Brunch is a tricky thing.
Do you have dessert? Do you just put all the sweets out at the time of breakfast, or do you serve the savory dishes and then put out the sweets after? Well whatever you decide, you must have sweets. Serve them before, during or after, but they must be there.
This particular cake was so different for me. The lemon flavor in this cake made it so fresh and light. I don’t really make a lot of stuff with lemon flavor, but after this, I think I am a changed woman. This cake is perfect for a mother’s day brunch, or even just sitting around and eating it by the spoonful with some really great mothers.
As far as that goes, I feel lucky that I can say I know a lot of them.
What would we do as moms without our mom friends?
I really would not survive.
No, seriously. It is not possible.
When I had my first baby, I remember my friends Tina and Melissa were like my saving grace. They had already had babies and I must have called them a million times a day to ask questions. Thinking back, they were probably the dumbest questions in the world, but at the time, they seemed uber important. Of course they were super patient with me, schooling me on bedtimes, bath rituals, nursing tips and how to stop that gosh darn crying baby when you feel as if you don’t have one more ounce of energy to do it. What awesome moms they are, and little did they know that I credit them for getting me through those first few months. I felt lucky then to have them in my life, and feel lucky still. They are my oldest friends–friends before we were moms–strong women and great mothers.
My friend Rita and I had babies around the same time. Not only did we serve as sounding boards for each other during pregnancy, we worked together once we had babies to solve the issues that seemed so big, but grew to be so small with time. The moments I remember sitting and nursing our babies together, make me think of such a simpler time. Not to mention a quieter time…when the children didn’t talk, and you actually could carry on a conversation! It really warms my heart to think of that time spent with such a dear friend of mine. It seems so long ago, but the memories are forever etched and treasured.
When I think of good moms, I also think of my good friend Jill. I talk to her often and feel lucky that she is someone who can find humor in everything. We laugh at jokes only she and I understand, and have tons of hilarious memories together that no one but us can treasure. I remember one time my husband and her husband challenged us to one of those board games that you have to give clues and your teammate has to guess what you are talking about. It was hilarious to watch our husbands’ egos drop to the floor when Jill could say, “The color sweatshirt that guy who lived on the 3rd floor of the dorm freshman year wore everyday” and I would shout out, “purple!” and win a round in 2.2 seconds. Sorry guys, but you didn’t stand a chance against us and our memories. Jill is the kind of friend you can call no matter what, and she will give it to your straight, but find humor in it all the same. She can make you laugh and feel better at the same time.
I think of my friend Tara-one of the first “mom” friends I had in my community. When I met her, we each only had one baby and little did we know, number two for both of us would soon be on the way. We bonded over our daughters’ complete and utter love for each other. They are still delighted to see each other seven years later and I think Tara and I might be the same way. We always joke that we have to talk so fast when we see each other so we can get all that we want to say to each other out as quickly as possible before our time together ends. The problem? We could talk forever so we never really get it all out. That is what happens when you have dear friends…you could be with them for long periods of time and never get tired of it.
I am so blessed to know so many amazing women. If I went through them all, this post would be way too long…but don’t worry. I love to talk about my friends so they will pop up in another post…I assure you! The best part about these women is not only what great friends they are, but it is also what amazing moms they are. Their kids are so lucky to have them and I feel blessed to know them all.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing “mom friends” I have in my life!
I wish I could make this cake for each and every one of you. 🙂
Strawberry Yogurt Cake
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 tblsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 oz. vanilla yogurt
2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
Glaze:
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tblsp powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease and flour a bundt pan. Flour well…this cake will stick if pan is not prepared correctly! In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and lemon juice and mix well. In a medium bowl, mix 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and lemon zest. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture slowly and mix well. Add yogurt and combine. Toss strawberries with remaining 1/4 cup flour and fold into batter.
Pour into bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Carefully turn out cake onto a plate. Let cool for 1 hour. In a small bowl, whisk yogurt, powdered sugar, and lemon juice together and drizzle over cake. Serve and store leftovers in the refrigerator. When serving again, let it come to room temperature before serving because it gets very dense in the refrigerator.
*I made double the batch of glaze because it is so good!
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