A good friend of mine, Marion Bowler recently posted on facespace, “In Bozeman, people wait in line for breakfast like people in L.A. wait in line for top clubs.”

I couldn’t agree more. Waking up early is imperative when going out to breakfast here in Bozeman Montana. If you aren’t there within 30 minutes of the restaurant opening, you better have around 40 minutes to spare to wait in line. So when my sister came to visit over spring break I forced everyone to wake up early each morning, just so I could take her to a new breakfast place everyday.

Exhausted is an understatement.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if we actually went to bed on time, but we were of course up past twelve almost every night. I officially feel old. It has been about two weeks since she left, and I am still trying to catch up on sleep. Honestly, I think I need to come to terms with the fact that this is my life now. I’m old and tired, and it takes me a half a month to recover from four days of late nights and early mornings.

Even if I gained an extra few pounds and had no energy for a week it was still worth it. Hands down, Bozeman has the best breakfast. The list below is everywhere we ate while she was here.

The breakfast list:

1.) The Nova Cafe (It's fun. It's quirky. You should probably try the Eggs Benedict with avocados!)

2.) Jam (They have breakfast appetizers! Very progressive, and wonderfully fresh.)

3.) Wild Crumb (All the pastries!! Your eyes will trick you into thinking you can eat everything, but sadly you can't. Just start with a croissant, and then pick something to go for later.)

4.) The Storm Castle (Get the french toast, it is the best french toast in the world. They also give everyone a different mug, as a potter it's just fun to see which one you get.)

5.) The Inn on the Gallatin (The biscuits are the size of your head, which is not a bad thing. Since all the jam is homemade and delicious the taste will have you wishing the biscuit was even bigger! )

Anyway, while she was here we got around to making a Bundt cake, in my handmade Bundt pan. We fought over what kind of flavor to make (in proper sister fashion), and then compromised on a lemon poppyseed. For never having made a Bundt cake before I was super impressed. It was incredibly easy. I nervously anticipated it not coming out of the pan, but luckily I was wrong, it plopped right out. It was also a good thing I was diligent on the taking pictures because we devoured it quickly after, and then went back to eating all breakfast. haha

LEMON POPPY SEED

Serving Size: One Bundt Cake

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tsp vanilla
finely grated rind of 2 medium lemons (about two Tablespoons)

GLAZE:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar

ICING:

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
2-3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Spray Bundt pan with non-stick spray or generously lather in butter. In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Make the cake: Cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three parts alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Start and end with the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, leveling it and smoothing the top with a spatula.

Bake the cake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (I totally rushed my cake, and took it out at 45 minutes just because I had things to do. Mine didn't get that lovely brown color, if you can give it the time it needs.)

Make the glaze: Stir together the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. The cake should drop out of the pan once it has cooled, but if it doesn't, give it a good wiggle and entice it out with a rubber spatula. Once it's out brush the glaze over the top and sides of the warm cake. Let it sink in, then continue brushing until all the glaze is used up. Allow the cake to completely cool before adding icing.

Make the icing: Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to create a thick glaze. Add more depending on the thickness needed. ( I found that a thicker glaze drips nicer than a thinner one does)