In You Be Sweet (Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2012), a compilation of stories and sweet treats, Patsy Caldwell and Amy Lyles Wilson peek in on those occasions special enough to demand a dessert decadent and memorable enough to be repeated time and again. You’ll find the strawberry jam bars that always make an appearance at the neighborhood picnic. The German chocolate cake roll that pulls in the big bucks at the charity bake sale? That’s here too. The blackberry jelly recipe that has graced Mason jars all over the South for decades? It’s here, and it’s just about the best hostess gift you can offer up. Be sweet? You won’t be able to help it! The following excerpt comes from chapter 11, “Holidays and Traditions.”
You can purchase this book from the GRIT store: You Be Sweet.
More from You Be Sweet:
• Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
• Cinnamon Cream Biscuits With Pecan Topping
• Caramel Pie Recipe With Meringue Topping
Pumpkin Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese Icing
Makes 16 servings
Pumpkin Cake
2 cups sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
1 cup oil
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Cream Cheese Icing
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flaked coconut
To make the pumpkin cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans.
Combine the sugar, pumpkin, oil, and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Divide the batter among the three cake pans.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely.
To make the icing:
In a large bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the pecans and coconut.
To assemble:
Place one cake on a plate, and spread a thin layer of icing on top. Place the second cake on top of the first, and spread another thin layer of icing. Place the third cake on top, and ice the top and sides of the cakes. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from You Be Sweet: Sharing Your Heart One Down-Home Dessert at a Time, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2012. Buy this book from our store: You Be Sweet.
