Buttermilk Cake

This is from Heidi Swanson's cookbook "Super Natural Everyday." It's delicious, not too sweet to eat for breakfast but sweet enough to satisfy a hankering. She also recommends a winter version of this cake using dates and walnuts in place of the plums.

2 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 c fine grain natural cane sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 c buttermilk

1/4 c unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little

grated zest of 3 lemons

plums, thinly sliced...I used 3 medium

3 tbsp turbinado sugar

-Preheat oven to 400, with rack in top third of the oven. Butter and flour an 11" round tart pan.

-Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

-In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, then whisk in the butter and lemon zest.

-Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir briefly, until just combined.

-Spoon the batter into the tart pan, pushing it out toward the edges. Place plums on top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

-Bake for 25 min or until cake has set.

Plum-Apple Top Crust Pie

This recipe is another Smitten Kitchen one - the top crust just looked so delicious I couldn't not make it. And there were some gorgeous plums at the co-op this week...I can't remember the kind, but they are this beautiful dark red color. The crust is a little easier than the standard - you cream the butter and sugar and use an egg rather than water. Also, because it puffs up a bit and you dish it up like cobbler, it doesn't seem so fragile. Just roll it out and plop it on. The grated lemon/orange rind is amazing in the crust...and I ate it with ice cream rather than whipped cream. YUM. I want pie every night.
Apples, squash, and pumpkins are abundant. Pie season is upon us.