Coconut Pound Cake and Christy’s Corn Casserole
On two of my cooking chat lines, I asked everyone what their favorite Easter menu will be this year. Of course, I am on Southern chats. The most popular menu was the following: Baked Ham, Potato Salad, Deviled Eggs, Sweet Potato Fluff, Baked Beans, Coconut Cake, Sweet Southern Tea! Sounds good to me!
Coconut Pound Cake
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups sugar
eggs
1 cup Crisco oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
2 cups flaked coconut
Glaze: 1/2 cup sugar; 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water; 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
Mix all of the ingredients except the coconut in your mixer. Blend well and then fold in your coconut. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Always check with a toothpick because ovens are different. While your cake is baking, mix your ingredients for your glaze. Boil your glaze for 2 minutes and pour over your hot cake. Let your cake cool completely before you remove from your pan.
Andy’s Note: Since your cake has to stay in the pan until cool, it is more difficult to remove. I made a note that I would use wax paper or parchment paper on the bottom. Mine came out good but I had to work with it. When I was at Ruth Bedwell’s birthday party a few weeks ago, Carolyn Barron told me she had a coconut pound cake recipe that I just had to try. She said it tasted like a coconut macaroon cookie. Coconut lovers MUST try this cake! Decorate with toasted coconut and beautiful red strawberries.
Christy’s Corn Casserole
1 stick butter
1 chopped onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 tablespoon flour
Saute’ these until clear. Then add:
1 small jar of pimentos
2 cans corn, drained (I like to use shoe peg)
2 cups white rice, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
Cover with grated cheddar cheese. You can add salt to taste, when mixing all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. This will be a great dish to carry to a pot luck Thanks Christy for sharing!
Andy’s Note: Christy Yocum, who teaches at Gaston School, makes this wonderful casserole. It has been in her family for years (these are the best that are made over and over). It is different from most and so good and so easy. I found out years ago that a dish does not have to be difficult to be good.
I discovered that I can talk to anyone about foods and recipes. When we were in line at Universal Studios in Orlando, I talked to a very nice man from Chicago. He confessed to me that he loved Southern food. I enjoyed him so much that I hated for the line to end. I can not believe that so many men are cooking. This just thrills my soul!
Happy cooking and Happy Easter,
Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Little Faces Doll Shop, Alabama Gift Company, and the Messenger office on Broad Street.