Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Lime Glaze in a Rose Bundt - Williams Sonoma

Dear George Clooney,

Hi. You don't really know me, but I've known you from the days of Facts of Life. Detective Falconer on Sisters? My UCLA roommate and I planned our weekends around Sisters. When you got killed off? Oh, the pain and heartache. But then there was a little show called ER. Happiness again.

Anyway, I'm just saying I'm not a Johnny come lately girl. Um...unlike your recent cocktail waitress flings, I was actually alive when you started your career. Just saying...experience is a good thing.

So, if you do happen to finally realize that you really need a librarian and baker in your Italian villa...I'm here. And if you want to send me flowers, I'd like a bouquet of Rose Bundts. Like you being named People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive (twice!!!), this Nordic Ware pan is totally the Sexiest Bundt Alive!

I made the William Sonoma's Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Lime Glaze. I don't know what happened, but I must have over beat the wet ingredients into a tizzy or something. By the time I slowly mixed in the dry ingredients, it was practically coming out of the KitchenAid bowl. Since the recipe was made to fit into the pan, I just threw in all the batter. Mistake. Luckily, I had some parchment in the oven to catch the overflow. So, note to self: don't over beat and don't overfill! :)

Isn't this sooooo pretty?

Enjoy this lovely pound cake with lime glaze. You can also use lemon as JustJenn does in her adaptation.

Recipe:
From Williams Sonoma: Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Lime Glaze

Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie - Tuesdays with Dorie

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Linda of Tender Crumb decided on Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie on page 337 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Have you checked out my friend Linda's blog, Tender Crumb? She's well on her way to being a superstar pastry chef! Everything she makes is yummy and pretty. And, as I learned after a trip with JustJenn, two food bloggers should not shop at Surfas together...it is simply an exercise in enabling. Linda is a UCLA Bruin too (Sproul Hall rocks!) Awesomeness!

I had some issues with the cream. You need to get it to 180 degrees....but I was using "new math" or something and only got it to 150 degrees.

First, my digital thermometer didn't work (hum, digital thermometers need batteries...duly noted). Then, I tried to use a candy thermometer and "manual/non-digital" thermometer. But I couldn't get it up to 180. Sure, I got thickness. Dorie says the filling "will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks." Dude, I had more tracks than Sid & Nancy. But I only had 145-150 degrees.

As I was trying to hold the metal pan over a double boiler with a potholder as well as the thermometer with the left hand, and whisk with my right hand, the pan kept moving around...letting out some of the steam. I was getting such a facial. Who knew the spa qualities of this dessert?!

Finally, after 12 minutes, I had a thick cream that tasted good and gave up on the temperature. It was cooked and wouldn't kill anyone, I decided! :)

I found that I wanted to make just a small dessert so I deconstructed it and laid some graham crackers on the bottom, the cream and a little meringue that I piped out and broiled a bit.

Thanks Linda for a fun pick! I'm going to try it again and make the full size dessert!

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

Recipe:
Dorie's book, page 337, Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Linda's blog, Tender Crumb: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie