Grapefruit Brûlée Cake

     Have you guys ever had a grapefruit with brûléed brown sugar on top that is served cold? Because it is absolutely delicious. It is a perfect summer treat to break through the crust, cut out a wedge and have the cool, refreshing grapefruit slide down your throat. I find it so refreshing, that it inspired a cake in its image.

    Think simple cake. Think buttermilk moist, grapefruit tang. Think crunchy poppy seeds.

     Then the top-spread generously with brown sugar and placed under your broiler until it caramelizes and turns into a mix of a chewy and crunchy crust for your beautiful cake.

    Yes, your beautiful cake must be sacrificed for this less than stellar looking top, but I'm telling you, the top is the BEST PART OF THE CAKE. DON'T YOU DARE NOT DO THE TOP. I sighed when I looked at the finished cake and thought simultaneously: "Man, I am ready to eat this cake..." and "AHH, why is it not more pretty??" Its ok, just breathe, eat your cake and you will forgive it and love it forever. Ok?

Adapted from The Homesick Texan's Ruby Red Grapefruit and Pecan Sheet Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 C grapefruit juice
2 C all purpose flour
Zest of grapefruit
1 3/4 C sugar
1 TSP baking soda
Zest of grapefruit
1/4 TSP salt
3/4 C buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 TSP vanilla
2-3 TBSP poppy seeds (depending on your crunch preference; I prefer 3)
1/2 C brown sugar

1. Butter and flour a 9x13 pan, and preheat your oven to 375F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, zest and salt.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, grapefruit juice, buttermilk and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold them together until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the poppy seeds. Use as few of stirs as possible so you don't over mix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes. Once an inserted toothpick comes out clean, place the cake on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and carefully invert the cake onto a sheet tray.
6. Turn your broiler on and position a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. Sprinkle the cake with the brown sugar and place it under the broiler. You do not need to close the door, watch carefully and pull the cake once the top is fully melted/caramelized and there are a few dark spots.
7. All the cake to cool thoroughly before eating. Enjoy!

Love,
    Boulder Butter

Butterscotch Pudding

      My dad came in town last week, and I was whisked into a frenzy of Denver Tourist, a fun musical, long walks and wonderful company. Of course, we also ate our way through a splendor of delicious foods with no holding back (the amount of ice cream and decadent breakfasts consumed are something to be admired). However, the last night was a truly wonderful experience at a swanky downtown Denver restaurant my friends had recommended.

     It ended in a delicious dessert selection and paired wines, and I felt I was in a magical place surrounded by happiness (...ok, maybe I am being a tad dramatic). The point is, it was a phenomenal night I will remember for a long time. Dad ordered a butterscotch pudding dessert, and I, being a devout lover of all thing butterscotch, caramel, dulce de leche, sweet darkened milky goodness, of course insisted on a bite...ok maybe two.

    Then I wanted more, so I figured it was time for pudding. Butterscotch traditionally consists of brown sugar and butter. These form the base of this pudding and then creamy whole milk, bourbon, and vanilla get to play, because why not?

     The result is a creamy, mildly sweet and refreshingly cool dessert that plays gently in your mouth. The brown sugar and bourbon go beautifully together and the vanilla just enhances their game. I dusted the cups with cocoa powder and a few dark chocolate pieces for a bittersweet compliment. I'm sorry (but not really sorry) for introducing you to homemade pudding, but believe me after seeing how easy and scrumptious this is, there will be no more instant mixes in your cabinet.

Adapted from David Lebovoitz's Butterscotch Pudding

4 TBSP (1/2 stick) salted butter
1 C packed brown sugar (dark for a strong flavor and light for a milder)
3/4 TSP fine salt
3 TBSP corn starch
2 1/2 C whole milk
2 large eggs
1 TBSP  bourbon
1 TSP vanilla

