Happy Belated 4th of July Part II

Yesterday I shared with you the first of two fun 4th of July treats I whipped up during my extended 4th of July celebration. On Friday, Bax dog and I traveled up to Baltimore to spend the weekend with the fam and, more excitedly, partake in 4th of July cookout numero dos.

I have always been a huge fan of summer cookouts. Growing up, it never felt like summer until my dad whipped up the first round of hamburgers, ribs, and sausage links on the grill. This is my fourth summer since I stopped eating red meat and the smell of smoked/grilled meats remains the only thing that makes me miss it. As a work around during grill season, I usually talk my dad into grilling my vegetarian items as well. My dad's grilling always includes a special (homemade) sauce that he puts on all burgers and other meat products (I actually blame this sauce for why I hate bar-b-que sauce....it just never lives up) and this time I got him to make a little for my portobello mushroom and the veggie dogs Sister and I were to be consuming. Although I'm sure most carnivors would disagree, it was a delightful substitution.

For my second 4th of July cookout (or "Pho 4th" as I took to calling it), I was all about making use of my beloved cake stand and whipping up a refreshing dessert to counter the string of 100 degree days we've been experiencing and to top off the meal. Once again, my love of fresh blueberries prevailed in my recipe selection. I used this find as inspiration but then blended a couple different recipes to achieve the final product. It was a little touch and go during decorating time (I feared I'd overshot my ambitions) but Sister talked me off the ledge and a masterpiece was born (that was probably a little boastful, but I was really proud I pulled this out)

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients


Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from this one with some changes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 10 ounces fresh blueberries (I just guessed put in a good distribution)

Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from this one (my go to buttercream)

• 12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

Preparation [cake]

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle of oven. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans 
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside
3. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add egg and beat well
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches, mixing until just combined. Add berries and fold in with a spoon
5. Pour batter into cake pan, spreading and smoothing the top
6. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes

Preparation [frosting]

1. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes
2. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest; beat until buttercream is smooth (I had to add about a Tbsp more sugar to thicken it up a little)

Time to eat

Bax always sits with us....she's little a little person