Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake

Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake with a Salted Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze

Ingredients

For the Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk full fat or lowfat
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

For the Salted Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the Top:

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Coarse Sea Salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12-15 cup capacity bundt pan with baking spray and set aside. Mix the flour, cardamom, Fine Sea Salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the mixer on low and add in the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Scrape the bowl and slowly add in the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl once again and mix in the chopped pecans.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes. Do not open the oven to test the cake until at least 55 minutes have passed, or the cake may deflate. Test the cake by inserting a wooden skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and cool. Wait at least 20 minutes before flipping it out of the pan onto a wire cooling rack.

For the Salted Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze:

  • Place the brown sugar, butter, bourbon, vanilla, and Fine Sea Salt in a skillet. Set over medium heat and whisk until the brown sugar fully dissolves. Then remove from heat and whisk in the cream and powdered sugar. Whisk until completely smooth.
  • Place the cooling rack and cake on a piece of wax paper. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down all the sides. Sprinkle the nuts over the top of the cake. Once the glaze is almost completely dry, sprinkle the top with Coarse Sea Salt to taste.

Our daughter in law found the recipe here.

It was delicious and we would make it again.

People Get Ready Hodgepodge

1. Saturday marks the first official day of summer! Whoohoo! Your favorite thing about the season?

Summer visitors. The photos below were taken in our front yard when we had summer visitors camping out last August. 

2. Love it!, labor of love, not for love or money, no love lost, love handles, love does, love-hate relationship, misery loves company, tough love, love will find a way…pick one and tell us how it applies to your life right now.

I’ll pick LOVE-IT. Love it when family visits. Love it when we can visit our family. Love it when I spend time with the grandchildren and see all their new skills. Love it when our freedoms come back to us. Love it when all the birds flit about in our back yard. Love it when the Truth is spoken and it is louder than evil. 

3. What’s one thing currently causing you to seethe?

When people call evil good and good evil. 

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:20 (ESV)

One thing currently making you smile?

See #2

4. Of the following to-dos found on a summer checklist (here) which three would definitely make your personal list of summer want-to-dos?

roast marshmallows over a fire, go berry or peach picking, dangle your feet off the end of a dock, sit on a porch swing, watch the sunset from a beach, nap in a hammock, go barefoot in the grass, collect seashells, play tennis, go fishing, build a sandcastle, catch fireflies, eat a soft serve ice cream cone, make a pitcher of Sangria, swim in a lake, stargaze, ride a bike, paddle a canoe or kayak, make a summer road trip, throw a frisbee

  1. Take a summer road trip. 2. Make a pitcher of Sangria. 3. Paddle a canoe or kayak (although it is getting more and more difficult to get into or out of)

    Do you make an actual list? NO

5. Thursday is National Splurge Day. What might you splurge on in order to celebrate?

Well, since Thursday will be mow the 4 acres day I will celebrate by listening to at least 3 good sermons since that’s how long it takes for me to mow. Maybe to keep the theme going we’ll go out to eat in one of the local restaurants that have re-opened.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

A summary of a good sermon in 5 sentences:

“You can’t change a fallen world. We come and go and are forgotten. The only one who can change the world is God. MY story is not THE story. We need to fear God and keep His commandments.”

By the Fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions for the Hodgepodge.

Coast Family Reunited

What a treat to enjoy time at Josh and Laura’s home on the west side of the Cascades. It had been 6 months since we visited on the “Coast”.

My sister and her husband joined us on Saturday afternoon for a meal and early Father’s Day celebration for Dear.

We had good walks, good talks, watched an online church service together, ate a lot of good food and played cards. Josh and Dear enjoyed shopping at Cabella’s and another favorite store of theirs. The Girls were able to shop at Business Costco and Hobby Lobby.

Laura found the recipe for this cake and she and Katie baked it on Saturday. Cake recipe coming later this week.

Our kids on the East Side sent us a photo from their walk, too.

We made it home safe and sound from the Coast on Monday taking a new route home. I’ll be catching up with blogs soon. Lots of scenes from the road to share. Hope you are all well.

Road Tripping

Be back soon to visiting your blogs. Enjoying quality time with our family on the west side of the Cascade Mountain Range. This side of the mountains is still in Stage Two of the COVID-19 re-entry guidelines. Our town in the northeastern corner of Washington State is in Stage 3. Uploading photos has been so wonderful here in broadband dream land. See you soon!

Photo taken somewhere along highway two in Central Washington heading east towards the Cascade Mountain Range.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin ~ Hymn

SeaJack #4 014

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Refrain

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Refrain

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Refrain

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Refrain

Words: Julia H. Johnston, 1911.

Peonies

This bush is a white Peony. It’s the largest of our Peonies.

These Peony bushes above are the ones we will need to transplant. The one on the left is a pink Peony. All the others are the deep red ones. The deep red ones bloom first.

By the time we return to our home these white Peonies will be bursting forth in all their glory.

