8 minute read
FESTIVE HOLIDAY DESSERT
By Jill Melton
The holiday season ushers in a symphony of joy and warmth, with the tantalizing aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar wafting through the air. However, it's the grand finale of every festive feast that truly steals the spotlight dessert. These decadent creations beckon with promises of sweet indulgence. From the classic allure of spiced pumpkin pies to your favorite decorated sugar cookies, the holidays are a celebration of both tradition and creativity in the realm of desserts. Each bite is a delicious journey, a moment of pure bliss that brings loved ones together in a shared appreciation for the sweet side of life!
Kahlua Cake
Let's eat cake! This petite cake comes to us by way of Edible Nashville’s friend and Nashvillian Candace Floyd and is a chocolate lover delight with a twist. Sure to be a hit after a tasty holiday dinner.
CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua
3 tablespoons strong-brewed coffee, cooled
6 tablespoons buttermilk
7 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs, room temperature
KAHLUA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua or strong brewed coffee
PREPARATIONS
This recipe is excerpted from the book Little Everyday Cakes by Nashvillian Candace Floyd. It's made in two, 6-inch cake pans for four petite layers perfect for four. You can also make it in one 9-inch cake pan for two layers or double the ingredients for a standard cake to serve eight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Grease the parchment. Dust the pans with cocoa powder.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
2. Combine the liqueur, coffee, and buttermilk in a small bowl.
3. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer at mediumhigh speed, beat until creamy. Add the granulated sugar, and beat until fluffy, about four minutes. Add the cocoa and beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture a little at a time, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just smooth.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
5. Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pans on a wire rack, and let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, and return them, top side up, to the rack to cool completely.
6. To prepare the frosting, place the butter in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat until creamy. Add the confectioner's sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth. Add the coffee liqueur, a tablespoon at a time, beating until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Add more sugar for a thicker frosting, or more liqueur for a thinner frosting.
7. Place one layer on a plate or cake stand. Top one with about a quarter of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting or cut the layers in half horizontally to form four layers and frost only the tops of each layer.
Honey Chess Pie
A chess pie, with its humble origins rooted in Southern tradition, is a culinary masterpiece that turns simplicity into a symphony of flavors. The velvety filling, a harmonious blend of butter, sugar, and eggs, creates a decadent experience captivating taste buds with every rich and satisfying bite. This perfect-for-the-season pie is by Chef Mallory Grimm of Hen of the Woods with a twist. Follow her on social media @hen_ofthewoods.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vaniila
3/4 cup local honey
1/2 cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Maldon salt
1 pie crust, parbaked for 10-15 minutes
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add sugar, cornmeal, and salt; stir to combine.
2. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla together. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the butter mixture while whisking vigorously to avoid scrambling the eggs. Add honey, buttermilk, orange zest, and thyme, and stir well.
3. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is golden brown. Filling will bubble a bit during baking, then set with a little joggle. Cool completely. Sprinkle with Maldon salt to finish.
Pumpkin Cake
Inspired by my recent tour of Nelson's Green Brier Distillery, this cake is layered with flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, white chocolate, and of course the chocolate sauce made with the liqueur named after Nelson's legendary proprietor. The White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting recipe comes courtesy of my Aunt Linda and her Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, and Others cookbook. Paired with the subtly sweet cake and Louisa's caramel, coffee, and pecan Liqueur, it's full of flavor but won't send you into a sugar coma. At least not from one piece.
CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 1/4 cup canned or fresh pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS
6 ounces white chocolate
4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
LOUISA'S CHOCOLATE SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Nelson's Green Brier Distillery Louisa's Liqueur
CAKE INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a second bowl, whisk together pumpkin, water, eggs, and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir.
2. In a large bowl, using a mixer, blend the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add melted white chocolate and combine. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Blend on low until sugar is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy.
LOUISA'S CHOCOLATE SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips and Louisa's Liqueur over medium heat. Stir constantly until smooth.
Red Velvet Cake
A gorgeous cake! This is the cake I started making when I was twelve. It has what I consider the real frosting, a delicate yet rich buttercream. The procedure is a bit finicky because you make a sauce from flour and milk, whisking furiously, so it doesn't get lumpy, then chill it. Add gradually to whipped butter and powdered sugar until a creamy beautiful consistency. It's not overly sweet, but a perfect complement to the cake.
CAKE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons red food coloring
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups 2 percent reduced-fat milk
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 1/3 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch layer pans or two 9-inch layer pans; line bottoms with wax paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together vegetable shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk cocoa and food coloring together with a fork until smooth; add to the shortening mixture and beat until evenly blended. Add flour and salt alternately with buttermilk; beat until blended. Add vanilla and beat well.
3. Separately mix baking soda and vinegar and beat into batter. Pour into prepared pans and spread evenly; bake 8-inch layers for 20 minutes or 9-inch layers for 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans on wire racks. Remove cakes from pans, peel off wax paper, and cool completely on racks.
4. To prepare frosting, place milk in a small saucepan and whisk in flour until flour is dissolved and no lumps remain (you may need to check with your fingers). Cook over low heat, whisking continuously (watch carefully, the mixture will get thick quickly) for 2 to 3 minutes or until thick. Cool to room temperature or place in refrigerator to cool quickly.
5. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the cool flour milk mixture. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy; beat in vanilla. Frost cake. Serves 16.
Optional: Garnish with red berries and mint leaves for festive holiday color.
JILL MELTON was named one of the most influential women in 2022 by The Nashville Business Journal, Jill Melton is the editor and founder of Edible Nashville, a food magazine about people. Melton loves to cook and shares how food is a big part of our culture, our economy, and who we are as Southerners. Each issue spotlights the farmers, artisans, chefs, restaurants, home cooks, and gardeners that have made Middle Tennessee as hot as its chicken. Edible Nashville is published six times a year. Subscribe at ediblenashville.com and follow on social media @ediblenashtn. Sign up for their newsletter for information on their signature farm dinners.
