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    SOUTHERN LIVING Best Southern Desserts: 205 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Cobblers & More
    SOUTHERN LIVING Best Southern Desserts: 205 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Cobblers & More
    SOUTHERN LIVING Best Southern Desserts: 205 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Cobblers & More
    Ebook360 pages1 hour

    SOUTHERN LIVING Best Southern Desserts: 205 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Cobblers & More

    By The Editors of Southern Living

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    About this ebook

    You'll treasure this ultimate collection of dessert recipes from the editors and test kitchen pros at Southern Living. We went back to our archives to find the best recipes we've published in 50 years, including cakes, pies, cookies, cobblers, and more. Highlights include Hummingbird Cake—our most requested recipe—and some of the most mouth-watering desserts that have graced our cover over the years.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLiberty Street
    Release dateJun 24, 2016
    ISBN9780848750145
    SOUTHERN LIVING Best Southern Desserts: 205 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Cobblers & More

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      Book preview

      SOUTHERN LIVING Best Southern Desserts - The Editors of Southern Living

      SID@SOUTHERNLIVING.COM

      CAKES

      IF OUR TEST KITCHEN HAS A SPECIALTY, IT’S CAKES. FROM LAYER CAKES TO CHEESECAKES, FROSTINGS TO FILLINGS, WE LOVE THEM ALL. AND WE CAN’T RESIST THE URGE TO PUT THEM ON A PEDESTAL— A BEAUTIFUL CAKE STAND IS OUR SIGNATURE

      Test Kitchen Tip

      It’s best to freeze unfrosted cake layers because frosting can crack during the freezing and thawing process. Place completely cooled cake layers on baking sheets, and freeze. Wrap each layer in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and place in large zip-top bags. Freeze up to one month.

      PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE

      September 1977

      Submitted by Dondee Gage Steves, San Antonio, Tex. What makes this recipe worthy of being called perfect? Every taster in our Test Kitchen said it couldn’t get any better.

      1 cup cocoa

      2 cups boiling water

      1 cup butter softened

      2 ½ cups sugar

      4 eggs

      2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

      2 tsp. baking soda

      ½ tsp. baking powder

      ½ tsp. salt

      1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

      Baking spray with flour

      Whipped Cream Filling

      Perfect Chocolate Frosting

      1. Combine cocoa and boiling water, stirring until smooth; let stand 30 min.

      2. Cream butter, and gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

      3. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beating at low speed of an electric mixer, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Do not overbeat.

      4. Pour batter into 3 greased (with baking spray) 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.

      5. Spread Whipped Cream Filling between layers; spread Perfect Chocolate Frosting on top and sides. Chill until serving time.

      MAKES 1 (3-layer) cake. HANDS-ON 1 hour, 13 min. TOTAL 1 hour, 43 min.

      WHIPPED CREAM FILLING

      1 cup whipping cream

      1 tsp. vanilla extract

      ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar

      Beat whipping cream and vanilla until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Chill.

      MAKES about 2 cups.

      PERFECT CHOCOLATE FROSTING

      1 (6-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels

      ½ cup half-and-half

      ¾ cup butter

      2 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar

      1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; add powdered sugar, mixing well.

      2. Set saucepan in ice, and beat at low speed of an electric mixer until frosting holds its shape and loses its gloss. Add a few more drops of half-and-half, if needed, for spreading consistency.

      MAKES 2 ½ cups.

      STRAWBERRY SWIRL CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE

      March 2011

      Submitted by Nancy H. Test, West Chester, Ohio. Here the cream cheese is added after beating the butter and sugar.

      1 ½ cups butter, softened

      3 cups sugar

      1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

      6 large eggs

      3 cups all-purpose flour

      1 tsp. almond extract

      ½ tsp. vanilla extract

      ⅔ cup strawberry glaze

      1 (6-inch) wooden skewer

      1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, beating until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

      2. Gradually add flour to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in extracts. Pour one-third of batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Dollop 8 tsp. strawberry glaze over batter, and swirl with wooden skewer. Repeat procedure once, and top with remaining one-third of batter.

      3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

      note: We tested with Marzetti Glaze for Strawberries.

      MAKES 12 servings. HANDS-ON TIME 25 min. TOTAL TIME 2 hours., 35 min.

      LEMON BAR CHEESECAKE

      February 2013

      Imagine the delicious possibilities of lemon bars and cheesecake together in one indulgent dessert. Using a dark springform pan ensures a golden brown crust without having to bake before adding the filling.

      2 cups all-purpose flour

      ½ cup powdered sugar

      ¼ tsp. salt

      ½ cup cold butter, cubed

      2 egg yolks

      1 to 2 Tbsp. ice-cold water

      4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

      1 cup granulated sugar

      4 large eggs

      2 tsp. vanilla extract

      2 cups Quick-and-Easy Lemon Curd, divided

      Candied Lemon Slices (optional)

      1. Pulse first 3 ingredients in a food processor 3 or 4 times or just until blended. Add butter, and pulse 5 or 6 times or until crumbly. Whisk together egg yolks and 1 Tbsp. ice-cold water in a small bowl; add to butter mixture, and process until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of bowl, adding up to 1 Tbsp. remaining ice-cold water, 1 tsp. at a time, if necessary. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 4 to 24 hours.

      2. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a lightly greased 9-inch dark springform pan, gently pressing on bottom and up sides of pan; trim and discard excess dough. Chill 30 minutes.

      3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 minutes or until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

      4. Pour two-thirds of cheesecake batter (about 4 cups) into prepared crust; dollop 1 cup lemon curd over batter in pan, and gently swirl with a knife. Spoon remaining batter into pan.

      5. Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or just until center is set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.

      6. Remove sides of pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving platter. Spoon remaining 1 cup lemon curd over cheesecake, and, if desired, top with Candied Lemon Slices.

      MAKES 10 to 12 servings. HANDS-ON 40 min. TOTAL 22 hours, 45 min., including curd and candied lemon.

      CANDIED LEMON SLICES

      Cut 2 small lemons into ⅛-inch-thick rounds; discard seeds. Stir together 1 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and ¾ cup water in a large skillet over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon slices, and simmer gently, keeping slices in a single layer and turning occasionally, 14 to 16 minutes or until slightly translucent and rinds are softened. Remove from heat. Place slices in a single layer in a wax paper-lined jelly-roll pan, using tongs. Cool completely (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 2 hours to 2 days. Reserve syrup for another use.

      QUICK-AND-EASY LEMON CURD

      We changed the mixing method of our favorite lemon curd, then cooked it in the microwave. The results? Buttery rich and smooth as silk, every time.

      1. Grate zest from 6 lemons to equal 2 Tbsp. Cut lemons in half; squeeze juice into a measuring cup to equal 1 cup.

      2. Beat ½ cup butter, softened, and 2 cups sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Gradually add lemon juice to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition; stir in zest. (Mixture will look curdled.) Transfer to a 3-qt. microwave-safe bowl.

      3. Microwave at HIGH 5 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals. Microwave, stirring at 30-second intervals, 1 to 2 more minutes or until mixture thickens, coats the back of a spoon, and starts to mound slightly when stirred.

      4. Place heavy-duty plastic wrap directly on warm curd (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 4 hours or until firm. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

      MAKES 2 cups.

      Stove-Top Method: Prepare as directed through Step 2, transferring mixture to a heavy 4-qt. saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 14 to 16 minutes. Proceed as directed in Step 4.

      Bake a Better Cheesecake

      These luscious, silky sweets are back in a big way. Follow SL dessert goddess Pam Lolley’s pointers to get perfect results every time.

      1. Filling

      Start with room-temperature cream cheese to prevent lumps. Let the cheese stand out at least 2 hours or up to overnight for best results. Be gentle with the batter. Beat at medium-low speed just long enough to blend the sugar and cheese into a smooth mixture. Incorporate the eggs at low speed, beating just until the yolk disappears.

      2. Baking

      Take your time with baking. An oven temperature of 325° is ideal because the moderate heat bakes cakes evenly and doesn’t dry out the filling. Test for doneness by shaking the pan gently. When the cheesecake is cooked, you’ll see a 3- to 4-inch circle in the middle that’s jiggly or slightly loose. It will set fully as the cake cools and chills.

      3. Chilling

      Run a small knife between the edge of cheesecake and pan immediately after removing from the oven to prevent sticking, and let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack with the sides still attached. Cover and chill at least 8 hours before removing the sides. You can bake and refrigerate the cheesecake up to 2 days ahead.

      35TH ANNIVERSARY HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

      April 2013

      Over-ripe bananas (yellow peels splotched with brown flecks) are best for baking.

      3 cups all-purpose flour

      2 cups sugar

      1 tsp. baking soda

      1 tsp. table salt

      1 tsp. ground cinnamon

      2 cups diced ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

      3 large eggs, beaten

      1 cup chopped toasted pecans

      1 cup vegetable oil

      1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained

      2 tsp. vanilla extract

      Cream Cheese Custard Filling

      Browned Butter Frosting

      1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in bananas and next 5 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into 4 greased and floured 9-inch square or round cake pans.

      2. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire

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