Atlantic City about once a month. I'm going again on August 18 for my free comp night at Trump Plaza. The next day is the free A.C. Airshow. I got some decent pictures last year. It would be good to hear from you. I'm on MySpace too and here.
ken, sasha is fierce huh??? what a show she puts on!
selenasking, thanks! it was yummy and i only had a few slices. left the rest to my dude. hope you have a fun comp night at the casino ... that usually means the house won, hope you rob em blind this time around! enjoy the air show!
Yes, dear Sunny, so do I, lol. Here is my site so please take a look: http://selenasking.blogspot.com/. God bless you.
selenaasking, have fun!!! I'm checking you blog out right now!
I can't wait to see you do this on your show!! I know there are tons of people that complain about crazy amounts of fat in recipes, but if Paula Deen can use tons and tons of butter, so can you!!! I am always trying to find a good pound cake recipe, so I'm excited for this one, especially b/c there are apples in it. My family are huge apple lovers! Especially in cake and pies and pancakes... yum!
nikitheo, i tape this in just a few days and i even got the same bundt pan cleared ... so it will look just like this, with better lighting and if i'm lucky it'll release better from the pan :-). i'll surely post when it's ready to air! thanks for checkin in!
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