We are sojourning with our Coast Kids for a few days where I can upload as many photos as I want. I’m in uploading heaven.

We have already enjoyed hugs from our daughter and her husband who we hadn’t seen since Christmas. It is good to be together. Our oldest son and DIL are hosting us and we were with them last on Mother’s Day weekend. It was clear sailing all the way to the Steven’s Pass in the Cascade Mountain range where we finally encountered rain.

More from our road trip coming soon.

Hope you are all enjoying a good weekend.

A Decade Ago…

Since I’m in that part of the month when our broadband isn’t strong enough to upload photos, I found these photos I took at the Seattle Japanese Garden in 2010. A decade ago when it was safe to travel all about the Seattle area. The area of Seattle on Capitol Hill that has been taken over by Antifa is a short distance from the Arboretum and the Japanese Gardens. I’m praying that there will be law and order again. In the meantime we wait and pray.

These quotes popped up in my Facebook Feed from years past…

Salvation is not a reward for the righteous but a gift to the guilty. -Steven Lawson (7 years ago)

Convicting thought from Jonathan Alexander during Sunday’s sermon...Am I educated in God’s Word beyond my obedience? Be a doer, not a poser! (6 years ago)

“You don’t have to be dead to move toward the light!”
I’ll add this verse to go with it…Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (3 years ago)

“You can get glad in the same shoes you get mad in.” (3 years ago)

And 1 year ago…
A little of this world will satisfy one who is strong in grace,
much will not satisfy one who is weak in grace,
nothing will satisfy one who is void of grace.
~Thomas Brooks

Have a great weekend everyone!

Irises

We have one Iris bush and it’s always a treat when it blooms. When the plant is spent this year we will try our hand at digging it up and putting it in another spot where it will be enjoyed more. Right now it’s position is between our garage and new shop. We also have 4 Peonies to move.

Wednesday I finished up JJ’s 1st year Memory book and then went out to mow the front and back. When we were done with our outdoor work we decided on enjoying a meal out at Backyard Barbecue in Kettle Falls. They opened up to indoor seating today and wanted to support them during this hard time. The food was delicious.

Thank you dear blogging friends and others who check in and wonder how we are all doing during this time. You remain a good normal constant in our lives right now when the world seems to be turning upside down. Keep shining God’s light in these dark times. God is still in control and that’s not to say things will be easy on us but we will make it through.

Looking Up Hodgepodge

1. Last thing you said yes to? Did you regret it?

I said yes to watching our little grandson Jaymison on Tuesday morning. No regrets at all. It’s always fun even though I come home tired.

2. No big deal, no contest, no dice, no hard feelings, no ifs ands or buts, no kidding, no offense, no pain no gain, no way…choose one and tell us how it applies to your life currently.

No offense but you are wrong! What most of my comments would be on a lot of facebook and instagram posts lately if I really thought it would matter to make a comment. I have only commented when I have felt I have a voice in someone’s life and the post does not line up with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the shared faith I thought we had together…

3. Thursday June 11th is National Making Life Beautiful Day…in this strange season how are you adding beauty to your days/life?

I’m in the process of  completing a scrapbook for Jaymison’s first year of life. Getting pages accomplished and seeing all that has happened in his life in just one year has added beauty and smiles to my days. I have his 1 year pages to do and I’m all finished.

4. According to an article found here, these six foods taste better in June than at any other time of the year-strawberries, asparagus, peas, peaches, beets, and garlic. How many of these have you tasted so far this month? Anything on the list you’d say ‘no thank you’ to trying? Rearrange the list starting with your favorite (1) to your least favorite (6).

I’ve only tasted strawberries and garlic this month…but the month is young. I wouldn’t say no to anything on this list. This Ice Cream cake has strawberries in it and no garlic. 🙂 Recipe on my blog yesterday.

  1. Strawberries 2. beets 3. garlic 4. peaches 5. asparagus 6. peas

5. Describe your current mood in three words.

Content but bewildered.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Back to question 5 and my response. I’m bewildered and distressed by dear friends who seem to have left their faith for rubbish. I went back and forth from Galatians where Paul says who has bewitched you foolish Galatians…and this.

The Light of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4)

4 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

I’m looking up and in the Word of God (The Bible) to get my bearings…

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions for Hodgepodge!

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

We had the kids over for dinner on Monday night and I served this Ice cream cake that I made the night before. It has a few steps but is pretty easy to make. It’s a dessert you can make a few days ahead. I think it would easily serve 10-12 people. I’ll give you the link so you can see how much prettier you can make it look with whip cream and fresh strawberries on top. I only used a large carton of good Strawberry Ice Cream. My carton was not 1/2 gallon so my version is not as tall as the showstopper…

I used vanilla wafers and regular Strawberry Ice Cream.

To see the showstopper version of this cake and get the recipe click below!

You can find the recipe here.

It’s called Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake. I did not think it was overly sweet and we all enjoyed it. I would make it again.