Pretentious Food

Pretentious Food

I love cookbooks and cooking magazines, which is funny as I'm not much of a cook. I do it when I absolutely have to and not a minute sooner.

My mom has a subscription to the Food Network magazine which I read and laugh at.

Why?

The food is flipping pretentious and not very easy to make or find ingredients for. If I'm making something, I want to be able to assemble the ingredients quickly and if I need to buy them, I want to be able to find them at the store without going on a treasure hunt.

One of the recipes I fell in love with in the Thanksgiving issue was the Meyer Lemon-Cranberry Bundt Cake. (See the picture)

Here's the recipe, its a heart attack waiting to happen.

Ingredients
For the Cake:

* 3 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus more for the pan
* 3 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for the pan
* 1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
* 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 6 tablespoons whole milk
* 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Syrup and Glaze:

* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
* 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Prepare the cake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Butter and flour a 10-cup fluted Bundt pan.

Cook the cranberries with 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a pot over medium-high heat until juicy and the mixture reduces to 1 1/4 cups, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk the milk, whole eggs and yolks, and vanilla in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk the 3 cups flour, the remaining 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, the lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the 3 1/4 sticks butter and beat with a mixer on low speed until moistened. Add half of the milk mixture, increase the speed to medium and beat 1 minute. Add the remaining milk mixture in two batches, beating between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again, about 30 seconds.

Transfer two-thirds of the batter to the pan. Spoon the cranberry mixture in a ring around the middle of the batter (do not let it touch the pan). Top with the remaining batter and smooth evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: Dissolve the 1/4 cup granulated sugar in 1/2 cup lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat. Remove the cake from the oven, poke the surface all over with a skewer and pour the syrup on top. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto a parchment-lined rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

When ready to serve, whisk the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth. Spoon over the cake.

Where's the semi-homemade lady when you need her? Surely this could be done with a cake mix. Me I'm in it more for the cranberries then the meyer lemons which cannot be found in my area.

The thing that gets me about this recipe is that its labeled "easy" and maybe it is...if you have all the ingredients.

Oh I don't recommend getting your cholesterol checked after having a piece of this..or for that matter stepping on the scale! Personally, this cranberry cake recipe looks less threatening.

Any of you ladies know of any good recipes for cranberry baked goods?