Gran Jan’s Caramel Cake

November 26, 2022 4:37 PM 0

Oh the JOY of an old-fashioned Caramel Cake! I’ve made a lot of caramel cakes since my original post back in 2008. I basically wanted to bring this recipe “forward” on the blog, so here it is! This is a recipe I found in a “Georgia Farmer’s Market Bulletin” paper over 40 years ago. This icing takes the cake!

CAKE  [Makes 3 layers]
· 2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
· 3 cups of sugar 
· 6 eggs (room temperature)
· 3 cups White Lily all-purpose flour, sifted
· 1/8 tsp salt 
· 1/4 tsp baking soda 
· 1 c sour cream 
· 1 T. vanilla flavoring
1. Preheat oven to 350° & prepare 3 nine-inch round cake pans (I use Baker’s Joy spray).
2. Cream butter & sugar until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, then blend after each egg is added. 
4. Whisk salt into flour and stir baking soda into sour cream.
5. Alternately add flour and sour cream to the batter. Mix after each addition, don’t overmix!
6. Stir in the vanilla flavoring.
7. Pour an even amount of the batter into prepared pans and bake 25-28 minutes. The batter is thick. Don’t overbake!
Now let the cake layers cool in pans for a few minutes; then turn out onto cake racks to cool completely. Do not attempt to ice until they are completely cool. Completely cool. Completely all the way cool!

CARAMEL ICING
2 sticks of butter (I use salted butter)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (may use one light brown and one dark brown)
3/4 cup of evaporated milk (I used canned Carnation evaporated milk)
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
4 cups powdered sugar

1. In large heavy saucepan, melt the 2 sticks of butter over medium heat.
2. Add the 2 cups of dark brown sugar to the melted butter and bring to a boil, stirring well. Reduce the heat and simmer the butter and brown sugar together for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
3. Add 3/4 cup of evaporated milk to your butter/sugar mixture and return mixture back to a boil, stirring until blended, then remove from heat.
4. After removing pan from heat, stir in the vanilla flavoring.
5. Pour hot icing into a large mixing bowl and add the 4 cups of powdered sugar.
6. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in the powdered sugar until the icing is smooth and fluffy. Keep mixing until all the powdered sugar is incorporated!

Timing is everything! The caramel icing will get stiffer as it cools, so ice your cake when the icing texture is just right, nice and creamy. If the icing gets too thick, splash in a bit more cream and stir again. If your icing is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. You’ll get the feel for the perfect texture and get the timing down with practice. I speak from experience!

Helpful Notes:
Put a dab of icing on the cake platter of your choice and put the first layer there to help secure it while you add the frosting. This icing recipe is generous! I use 1/2 cup of icing between the layers with plenty of icing available for the sides and top!
This is a good tip: I take a tall glass of warm water and dip my icing spatula in to smooth the icing around the sides of the cake. You can do this several times. Then I take a wet paper towel and clean up any drips of icing that may have fallen on the cake platter. Presentation is important, but once someone eats a piece of this cake, presentation won’t matter as much. Seriously.

I hope your family and friends enjoy this delicious, timeless, Southern caramel cake recipe!

Gran Jan

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November 26, 2022 4:37 PM 0

Homemade Hummus

April 28, 2021 7:32 PM 0

*Two 15 oz. cans of chickpeas (drain & save the liquid, called aquafaba)
*2/3 cup of drained chickpea liquid
*1/2 cup of tahini (ground sesame seed paste – I usually find it in the organic section)
*1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
*2 lemons, juiced
*1/2 tsp. of minced garlic (may use fresh)
*1 tsp. ground cumin
*1/2 tsp. salt
ADD-INS: roasted red peppers, pickled jalapeños, pine nuts, your choice!

  1. Add drained chickpeas and 2/3 cup of chickpea liquid to food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds.
  2. Now add tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt.
  3. Pulse for 30 seconds – should be very creamy.
  4. May add more chickpea liquid to thin to desired consistency – but remember the hummus will “thicken” when chilled.
  5. Pulse in your favorite “add-in” at this point. We like roasted red pepper the best!
  6. Serve with veggies, pita chips, or your favorite snack cracker. (I love Fritos Scoops…)

I made this hummus back a couple of months ago to take to a family weekend with our sons, daughters-in-love, and grandchildren. Everyone loved it! I hope you do too!

Gran Jan

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April 28, 2021 7:32 PM 0

“Comfort & Joy” Chicken & Dumplings

February 4, 2021 1:13 PM 0
Gran Jan sporting her White Lily apron!

Chicken & Dumplings = A warm, comfort food, and one I love to make on a cold winter’s day. Good rich broth, delicious chicken, and delightful dumplings! The recipe is here, with pictures below if you’d like to check them out! I hope you make some soon. (Be sure to refer to the recipe often, the pictures are just to help, but don’t cover every step.)

Stock Ingredients: Water, chicken, onion, celery, seasoning
(Better than Bouillon), butter, and salt and pepper.
Refer to recipe for exact amounts.

Dumplings:
3 Cups White-Lily self-rising flour
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 Cup of Crisco shortening
2/3 Cup of buttermilk

Once you get your dumplings made, divide the dough into two portions. It just makes it easier to roll out and handle. Dumplings are tougher than biscuits. Don’t be afraid to work the dough! It needs to hold up in the boiling broth.

Roll into two thin sheets and let the dough dry while your chicken is cooking.

Cut the dumplings into strips. I have a dough cutter tool I bought from Williams Sonoma. You can use a knife or a pizza cutter just as easily. I like to make the dumplings about 1″ x 3″ wide/long, but you do you.

This is a happy sight! It’s good for some of the flour to stick to the dumplings. This helps your broth thicken a bit. (That’s my fancy dough cutter.)

These two ingredients are keepers! You will stir the cream of chicken soup into the strained hot broth after you’ve removed the cooked chicken, but before you add the dumplings in.

The half & half is added at the very end. It makes a wonderful rich broth even better!

We like a mixture of both white and dark meat chicken. Just be sure to use “skin-on, bone-in” chicken for your broth. Remove it to a plate to cool and cut in bite-size pieces (discarding skin and bones).

After you’ve strained the broth and stirred in the cream of chicken soup, allowing it to mix well, it’s time to drop the dumplings into the hot boiling broth. I drop them in one or two at a time, stir very gently with a wooden spoon, and then let them cook about 20 minutes.

You’re almost there now!

Turn the heat off when the dumplings are done. When down to a simmer, add in the cup of half & half, then add the cut-up chicken.

Let everything rest for a half hour or more to a pot of COMFORT & JOY!

Gran Jan

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February 4, 2021 1:13 PM 0

Pumpkin Muffins – All Sizes!

November 3, 2020 3:52 PM 0

I love to make pumpkin bread. This recipe is my absolute favorite. Lately I’ve used my same recipe to make muffins instead of loaves. This recipe makes either:
12 JUMBO size muffins, OR
24 REGULAR size muffins, OR
96 MINI size muffins!
The recipe and baking time adjustments are below:

DRY INGREDIENTS:
3 cups White Lily all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp. baking soda (make sure it’s fresh!)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

WET INGREDIENTS:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 15 oz can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
2/3 cup water

LET’S MAKE MUFFINS!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray the muffin tins with Baker’s Joy or use paper liners. My favorite liners are the brown paper parchment fancy bakery style holders. (See the picture above.) I found these on Amazon and also saw some at Home Goods recently.

1. In a large bowl, whisk all DRY ingredients together, breaking up clumps of brown sugar.
2.  Add the WET ingredients and mix well with a spatula.
3.  Divide into muffin tins – approximations as follows:
Makes 12 JUMBO muffins – use 1/2 cup of batter per muffin
Makes 24 Regular size muffins – use 1/4 cup of batter per muffin
Makes 96 Mini Muffins – 1 big Tablespoon of batter per muffin
Bake Jumbo Muffins 35-38 mins; Regular muffins 30-35 mins; mini muffins just 12-15 mins. All ovens are different, so be sure to test for doneness. Don’t overbake. They will continue to bake a bit when you remove them from the oven.
4. If not using paper liners, cool 5-10 minutes in the pans then invert and cool completely.

