Anne Byrn is a best-selling cookbook author based in Nashville, Tennessee, where she learned to cook and bake as a child alongside her mother, Bebe. You may recognize her name from “The Cake Mix Doctor” books, a popular series that detailed strategies for using cake mixes as a baseline for creating irresistible desserts.
In her new book “Baking in the American South” (Harper Celebrate), Byrn shares stories and recipes from bakers in the South, past and present, seen and unseen. I asked her about Southern culture as it relates to baking.
“Southern baking was the first and finest style of baking in the country … an area about the size of Western Europe” she said. “It came out of rural, isolated areas, the land and the people were so diverse — coming mostly from European countries and the enslaved. In a climate that is warm, the land yielded soft wheat for baking that was perfect for biscuits and rolls.”
The sources of the book’s recipes are as various as the recipes themselves, home kitchens of course, as well as everything from department stores, school cafeterias, and churches, to synagogues, restaurants, and even the White House.
“These recipes talk about the land and the harvest, when there is plenty and when there was not,” she writes in the introduction. “They talk about the weather, adapting to it, dealing with it, and surviving it. They talk of isolation. They reveal discrimination and assimilation. They show the joy found in reunions, homecomings, and holidays. They know the unwritten code of borrowing one cup of sugar and returning two. And they are delicious.”
Enjoy.
Church Ladies’ Sour Cream Coffee Cake
“Sour cream and cinnamon coffee cakes are as much a part of morning gatherings in the South as hot coffee and conversation,” Anne Byrn wrote. “They straddle the line between bread and cake, which means they’re appropriate all day long, due to the fact that they’re not overly sweet or covered in icing.”
Yield: 12 to 16 servings
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil spray and parchment paper for prepping the pan
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup finely minced pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle. Lightly mist the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
2. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer on low speed until combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until creamy and light, 2 minutes more. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just incorporated, and add the vanilla. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Stir lemon juice into sour cream in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.
4. Prepare filling: Stir the sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl to combine.
5. Dollop half of the batter on the prepared pan and smooth the top with a metal spatula to reach the edges. Spoon half of the filling over the top. Dollop the remaining batter on top, carefully spreading to the edges, taking care not to disturb the filling underneath. Spoon the remaining filling on top and place pan in oven.
6. Bake until the cake is deeply golden brown and the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve.
Source: “Baking in the American South” by Anne Byrn (Harper Celebrate)
Cleora Butler’s Jalapeño Cornbread
There are several skillet cornbread recipes in the book, each one offering its own special twist. Byrn told me that the trick with skillet cornbread is to get the skillet really hot before you add the batter, then get it quickly in the oven. The outside edges should be crispy, and should sizzle. When it’s done, it should be flipped out on a cutting board and served crispy side up. The tasty cornbread recipe that follows embraces both creamed corn and a judicious amount of minced jalapeño.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup bacon fat (grease) or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pureed or creamed corn
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the middle.
2. Place the bacon fat or oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornmeal, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add buttermilk and eggs and stir until smooth. Fold in corn and cheese, then the sauteed onion and pepper.
3. Reheat the skillet over medium heat for a few minutes or until hot. Turn off the heat and pour the batter into the hot skillet. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the cornbread is lightly golden brown and the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center, 18 to 21 minutes. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edges, and immediately flip out onto a cutting board. Slice and serve.
Source: “Baking in the American South” by Anne Byrn (Harper Celebrate)
Elizabeth Terry’s Sherry Trifle
I asked Bryn to tell me about the easiest and best dessert recipe in her book. She told me that the Sherry Trifle is always a hit, and that it’s a cinch to use storebought angel food cake, tear it into pieces and fold those pieces into the sherry egg custard. She added that you can serve it in a punch bowl or spoon it into lovely glasses.
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 packet) unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup warm water, divided use
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup medium-dry (amontillado) sherry
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 to 8 cups torn (1-inch pieces) angel food cake, store-bought (8 ounces) or homemade
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
Garnish: 2 cups (12 ounces) fresh berries
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Optional garnish: Edible pesticide-free flowers
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the sherry custard: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the warm water in a small bowl and stir. Let the mixture sit for the gelatin to soften.
2. Place the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until they lighten in color. Whisk in the sherry, sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup warm water and beat until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes by hand. Pour into a small heavy saucepan and place over low heat. Stir with a flat wooden spoon or spatula and cook until the mixture is steamy and thickens, 8 to 10 minutes, adjusting the heat up or down to make sure it doesn’t boil but comes together. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture. Pour into a large stainless-steel bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pour the cream and vanilla into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
4. When the sherry custard has chilled, fold in the whipped cream, and then fold in the cake pieces (if you have 6 cups, the mixture will be more mousse-like, if you have more cake, it will be stiffer).
5. Spoon the custard into a large, footed trifle dish or a 9-by-13-inch glass pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or up to a day before serving.
6. Prepare the topping: Whip the cream with sugar, if desired, in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
7. Spoon the cream onto the top of the sherry custard and garnish with berries, if desired, nutmeg, and flowers if desired. Serve.
Source: “Baking in the American South” by Anne Byrn (Harper Celebrate)