In the Kitchen With Tillie Harris

 in Favorite Recipes / Now Magazines by

These recipes were contributed by Tillie Harris, a Southwest resident, and originally appeared in the SouthwestNOW May 2016 issue.

Lemon Cake
Cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. lemon extract
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs

Glaze: 

  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
  1. For cake: Heat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
  2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  3. In a glass measuring cup, combine buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon extract.
  4. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, until blended. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan.
  6. Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and place cake on plate or cake board. Poke the warm cake all over with a toothpick. 
  7. For glaze: Stir together the glaze ingredients and immediately brush it on the cake.
  8. Let a portion of glaze soak in, then brush on more glaze, continuing until all glaze is used up. Allow cake to cool before slicing.

 

Sweet Potato Pound Cake 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
  • Confectioner’s sugar, to taste
  1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt cake pan.
  2. In a bowl, cream butter with both sugars until fluffy.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and sweet potatoes until well-blended.
  4. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into batter alternating with buttermilk until blended.
  5. Fold in chopped nuts if desired. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan.
  6. Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing on rack. When completely cooled, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

 

Zucchini Bread 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, well beaten
  • 3 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1 cup nuts, chopped
  • 1 cup raisins (optional)
  1. Heat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
  3. Whisk dry ingredients until combined, set aside. 
  4. In a separate bowl, add granulated sugar and canola oil; mix until creamy.
  5. Add brown sugar, eggs and vanilla; mix.
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until combined.
  7. Fold zucchini into batter. Add nuts and raisins, if desired.
  8. Pour ingredients into prepared loaf pans.
  9. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.