A Sweet Recipe from Summer Creek

Catching the Cowboy, the first book in the Summer Creek series, is dedicated to my husband’s grandmother, Nell.

She passed away several years ago, but during the years I knew her, she and I shared a love of baking and cookbooks. In fact, Grandma Nell gave me not only many of her treasured cookbooks, but she also shared her incredible bundt cake recipe with me. One that quickly became a favorite because it can be altered to use with any number of flavors.

In the story, Hudson Cole, the hero, lives on the ranch with his grandmother, Nell, who keeps him fed with one delicious meal after another. Many of the dishes she prepares are things our Grandma Nell made and we enjoyed.

There is a scene where Hud is eating lemon bundt cake after he thinks everyone has gone to bed. I thought you might enjoy the recipe.

Lemon Bundt Cake

1 box Lemon Cake Mix

1 small package instant cheesecake pudding

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. lemon juice

2/3 cup  cream cheese frosting

1 fresh lemon

Strawberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend cake mix, oil, eggs, sour cream, water and lemon juice on medium speed until combined. The batter is supposed to be super thick, so don’t worry if it seems heavy.

Spoon it into a greased bundt pan, evening it up as best you can (I tap the pan on the counter to get out air bubbles and even up the batter). Bake for one hour or until it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Let cool completely then invert on a cake plate. Zest a lemon and enjoy that mos fragrant experience. You may also want to cut a few thin slices of the lemon for garnish.

Put frosting into a microwaveable pitcher or bowl and nuke it for about 10 seconds. For this recipe I used  Cream Cheese Frosting. That was a very good decision. Pour liberally over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle on a little lemon zest.

Serve with a strawberry or two and enjoy this luscious, moist dessert!

Just for fun, here’s the scene:

In the kitchen, he flicked on the light, cut a wedge of cake, poured a glass of milk, then took an ice pack from the freezer. He’d just sat down at the table in the breakfast nook when Emery tiptoed into the room, her arms full of wrapped packages. Her long, golden hair streamed down her back and around her shoulders. She wore the expensive silk pajamas that made him have any number of inappropriate thoughts despite the modest style.

“Filling in for Santa or the Easter bunny?” Hud asked in a quiet voice.

A startled yelp escaped her and she spun around, eyes wide in surprise.

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