1. Add the butter and the brown sugar to a sauce pan over low-medium heat and melt together until combined and all of the brown sugar is wet.
2. Whisk together 1/2 C of milk and the cornstarch until no clumps are visible and all of the starch has dissolved into the milk. Whisk in the eggs.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the other 2 cups of milk to the brown sugar/butter mixture. Next, whisk the cornstarch/milk mixture in as well.
4. Return the pot the heat and bring to a boil, while wishing constantly. Since you are whisking it will be hard to see the "boil" so when you see little bubbles all around the side of the pot, go ahead and turn it down to medium-low heat and continue whisking until it has reached a thickened consistency (looking like hot fudge).
5. Remove from the heat, whisk in the bourbon and vanilla and pour into a large serving dish or divide into small dishes. Cover them with plastic wrap, pressing it against the actual pudding, to prevent film from forming on the top. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to cool before serving. Top with whipped cream, cocoa powder, chocolate shavings or whatever floats your boat.

Love,
   Boulder Butter

Blackberry-Lavender Cobbler

    The clock sprung forward and Monday night was a promise of a sweet, sweet spring and summer ahead in Denver. The sun was beaming and perfect for an early evening walk. The darkness did not come until later, and the night demanded cheesy grits with greens, a cold beer, and a nice warm cobbler. 

     Granted I had intended to make something completely different for my next post, but when I walked in the store that day and saw these juicy, beautiful blackberries sitting there, I knew it was time for a cobbler instead. 

    The berries are mashed together with ground lavender leafs. The center is a gooey and sweet, but the lavender pushes through a strong floral flavor with the slightest bitter notes. Each bite makes me feel like I am sitting in the middle of a field in the summer with the sun beating down. The filling taste like the most wonderful flavors of the earth and it's abundance. 

      There are many types of cobbler. This one, is what I have so eloquently named "a dumb cobbler" and it is the true type of my heart. The messy filling coupled with the caramelized, cakey surrounding screams sweet simplicity in a skillet. The buttermilk adds the quintessential southern tang; the molasses in the brown sugar creates an eye catching dark color and simultaneously chewy and crunchy texture on the outside that is divinity in cast iron. The inside is soft and comforting as it melds into one where it meets the berries.

    Cobblers are a messy scoop of heaven. I love them hot out of the oven, scooped impatiently and topped with vanilla ice cream that melts down the sides. I love them equally for breakfast, reheated, with milk poured over them (cereal never stood a chance). I had gingerbread to get me through the winter, but now I have this. Welcome back, Spring, how I have missed you.

**Notes: For the lavender you can use a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or if you have too, just run a knife through them to mince them for a bit. I use a 10" cast iron skillet for this recipe. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, in step two: instead prepare a 8x8 baking dish or 8-9" cake pan, and melt the butter in the microwave or in a separate sauce pan. 

Inspired by Virginia Willis' "Meme's Blackberry Cobbler" in Bon Appétit, Y'all-this book is a recent, but total obsession of mine!

Ingredients: 
1/2 C butter (1 stick), unsalted

4 1/2 C fresh blackberries (I used 3, 6 oz. containers)

1 1/2 TSP dried lavender flowers, ground* see notes

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C brown sugar + more for sprinkling 

1 TSP baking soda

3/4 TSP baking powder (at altitude) OR 1 TSP baking powder (sea level)

1 generous pinch fine sea salt

1 C buttermilk

1/2 TSP vanilla extract

1/2 TSP almond extract (or 1/2 more vanilla if you don't have this)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.

2. Melt your butter in a large cast iron skillet and remove from heat. **See notes. 

3. Add the blackberries and ground lavender to a large bowl and sprinkle with a small amount of sugar. Using a potato masher, forks, or pastry cutter, mash the berries so some of the juices have been released but there is still form in some of them.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Next stir in the brown sugar, breaking up the majority of the clumps before continuing. 

5. Mix in the buttermilk, then the extracts and finally the butter until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet. Add the mashed berry mixture to the center.

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove and let it cool for 30 minutes before serving. Goes perfectly with ice cream or whipped cream-the lavender begs for one of those! Vanilla is perfect, and if you can find honey flavored I can only imagine it would be heavenly. 

The best part-since it is so PACKED with berries, it makes it really easy to eats huge spoonfuls of it. I love anything sweet I get to huge spoonfuls of! 

Love,
Boulder Butter