BY ANN CIPPERLY
OPINION —
With this year’s theme spotlighting cakes, a variety of scrumptious sheet cakes were featured June 24 in the Heritage Cooking Contest held at the Lee County Extension Office. The annual contest was sponsored by the Lee County Women’s Leadership Committee, a division of Alabama Farmers Federation. Every year a different category is selected, which highlights Alabama commodities and agricultural products.
Barbara Vining received first place for her delectable Strawberry Italian Cake embellished with chopped strawberries, pecans and coconut with a luscious strawberry cream cheese frosting. Mary Richburg won second place with Havens’ Blueberry Sheet Cake with a tangy lemon glaze enhancing the flavor, while Jackie Henderson was honored with third place for her Red Velvet Cake garnished with two creative candy designed flowers.
Other delicious cakes included Coca Cola Cake by Jamie Lazenby and Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting by Ann Whatley.
Barbara, who has been a member for three years, lives in Smith Station and has a love of cooking and music. She received the Strawberry Italian Cake recipe from a friend who suggested she try it. Barbara said she enjoys baking and once made wedding and birthday cakes. Her mother and sister were caterers.
Barbara said she also enjoys making casseroles and salads for her family. Before her husband passed away, she enjoyed hosting the Vining family reunions. One year, she ordered barbecue for the entrée and prepared all of the side dishes and desserts.
Barbara began planning for the reunion two months ahead, deciding on the menu and getting all of the ingredients. She would freeze some of the dishes and prepared potato salad and baked beans a couple of days ahead. Her husband had been a chemist with Royal Crown Company in Columbus.
For many years, Barbara hosted her entire family for Sunday dinner every week. Her three children, seven grandkids and two great-grandchildren live near her in Smith Station.
Along with cooking, Barbara said she also enjoys sewing and church music. She is the music director for the First Baptist Church in Phenix City. She has played the piano and organ since she was 14 years old and played for the youth choir. In 2016, when the music director, who had been youth director, retired, he asked Barbara to take over the choir. She has been active in church over the years.
Barbara also worked in Fort Benning in the chaplain’s office for 42 years.
“I loved my job so much,” she said. “I was mother to so many of those kids. I thought of them as my kids.” She retired in 2008 to keep grandchildren and take them to school.
As the first place winner, Barbara will compete in the state cookoff in Montgomery in September.
“For the past 48 years the Women’s Leadership Division of the Alabama Farmers Federation has spotlighted Alabama commodities and agricultural products through the annual Heritage Cooking Contest and local farmer’s markets,” said Mary Richburg, chairman of the Lee County Women’s Leadership Committee.
“Members encourage buying local fruits, vegetables and agricultural products to provide healthy, nutritious foods for our communities. We like to use locally grown ingredients in our daily family meals and in our cooking contest entries.
“We encourage buying local for the nutrition of using fresh ingredients and promoting local farmers,” Mary added. “Each member focuses on promoting a commodity produced in Lee County or Alabama, including beef, honey, catfish, cotton, dairy, equine, forestry, fruits, vegetables, hay and forage, peanut, soybean, wheat, food grain, pork, poultry, sheep, goat and wildlife.
Members also partner with local agencies, such as The Big House Foundation, Nourish Foundation, veterans’ homes and hospitals, Ronald McDonald House, local food pantries/banks, nursing homes and schools.
“We believe the community is stronger when we work together to meet needs,” Mary said.
“The Lee County Women’s Leadership Committee is composed of active Farmers Federation women members. New members are welcome.”
The winning recipes follow, and Barbara is sharing other favorite cake recipes from over the years. Mary is also sharing a Classic White Cake recipe for special occasions. Clip and save the recipes for when you need a delectable homemade cake.
Strawberry Italian Cream Cake
First Place Winner
Barbara Vining
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries, drained well
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup chopped pecans
Cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with flour. Do not overmix. Gently fold in strawberries, coconut and pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Let cool completely before icing.
Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup finely chopped strawberries, drained very well and blotted
1 cup chopped pecans
½ pint whole strawberries, washed w/stems, drained and blotted
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy.
Fold in the well-drained strawberries and pecans. If it is too loose, add a little powdered sugar for spreadable consistency. Spread over the cooled cake. Place strawberries with stems on top. Enjoy.
Havens’ Blueberry Sheet Cake
Second Place Winner
Mary Richburg
I try to use locally sourced ingredients in my cooking. Blueberry Havens is a local, family-owned source.
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups (240g) plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/4 cups (250g) plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk, 2% preferred
1/2 cup canola oil
Finely grated zest of 1-2 medium lemons, about 1 Tbsp.
Citrus Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 1-inch baking pan with a parchment. Grease the parchment and pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare the blueberries: In a zip lock bag, toss the blueberries with 1 Tbsp. flour. Set aside.
Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a small bowl mix the eggs, milk, oil and lemon zest.
Add to the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Arrange blueberries top of the batter and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of sugar.
Bake the cake until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 37 minutes. Let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour.
Glaze:
Near the end of the cooling time, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle cooled cake with Citrus Glaze. Slice and serve.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to three days.
Jackie’s Red Velvet cake
Third Place winner
Jackie Henderson
2 ½ cups sifted flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cocoa
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups Wesson Oil
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 oz. bottle red food color
Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa together. Add the buttermilk, Wesson Oil, vinegar, vanilla, eggs and food coloring in order and mix thoroughly.
Bake in three 8-inch cake layer pans or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, which have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Frosting:
1 stick margarine or butter, room temperature
8 oz. pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 box confectioners’ sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream margarine and cream cheese. Add confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until creamy. Add vanilla and pecans and spread on cooled cake.
Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ann Whatley
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup butter
4 Tbsp. (heaping) cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add the cocoa, stirring to combine. Add the boiling water and allow the mixture to boil for 30 seconds; turn off the heat. Pour the cocoa mixture over the flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.
Pour the buttermilk in a measuring cup and add beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into an 18-by- 13-inch sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Icing:
½ cup plus 6 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. (heaping) cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa and stir to combine; turn off the heat. Add the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar, stirring together. Add the pecans. Stir together and pour over the warm cake.
Coca Cola Cake
Jamie Lazenby
2 cups all-purpose flour, do not sift
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
½ cup oil
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup Coca Cola
1 tsp. soda
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ cups miniature marshmallows
In a mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. In a saucepan heat butter, oil and Coca Cola to a boil. Pour over flour and sugar mixture. Stir soda into buttermilk.
Add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and marshmallows to flour mixture; blend well. Batter will be very thin.
Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour icing over hot cake.
Icing;
16 oz. box powdered sugar
½ cup butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. Coca Cola
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
Place powdered sugar in a large bowl. In saucepan, heat butter, cocoa and Coca Cola to a boil. Pour over sugar in bowl and mix well. Stir in nuts.
Pour icing over hot cake.
Classic White Sheet Cake
Mary Richburg
This classic white sheet cake is delicious and surprisingly quick and easy to make. You won’t even need to wait for the cake to cool completely before icing it! I especially like to prepare this cake for special events because the cake gets better the longer it sits, so I try to make it a day ahead.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup water
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. almond extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients. In a small saucepan, combine butter and water; bring just to a boil. Stir into flour mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and extract until blended; add to flour mixture, whisking constantly.
Transfer to prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes.
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup 2% milk
4-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Combine butter and milk in a large saucepan; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; gradually stir in confectioners’ sugar and extract. Add a little milk if the frosting is too thick, you want a pourable frosting. Stir in walnuts or pecans. Pour and spread over warm cake.
Butterscotch Cake
Barbara Vining
1 box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix
1 small pkg. sugar free vanilla pudding
4 eggs
½ cup oil
1 cup sour cream
12 oz. butterscotch morsels
Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray.
In large mixing bowl, stir first 5 ingredients together with a spoon until most of the lumps are dissolved. Add butterscotch morsels and stir lightly. Pour into bundt pan and bake for 1 hour. Note: Do not bake in stone bundt pan.
Graham Streusel Cake
Barbara Vining
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 28 squares)
¾ cup chopped nuts
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1¼ tsp. cinnamon
¾ cup butter, melted and a slightly cooled
1 pkg. yellow super moist cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Mix crumbs, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter; reserve. Beat cake mix, water, vegetable oil and eggs in large bowl on low speed, until moistened (about 30 seconds). Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Pour about half of cake batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle half of crumb mixture on top of batter. Pour the remaining batter and then top it off with remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for 1 hour or until center is done. Cool. Drizzle cake with glaze.
Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 or 2 tsp. milk.
Combine powdered sugar and milk, adding more or less to reach right consistency. It is better for glaze to be too thick than too thin.
Chocolate Pound Cake
Barbara Vining
1 cup Crisco
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
Dash of salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ cup cocoa
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray.
Cream Crisco and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Add cocoa to creamed mixture; add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Add vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Bake cake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. (For a regular pound cake, omit cocoa.)
Coconut Cake
Barbara Vining
1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
Mix cake according to directions on box. Bake layers and let completely cool before icing.
Icing:
1 cup sugar
14 oz. coconut
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. Cool Whip
Mix ingredients together well and spread on top and sides of cake layers.
Chocolate Layer Pie
Barbara Vining
First Layer:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1/2 cups nuts
Using pastry blender, mix ingredients until well blended. Spread in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish and bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a light brown color. Cool before making next layer.
Second Layer:
8 oz. softened cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
Mix lightly and spread over first layer.
Third Layer:
2 small pkgs. instant chocolate pudding mix
3 cups milk
Mix pudding and milk two minutes in mixer on low speed. Spread over second layer. Spread whipped topping over top. If desired, sprinkle with additional nuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
