Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries

I made this for Easter Dinner, it's from Bon Appetite Magazine, and it was so delicious. A beautiful hybrid between Angel Food Cake, Meringue, and Bundt Cake all mixed in one. The key is to use real vanilla bean, and use an actual bundt pan. It's the first bundt cake I've ever made, and it was super fun! Keep it in mind for Mother's Day coming up in May.

What's in it

1 vanilla bean

1 tsp bourbon

1 1/2 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C + 6 Tbl butter, room temperature

3/4 C sugar

1/4 C brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 C buttermilk

How it's made

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour standard bundt pan, and spray with nonstick spray.

Pour bourbon into a small bowl, and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into it. Keep the vanilla pod for another use. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream with mixer butter and sugars. Add eggs and yolk one at a time (mixing in between). Mix in vanilla/bourbon mixture.

Add one at a time, mixing in between until just blended: 1/2 of flour mixture, buttermilk, rest of flour mixture.

Transfer the batter to the pan, smoothing out the top. Bake 55 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze

Whisk together 2/3 C powdered sugar, 4 tsp or more whole milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract. When cake is cool, drizzle over cake in zigzag pattern using a spoon. Let set 15 minutes.

For strawberries

Wash and slice 1 1/2 lbs fresh strawberries. Mix 3 Tbl or more sugar in and let set 40 minutes until juices form. Toss occasionally.

Serve slices of cake with strawberries on the side.

Best Oatmeal

I don't know about you, but I love oatmeal. I eat it nearly every day. It's so warm and comforting and delicious. It's the perfect winter-morning breakfast.

I'd always made my oatmeal the same way, the standard way. Old fashioned rolled oats, stirred into boiling water, cook, add toppings. It's good that way, and why mess with a good thing?

Well, one day last fall I came across a food blog that suggested something that sounded insane--adding a raw EGG to the cooked oatmeal. WHAT?! It sounds crazy. I imagined scrambled egg mixed into my oatmeal and got a little freaked out.

But, wait a minute! She assured her readers that this was not so. When you quickly stir the egg into your oatmeal, it disappears. It's not eggy. In fact, the egg makes your oatmeal into the creamiest, richest oatmeal ever. It becomes divinely custardy and, with the added protein, even more sustaining for a day of playing in the snow...or going to work.

I know you are probably skeptical. It took me three or four months from the time I read about this oatmeal to the day I finally decided to try it. Hopefully it won't take you that long. By then it will be summer and maybe too late for oatmeal.

But, even if it takes you until next fall---try this one day. I bet you'll never go back.

Creamiest Oatmeal Ever

~Print Recipe~

• 1 cup water (I substitute a little vanilla soy milk for about a 1/4 cup of the water)
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 egg (or just egg white for a lower calorie option)
• Vanilla extract
• Toppings: brown sugar, nuts, blueberries, banana, etc

1. Bring water/milk (and sugar, spices--optional) to a gentle boil. Stir in oats. Return to a boil, then reduce heat medium-low. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of vanilla extract; stir.
2. In a small bowl (I use one of the measuring cups I already have out), stir an egg with a fork to break the yolk. Remove oatmeal from heat, add egg to oatmeal and rapidly stir for about a minute. The egg will mix in completely, cook, and turn your oatmeal fluffier and creamier.
3. Pour into a bowl and top with brown sugar, etc. Enjoy immediately.

Serves 1

***VARIATION--BANANA NUT OATMEAL:

For a double batch I added cinnamon (I did a couple of shakes--maybe 1 tsp), the vanilla, then after the oatmeal had mostly set I added one mashed banana--the kind that have turned extra ripe/brown and I keep frozen in my freezer. (I defrosted it first in the microwave.) After everything was mixed in and hot again, I took it off the heat and added the egg. Served it with brown sugar and pecans!

Mark said it was the best oatmeal he's ever had!