Due to a leap year and some unusual academic scheduling, it just happens to be summer in my world.  Of course no one told that to the intermidable marine layer that hangs around my little neck of the woods (to be fair, it does disapate at around 2:00 each afternoon.  Of course it returns again at 3:00).  But still, it’s summer.  Even if it doesn’t feel like it.  So, I’m celebrating now because by the time real summer rolls around in the lovely South Bay, students will be once again moving into the residence halls.

So then, let’s start the summer with a little loafing.  I came across this recipe for a cream cheese butter cake while researching another recipe.  Now, I know I have at least one other butter cake recipe on this blog but this one had to be made.  I simply couldn’t imagine what cake with not only butter but cream cheese would taste like.  Heaven?  Nirvana?  Paula Dean if you licked her arm?

True to its name, this loaf recipe starts with about 1 1/2 cups of butter and another cup of cream cheese.

If it makes you feel any better, all that dairy does go into two loaves.

And what comes out of the oven is beautifully buttery golden.

I knew that if the cake tasted anything like I’d imagined, we were going to need a acidy to counterbalance the heft of the crumb.  Enter fresh strawberries, some lemon juice,  a little sugar and some heat.

This recipe is solid and would stand up well to whatever summer fruit you’d like to throw at it.

Soundtrack

I can’t stop listening to the Glee version of Shake it Out.  Don’t really understand it myself.

Cream Cheese Butter Loaf

Ingredients

• 3 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325.  Grease and line with parchment, two loaf pans.
2. Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add-in sugar and beat an additional 3-5 minutes.
4. Beat-in eggs one-at-a-time.
5. Gently fold-in flour until just combined.  Divide batter between pans.  Place pans on a jelly roll pan.
6. Bake until inserted toothpick comes-out with crumbs.
7. Allow to cool on racks for 10 minutes.  Run a butter or table knife around the edges of each cake.  Gently remove and allow to cool completely on wire baking racks.

Strawberry-Citrus Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1 /2 lbs strawberries, cleaned and halved.
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 TBS lemon or orange juice
• zest of 1 lemon (or half a navel orange)

Directions

• Combine all ingredients into a heavy-bottom sauce pan.  Simmer strawberries over medium heat until sauce reduces and becomes thick, 5-10 minutes.  Allow sauce to cool.  If desired, blend some of the sauce, leaving some strawberry chunks for texture.  Store in sealed container in the fridge.