Best Southern Pound Cake
Serves 12

1 cup butter, no substitutes
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups sifted cake flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
6 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
½ cup water

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed 5 to 7 minutes. This should be a light lemon yellow mixture. Sift together flour and soda. Add to the butter mixture 1/3 at a time. This batter will be very thick.

Separate eggs. Add egg yolks, one at a time, to the batter. Add sour cream and vanilla also to the batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the batter.

Spoon into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or a 12-cup bundt pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cake is baking; Combine water and frozen orange juice concentrate in a small bowl. Stir until combined and concentrate is melted. Remove cake from oven and cool in a pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Slowly drizzle the orange juice mixture over the still warm cake. Let rest for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Lemon Blueberry Tea Loaves
Makes 10 mini (4”x2 ¼”) loaves

2 large lemons
2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, I prefer butter.
3 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup fresh frozen blueberries
1 cup water
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 10 (4” x 2 ¼”) loaf pans. Remove and finely chop lemon peel. Juice the lemon. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into mixture using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk and lemon juice to the eggs. Stir slowly into the flour/butter mixture, just until the flour is moistened. Fold in blueberries, being careful not to break them. Spoon evenly between pans and top with chopped lemon peel. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. While cake bakes combine 1 cup of water and 1 cup of frozen lemonade concentrate. Cool loaves in pan for 5 minutes. Spoon lemonade mixture over the top of the blueberry loaves. Cool an additional 5 minutes in the pan and then remove and let cool entirely on wire racks.

Lower-fat Peach Cobbler
Yields: 8 servings

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup orange juice
3 cups sliced peaches (peeled)
½ cup flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

In a small saucepan, stir 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch; add orange juice. Cook until bubbly. Add peaches and remove from heat. Keep warm. Stir together flours and baking powder. Add milk and oil; stir until mixture forms a ball. On a floured surface, pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Spoon hot peach mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and top with pastry wedges. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the pastry. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry browns.

Somewhat? Southern Pecan Pie

This pie is called somewhat because the pastry is failproof. The traditional crust involved hours and too much time! This crust is rich and flaky. You can always use a frozen prepared pie crust, if you chose.
Serves 6 to 8

Pastry
½ cup butter, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
Combine butter and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in flour until a ball of dough forms. Place dough into one 9-inch prepared pie plate. Gently press the crust into and up the sides of the pie plate. You can decoratively mark the edge of the dough with your knuckles or the tines of a fork. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Filling
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup dark corn syrup
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp pure vanilla
Remove crust from the refrigerator. Sprinkle pecans on bottom of pastry shell. Combine eggs and remaining ingredients stirring until blended. Pour into pastry shell. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until set. Cool on a wire rack. This pie always tastes better the day after you bake it.


Best Ever Southern Chocolate Icebox Cake
Serves 12

Cake
1 box devils food cake mix
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1 small box chocolate pudding
¾ cup oil
Mix together the above ingredients and beat on HIGH for 2 minutes. Pour into three 8-inch cake pans. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 22 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Remove cakes from pan and finish cooling on wire racks.
Frosting
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar, 10X
1 tub large tub Cool Whip
1 cup grated chocolate, ¼ cup in reserve
1 cup chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts
Combine cream cheese and sugars in a medium mixing bowl. Mix on HIGH for about 2 minutes. Add Cool Whip. Beating until smooth. This mixture will set up in about 5 minutes. It will become thick. Fold in chocolate and nuts. Begin by placing first layer of the cake on a plate or tray of your choice. Frost the top of the cake with about ½ cup of the frosting. Add the second layer of the cake on top of the first and frost the top of the second layer with ½ cup of the frosting. Add the third layer of the cake and frost the top of the third layer with ½ cup of the frosting. Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will set the frosting. It will help to prevent the crumbs of the cake getting in the final frosting. Remove the cake from the freezer. Finish frosting the cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator.

Swiss Chocolate Toffee Cake
Serves 10

1 Swiss Chocolate Cake Mix, prepared in a 9” X 13” pan
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping, the thick kind
1 jar of fudge shoppe chocolate ice cream topping
1 small container Cool Whip
1 bag of toffee bits, found in the chocolate chip section of the supermarket

Bake and Cool the Swiss chocolate cake according to the box for a 9” X 13” pan. Pour the caramel ice cream topping over the cake and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the caramel. Remove from the refrigerator. Pour the chocolate ice cream topping over the caramel layer and spread evenly over the caramel. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. Top with the Cool Whip. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the Cool Whip. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.




Southern Buttermilk Shortcakes

In the summer time, we make these to use up the leftover fresh fruit we have around. Some suggestions for fruit would be: raspberries, blackberries, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and Chocolate Gravy. They are also great for breakfast with butter and fresh Jam!

Makes 1 dozen

2 cups self-rising flour, I prefer King Arthur but my grandmother always used White Lily
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons reserved
5 tablespoons Crisco, I prefer the plain verses the butter flavored
½ to ¾ cup cultured buttermilk
Sift together three times the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in the Crisco with a pastry blender or your fingertips. When the dry flour mixture resembles crumbs or small peas, start adding the buttermilk. Mix with a wooden spoon for 12 strokes. Turn the dough mixture out onto a floured board. Knead for 6 turns. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rest 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray a light colored baking sheet with oil. The dark baking sheets make the bottoms of these shortcakes dark brown. Pat the dough out into ½-inch thick dough. Cut with 3-inch biscuit cutter, or other sharp edges cutter. Cut straight down, trying not to twist the cutter as you cut. This will allow the shortcakes to rise high. Place the shortcakes onto the prepared pan about 1-inch apart. Brush the tops with buttermilk if desired and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake at 450 degrees, for 11-13 minutes. The tops should be light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve with your favorite toppings.