Come on in, friends. Sit for a spell.
Let’s sip our beverages and dab at the corners of our lips with cloth napkins. You know, as genteel folk are want to do.
Sip sip. Dab dab.
I was recently reminded by a near and dear one that next Tuesday I will be taking a trip to BirthdayVille. NatalNation. OlderLand.
Same said person gently reminded me that residents of Thirty-ishTown generally need to act like ladies.
Oh, uh, ok.
Noted.
Noted, ma’am. Noted, sir. Curtsy. Bow. Crickets….
So I thought about it.
And tried to put my finger on it. Generally decided that I would take a stab at it today.
Thirty-ish LadylikeNess.
Strap yourself in.
Is it ladylike to tweak your photos with fun iPhone apps?
Golly gee, Beav, I sure hope so!
I mean, wait’ll the Ladylike Police find out! They’re really going to give me the business!!
I just think this is really good practice… you’re still sipping and dabbing, right? I am! Obvi.
But I’m also working on this coffee cake. It’s made with sour cream. And prickly pear jelly. And a crumble topping!
I think it’s probably pretty genteel and stuff.
Curtsy curtsy curtsy.
Please, sir, I want some more!
Seconds? Thirds?!? How indelicate.
So I’ve still got some time. And practice makes perfect, right?
Curtsy Class.
Sweetness Seminar.
Decorum Forum.
Notes will be taken. Textbooks will be studied. Ladylikeness will be mine.
Said the girl on her fourth piece of coffee cake, wearing a holey Coyotes hoodie, drinking a Coors Light out of the bottle, and hurling epithets at the TV in response to The Bachelor’s latest moves.
We’ve got a ways to go.
Prickly Pear Coffee Cake
adapted from Holiday Dinners With Bradley Ogden: 150 Festive Recipes For Bringing Family And Friends Together
For the cake:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. white sugar, granulated
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
2/3 c. prickly pear jelly (If prickly pear jelly is not available you can substitute the fruit-based jelly or jam or your choice.)
For the topping:
1 c. dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until just incorporated. Continue mixing and add the dry ingredients, alternating with the sour cream, until a uniform batter has formed. Pour the batter into the lined pan, being sure to distribute it evenly across the pan and smoothing the top. If you’re working with a jelly as I did, I recommend stirring the jelly in a bowl until it has broken up a little and isn’t quite so solid and gelatinous. Stirring will simply make it easier for you to drop and swirl the preserve on the cake. Once you have a ‘looser’ jelly to work with, spoon it in six large spots onto the top of the cake (you can really drop the jelly in any pattern of your choosing). Use a dull knife to cut through the jelly drops and create a swirl pattern. Once your jelly is arranged, set the cake aside to rest for a moment.
In a small bowl, use your fingers to combine the butter, flour and brown sugar for the topping into a uniform crumbled mixture. Spread the topping over the jellied cake and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
YIELD: 1- 9″ x 13″ coffee cake
I’ve never had prickly pair jelly but this coffee cake looks amazing! I’m going to keep my eye out next time I’m in the grocery store
yum!
I sure do miss Pickly Pear Jelly! Growing up in AZ will do that to you! I will have to pick some up next time I come home to try for this recipe. Looks fab!
Happy birthday and congratulations on the 4-slicer coffee cake. If this was prepared for a genteel ladylike lunch, I could see it turning into a bun fight as the ladies fought over the last piece.
Girl you are seriously a genius.
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/
Gorgeous site.
It´s my first comment, yay!!!
I loved this cake. Cake and fruit is one of my favourite ways to bake them.
Kisses,
Rita
Belated congrats on Top 9, and wait till you find out what’s expected of you when you get in your 50′s!!
I think I need to sign up for Decorum Forum! Loved this post and a belated congrats on Top 9!
Scarletta, this is absolutely gorgeous. Omg!! Congrats on the top 9, YOU DESERVE IT!!
I look forward to making this.
Finding this exact brand of Cactus Pear Jelly may not be easy but I can always make my own.
The nearby latin market has prickly pears fresh.
I will let you know how it turns out.
Bay Laurel Catering, San Rafael CA
Well M’Lady- you sure have created a scrumptious looking treat if I do say so myself. I love prickly pears and that cake looks divine. Happy early birthday! xo
Being a lady ain’t what it used to be =) Your version sounds pretty darn lady like to me!
You are too funny…and quite lady like
This is scrumptious…love that prickly pear jelly and this wonderful coffee cake!
My daughter loves to give me those friendly birthday reminders;)Happy Birthday:)I love prickly pears and have never seen the jelly. This cake is wonderful:)
This is beautiful! YUM
I have never seen prickly pear jelly, but I am going to look for it now. This coffee cake loks so good. Ladylike hmmm sometimes its just better to sit and eat the fourth slice while drinking beer from a bottle, really, I know.
This cake sounds amazing and a big slice would make my day!
You really do inspire me to get in the kitchen and bake. Your take on this coffee cake is perfection. Welcome to thirtyland… it’s actually quite fun here
Whenever I am having a bad day I should head over here – your posts ALWAYS make me giggle and smile uncontrolably! Love this one: “Said the girl on her fourth piece of coffee cake, wearing a holey Coyotes hoodie, drinking a Coors Light out of the bottle, and hurling epithets at the TV in response to The Bachelor’s latest moves.”
this is me at least once a week
Hoping you have a most magical year ahead! Happy birthday, lady…
Hehe, another cute post! I think we could all stand to be a bit less lady-like sometimes. Yummy looking coffee cake, and that jam looks sooo good!
Well, happy birthday Ms. Scarletta hehe
We get prickly pears here a lot (they are called figs from India in Italy…fichi d’India) but I have never had them as jam. Looks very ladylike to me
Happy Birthday! LOVE the tweaked photo and I suspect that you curtsy is just fine!
your cake lovely amazing… love it
My great grandmother probably rolls over in her grave on a daily basis over something rather un-ladylike that I have done. Usually it revolves around me speaking my mind a little too much which, oddly enough, she encouraged. Hmmm…
Thank you for your Bachelor reference. I mean really, could these girls get any more loca?!
And thank you for this recipe. Obvi.
Lovely coffee cake
I recently tried prickly pear for the first time and loved them – should make for a great cake flavoring! Wonderful guest post!
Oh, boy, the insides of your coffee cake look fabulous…so moist and perfect! And wonderful topping, too~
This coffee cake looks amazing! I’d probably eat way too much :p. haha
Absolutely gorgeous idea. Haven’t seen prickly pear jelly in a coffee cake before – all the more reason to try!
One of my favorite posts on here Meagan! I never knew you could use prickly pear in a coffee cake, I’m so intrigued, impressed, excited etc lol. Wow, what a genius idea! =]
I will totally resist birthdays from here forward if I can’t make cool photos with iPhone apps. Definitely lady like, they are. So is this coffee cake!
Gimme more, right now!! What, just hurry up dammit! Is that genteel enough
I love saying prickly pear over and over….
I have been in Thirtyville for a couple years now, and here are a few things I have learned: Nothing beats cold beer out of the bottle. Crumb toppings make everything better. When cake is around all bets are off. Trashy TV is something to live by. So it sounds to me like you are right on track!
I’ll take four slices, there’s nothing lady like about being hungry.
As a full time resident of Thirtyville, I assure you that while some of us have our ladylike manners down pat, plenty of us are still triflin’ fools.
I’m not telling you which one I am.
Love the coffeecake!!
Word.
Mmm love this!
Yummy!!!
This is one delicious Coffee Cake you have here.