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Agatha Christie's Greenway (Devon, England) - The Garden

There was a bit of drizzle and a few rain showers after we left our Exeter hotel and headed toward Cornwall. I was excited because, along the way, we were stopping at Agatha Christie's vacation home called Greenway. This was a double whammy - two things I love - gardens and literary history - in one setting. Along the way, Bruce mentioned that he almost did not include Greenway on the itinerary, thinking that it might be disappointing for us. What??? All I can say is that I'm glad he didn't change his mind because I found it totally fascinating. Agatha Christie bought Greenway in 1938 for 6,000 pounds. It was a property she had admired for many years and was excited when it appeared on the market. She referred to it as "the loveliest place in the world"  and she would use the house strictly for holiday getaways for the next forty years. I will share photos of the interior of the Georgian house (built in 1780) in my follow-up post. There was so much to see, especia...

Blackberry-Lemon Pound Cake


Last week our neighbor gave us a big bag of blackberries. Michael said he would like a blackberry pound cake so I set out to find a recipe. I ended up adapting a Lemon Blueberry cake recipe and hoped for the best. It turned out great and Michael loved it.

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
Zest of one large lemon
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Juice of one large lemon
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh)

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 TBS. lemon zest
1 TBS. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans or a Bundt pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Cream the butter. Add the sugar, sour cream and lemon zest and beat for about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well.

Add the vanilla and lemon juice.

Mix in the flour mixture alternatively with the buttermilk in two or three additions.

Fold in the blackberries.

Bake for 45-55 minutes until a tester comes out smooth.

Allow the cake(s) to cool completely on wire racks. Whisk the glaze ingredients together and pour it over the cooled cake.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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