Lemon - Lime Bundt Cake

Hospitality...

Learning to be hospitable is more than just setting a pretty cake on the table for a get together. Having something prepared to serve and a basic plan just helps so that if you are like me and have 2 very busy little boys, you can spend a few minutes straightening and relax in the food area. Your friend or neighbor will feel special and your children will learn how to also practice hospitality.

A wonderful book my church did a ladies Bible study on is The Hospitality Comands.. from Vision Forum Books. I have a link on the side of this page for their site. They also have a cd on this topic for only $10.00- I love their cd's for the busier times in my life - I have grown so much through their products. May God Bless them greatly!

Anyway...

I love having a friend call to say she is stopping by. I am also relieved when I can take a bundt cake to someone who having a baby, suffering a loss or has just moved into the neighborhood.

I love it more when I am prepared and can pull a bundt cake out of the freezer, whip up some glaze to drizzle over and not have to start my day putting all plans to the side to start baking.

These cakes look so pretty on a paper doily and tray or a cake dish. I have a special cake dish I take out for friends. My mom gave it to me.

Just about any drink can go with a citrus flavored cake too- iced tea, lemonaide, coffee even iced coffee is nice. Another nice thing is that I have found that children really like this type of cake too. I am first going to share a great recipe from a website with a lot of great recipes and ideas. I will also share my quick recipe for when I am not so prepared for company. (it is a basic cheater recipe)

I am sharing this recipe because it is one of the nicest items to keep in your freezer for company, it will taste great even if you don't get time to fully defrost it and the glaze itself takes minutes.

We usually take a "lazy day" and do some baking.. I like to have the girls make 3 or 4, let them cool, wrap in wax and then place in a freezer safe storage bag.

Lemon-Lime Bundt Cake - from momsmenu.com - click on Title above to go their site.

Cake:

4 eggs1 1/2 C. butter2 TBSP lemon Extract2 1/2 C. sugar3 C. flour3/4 C. lemon lime soda (not diet)

Lemon Lime Glaze:2 C. powdered sugar2 TBSP lemon extract2 TBSP limejuice1-2 TBSP milk, as needed to thin glaze

To Make Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Make sure rack is in the center of oven.

Generously grease and flour a bundt pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy and well mixed together, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat in lemon extract.

Mix in flour alternating with lemon lime soda until blended.

Pour cake mix into bundt pan.

Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hrs or until cake is light brown and a skewer comes out clean when stuck in the middle of the cake.

Be careful not to over bake.

Cool cake for 15 minutes then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loose the cake.

Cool completely before covering with glaze.

To Make Lemon Lime Glaze:

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until mixture is smooth.

Let stand for 10 minutes.

Drizzle over bundt cake.

Let stand until glaze sets.

Store cake in a sealed container.

Melissa's Cheater - not so prepared way to do it... (hahaha)

Cake - 1 yellow box mix - follow directions on back of box- use well greased bundt pan - bake as usual. Cool - place on nice dish.

Glaze - 2 c. powdered sugar - 2 tbsp. milk - 4 tbsp. lemon extract.. or orange extract or a mixture - of any citrus juice or extract. Mix well and drizzle!

Ok, I have been know to be the queen of improvisions.. lol .. I am now very different but my poor family lived several years of disorganization, unscheduled lives where we were crazed and always unprepared. I have more great "cheater" recipes as I call them - I'll share as I have time but all in all... the recipe from scratch is far better and if you have learned to be scheduled like I have you will have more than enough time to teach your children the planned art of Hospitality...