What better way to begin the new year than to make a resolution that puts undue pressure on oneself? I am starting another baking blog, even though I can't even keep up with my other one (Bacon-n-Bakin).
This blog is a tangent off my first: having lived in the Upper South for over 15 years, I find myself quite nostalgic for it now that I have returned to the Upper Midwest. While I cannot return to the South right now, I can bring myself virtually closer by baking Southern classic recipes from The Southern Heritage Cakes Cookbook and other sources. The Southern Heritage Cakes Cookbook, published by Southern Living magazine, was a yard sale find from several years ago that was relegated to being an ornament on my bookshelf. Recently I dusted it off and opened the pages to find an abundance of appealing cake recipes that reinforced my nostalgia. I could think of nothing that evokes Southern baking more than butter melting in a cast iron skillet, hence the photo with this post. You'll probably see a lot more of that skillet, which was given to me by a dear friend.
A bit of history is in order - I was born and raised in the cold barren plains of North Dakota, and attended a liberal arts college in Minnesota. So to Southerners, I'm a born and bred Yankee. After college, I moved to West Virginia to work at an amazing camp (the NYSC) that I had attended just out of high school. (To those who say West Virginia isn't really the South, I counter with a) it is south of the Mason-Dixon, and b) please count the number of rebel flags that adorn pickup trucks there.) I lived in West Virginia for over 15 years and even married a native son, but if I had remained there until I died, I would never, ever be a real Southerner. But I was happy with being "all right for a Yankee." I couldn't really hope for more.
Although I encountered severe culture shock when I moved to West Virginia, I was amazed by the warmth of the people. Southerners are, by and large, welcoming, gracious, honest and kind. Now I'm not an apologist for the South - it still has a lot to overcome (friends of John Birch you know what I mean). However, there are positive aspects to Southern culture that I admire, not the least of which is the emphasis on eating copious amounts of food abhorred by cardiologists.
While my other blog will focus on bacon and other lovely porcine parts, this one will focus on Southern baking. Cakes will be at the forefront, but I will also cover other subjects such as biscuits and pies.
I won't be following the recipes to the letter: I refuse to bake with margarine and eschew the use of shortening. I will also inform the recipes with ratios and techniques gleaned through many years of baking. My goal is to reinterpret the recipes, giving respect to their origins but improving them where I can. (Just like a damn Yankee to tinker with what ain't broke, isn't it?)
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Posted by: myboaggelsogy | 10/31/2012 at 11:14 AM