McClellan: Cake recipes great for sharing

Barbara McClellan

Let's just look in some more shoeboxes (or other boxes) and/or kitchen drawers for recipes that we have clipped or scribbled or found in bottoms of purses or pockets that we have intended to try, but just have not.

I must admit that I have recently unearthed a fistful of good recipes that some of you have kindly sent to me. They got buried in a mail flurry of "things to look at later," but later seems to keep going away. Many (maybe most) are for recipes we like to cook and eat most, but recipes that we need to cook and eat less -- desserts.

By the way, if you give, mail or send electronically a recipe to me, be sure to put your name is on it. It's also nice if the date is on it, too. I "owe" a lemon "something" to some friends who had birthdays without my getting a treat to them.

This is a recipe that I have not made in a long time but plan to make it tomorrow for these three nice people. If I have shared it with you recently, I apologize because I could not find it in recent articles. Also, I have no idea where I got it. It is in my scribbles writing, so there is a chance I was playing around with things that were available in our kitchen and happened to have all these ingredients.

Ingredients

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup milk

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 eggs

Steps

Mix all ingredients 1 minute on low speed with electric mixer, then mix 2 more minutes on medium speed. Pour into a greased Bundt or tube pan or 4 to 6 small Bundt pans (depends on size of pans). For large cake, bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until tests done. For small cakes, bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until tests done.

Remove from pans and glaze with following:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

One day when I was in the newspaper office, Kayla Briggs, who is so kind to put up with my ineptness with technology gave me a few wonderful, easy recipes. She is in the business department of the Longview News-Journal and has another full-time job of raising a couple of boys. She finds it necessary to cook "quick and easy." She and I share a love for plants and I never leave her office without taking a cutting from something she has growing. This dessert is unusual but a real winner.

Layer in a 9-by-13-inch pan or dish the following ingredients in this order:

2 cans blueberry biscuits

1 can vanilla cake frosting

1 can blueberry pie filling

1 lemon cake mix (dry, unprepared)

1 1/2 sticks butter, thinly sliced

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Makes 16-18 servings. Warning: This is very rich. Serve small portions.

To get away from these delicious sweets, try this quick, cold soup.

Ingredients

3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut in chunks

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth, divided

8 ounces sour cream

3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced

Steps

In blender or food processor, combine cucumbers, 1 cup chicken broth and a dash of salt.

Process until smooth. Transfer cucumber mixture to medium bowl and stir in remaining broth.

Whisk in sour cream, chives and dill. Cover and chill well before serving. Garnish with dill spring. Makes 3-4 servings.

— Barbara Richardson McClellan is a longtime food columnist. Write her at [email protected] or in care of the Longview News-Journal, P.O. Box 1792, Longview, TX 75606.