Southern Living Southern Living Cakes & Pies 2023

TEST KITCHEN TIP Conquer Your Fear of PHYLLO DOUGH Delicate, tissue-thin phyllo is a great way to add crunch to sweet recipes, but it can tear and dry out easily. Next time, remember these three handy tips for working confidently with this notoriously finicky ingredient Pecan Crunch Tart ACTIVE 25 MIN. - TOTAL 1 HOUR SERVES 8 10 (14- x 9-inch) frozen phyllo pastry sheets (from 1 [1-lb.] pkg.), thawed (such as Athens)½ cup unsalted butter, divided½ cup light corn syrup⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar¼ cup heavy cream1 tsp. vanilla extract⅛ tsp. baking soda¼ tsp. salt2 cups chopped toasted pecans Whipped cream 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place phyllo on a work surface; cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent from drying out. Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with…

How To Frost a Rose Cake 1. Frost the layers, sides, and top of the cake as directed, using about 3¾ cups of frosting. Place remaining frosting (about 3¾ cups) into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 127D petal tip (or into a large ziplock bag with 1 corner snipped off). Hold the bag so the tip is straight up and down with the pointed end facing up. Starting at the center of the top of the cake, pipe a small cone-like shape. 2. Pipe small arching lines around the center cone. Lengthen the arching lines as you work your way toward the top edge of the cake. 3. To frost the rest of the cake, make 2-inch arches with the pointed end of the tip facing up, working your way around…

My Big Mama’s favorite dessert was egg pie. I didn’t remember this until after my grandmother died, when I rewatched a video that I’d made with her about two years earlier. During our informal interview, I asked her several questions about her childhood, the immense challenges of growing up and raising a family in the Jim Crow South, and (of course) how she learned to bake. We sat comfortably in her natural element, the kitchen, and chatted while I documented her history and she baked biscuits from instinct. Hunched over the stove smiling, she brushed them with butter as the scent of bread swallowed the room whole. To know Big Mama was to adore her. Every time I hugged her, I simultaneously breathed in a whiff of her perfume and a…

Rose Petal Cupcakes ACTIVE 35 MIN. - TOTAL 1 HOUR, 15 MIN. SERVES 24 1 (16¼-oz.) pkg. white cake mix (such as Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites White Cake Mix)Rose-Vanilla Buttercream (recipe, opposite page)24 edible rose petals 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Divide batter among 24 muffin cups lined with paper baking cups. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 14 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to racks, and cool completely, about 30 minutes. 2. Prepare Rose-Vanilla Buttercream. 3. Spoon Rose-Vanilla Buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip; pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Gently press an edible rose petal into the side of each cupcake. “Naked” Lemon Cake with a Flower Crown ACTIVE 40…

APPLE STACK CAKE BY RONNI LUNDY My great-aunt Rae was an operator for Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company in Corbin, Kentucky. When I was a little girl and stayed there in the summer or over Christmas, it was my great delight to make a call on the “magic phone.” Not only did the heavy black object have no dial, as ours did in Louisville, but when you picked it up, instead of a strident dial tone, a kindly voice would ask, “Number, please?” to which you were to respond with the three digits that verily defined whatever household you were trying to reach. More often than not, it was my great-aunt’s pleasant voice that would greet me, and when she’d hear mine, she’d respond, “Well—hello, little girl. What are you doing today?”…

YOU’LL FIND A HOMEMADE layer cake in my house maybe two or three times a year, a special treat for a birthday or another celebration. But from-scratch snack cakes have a semi-permanent spot on the kitchen counter. That’s because they’re easier to make, a quick pick-me-up you can whisk together (literally) on a whim. These casual desserts have a slightly heartier texture than the delicate crumb of a layer or pound cake, but they still satisfy the same craving for moist, tender forkfuls complete with delightful frostings. You’ll need only one bowl to make these five recipes. Stir together the batter, and while it’s baking or cooling, quickly wash the bowl to use it to mix up the frosting. You can serve the cake right out of the pan to keep…