Alexis Senge Johnson
Here in Central Florida we rarely celebrate something for only one day due to the theme park industry. Therefore, why should Independence Day be any different from our other national holidays. Independence Day celebrations are going on for the whole week for our guests in town and it wouldn’t be any different for our front line team either. We will have back-to-back BBQ cook outs on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, so I thought I would bring some sweets to satisfy the team on both days.
A little over a year ago my fiancé heard of a blueberry crumb coffee cake recipe on The Chew. We gave it a whirl on Thanksgiving and learned that it was quite a hit. I was considering making a few of those since I knew that they would travel well on the way into work, but I just couldn’t take my mind of a fresh homemade apple pie being present on the table as an option. Since I couldn’t decided which to bake, I settled on both and even threw in a few spice cake cupcakes to add some variety for those who don’t like desserts with fruit in them.
I probably bit off way more then I could chew, but it has been so long since I’ve gotten to bake that I just couldn’t help myself. My schedule around Christmas was so hectic last year that I didn’t even make any holiday cookies. I know I can’t make up for the baking I’ve been missing all in one night, but I sure as heck tried to. It’s always a pleasure in the new house to bake now that I have the additional counter space and elbow room to move around. The kitchen in our rental made cooking, baking, or even having two people in the kitchen at once quite an undertaking so this is a welcome change in our household.
I know there will be many strawberry pound cakes complete with their red, white, and blue toppings so I figured I would offer a little variety to the crowd. After all, who can say no to a fresh baked apple pie? What will be your dessert of choice this Independence day? Have you already made your annual trip to the market to pick up the blueberries and strawberries that will decorate your pound cake into a patriotic dessert that your family and friends are sure to love?
