Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen Best Summer Desserts

Cake

-2 ½ cup cake flour (no substitutions)

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp table salt

-3/4 c buttermilk

-3 Tbs lemon zest

- ¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

-1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 ¾ cup white sugar

-12 Tbs (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter softened

-3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

Glaze:

-3 cups powdered sugar

-3 Tbs lemon juice

-2 Tbs buttermilk

Instructions:

Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position (unless you’ve found that another position works better in your oven for baking) and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the white sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until moist and fragrant (about 1 minute). Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture and place it in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

Add the softened butter to the remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix until smooth (about 30 seconds)

Scrape the batter into the reserved baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 25-35 minutes). Be careful not to over bake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Gently spread the glaze over the cake and sprinkle evenly with the reserved sugar mixture. Allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours.

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 1  15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 2  cloves garlic, chopped
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 2  teaspoons  garam masala (Indian spice blend)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2  pounds  boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
• 1/2  English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4  cup  fresh cilantro leaves
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1  cup  basmati or some other long-grain white rice
• 1/2  cup  heavy cream

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time).
2. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
4. Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish

What I Did Differently:

I doubled the garam masala and added a teaspoon of red curry powder. (I would  have put in more curry, but I didn't want to make it too spicy for everyone's taste.)

I used chicken breast because I don't like dark meat.

I used coconut milk in place of the cream.

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