This recipe also makes 2 standard size loaf pans of pumpkin bread. I have the recipe with a fabulous swirl of cream cheese on top on my blog also. You can find it by searching “Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread.”

Happy Fall Y’all!
Gran Jan

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November 3, 2020 3:52 PM 0

Sausage Gravy!

August 8, 2020 1:18 PM 0

Good old Southern Sausage Gravy is a favorite breakfast of my husband. It really is also a good supper meal on a cold winter night. It is most assuredly a meal that you eat in moderation!

It is actually very simple to make – here is my tried and true recipe.

Note – this recipe doubles well!

INGREDIENTS – (Serves 4-6)
1 lb. Jimmy Dean pork sausage (mild, hot, sage-flavored or a mixture)
[We like to mix the hot and sage flavors together.]
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of White Lily all purpose flour
4 cups of whole milk
1/3 stick of salted butter

  1. Crumble the sausage and brown over medium heat until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper at this time. You will be amazed at how lean this Jimmy Dean sausage is – no grease to drain!
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and then sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of flour and mix well so that the sausage soaks up the flour. Keep stirring the sausage and flour together for another couple of minutes until the “raw flour” has cooked through.
  3. Now slowly pour in the 4 cups of the milk, stirring constantly.
  4. Continue to cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 5-7 minutes.)
  5. Now go ahead and add the butter and stir well. You are done!
  6. Spoon the sausage gravy over warm buttermilk biscuits and serve immediately. It is sooooooooooooooo good!

Happy Sausage Gravy Making!
Gran Jan

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August 8, 2020 1:18 PM 0

Fig Preserves!

August 3, 2020 5:13 PM 0

I made this batch of fig preserves last week with figs from my very own tree! My husband gave me the tree for Mother’s Day, 2016. They are “Brown Turkey” variety figs. Delicious! It was the first time I had used home-grown figs!

Needed: Fresh figs, sugar, canning equipment, time, and lots of patience. Your figs will need to soak overnight in a stockpot that is layered with figs and sugar. Details below in the post!

This recipe works regardless of the amount of figs you are blessed to have. No measuring!

My dad had 8 sisters (7 older and 1 younger ). One of them, my Aunt Jimmie Lou, is the one who taught me how to make these old-fashioned fig preserves. Now normally I am a cook who measures; however, not when making fig preserves. But I promise it’s easy, and you will be able to make them too. There are only two ingredients – figs and sugar!

  • First rinse the figs in cool water, and remove all the stems, inspecting and discarding any that are mushy. Next, I soak the figs in my kitchen sink in cool water for about 30 minutes or so. I then drain them by giving them a final cool rinse in a colander.  
  • Next, I get a large bowl, then I cut half of the figs in half and leave half of them whole and place them in the bowl. “Cut half in half and leave half whole.” How’s that for measuring? 🙂 This has proven to be the best texture we enjoy for the preserves. We like for some of them to remain whole.
  • Now take a large stock pot and alternate a layer of sugar and a layer of figs. (Begin with a layer of sugar in the bottom of the pan, and end with a layer of sugar on top.)
  • No matter what size stock pot or heavy pan you use to layer the figs and sugar, just generously cover the figs with a nice layer of sugar. Let me say here that I do not go overboard with the sugar because I like to taste the figs.
  • Now put a lid on the stockpot and place it in the refrigerator overnight. The sugar will begin to dissolve and form the syrup you need to “cook down” for the preserves.
  • The next morning, let the figs/sugar come to room temperature before you begin cooking them.
  • Once the pot is not chilled from being in the fridge, bring the figs and dissolved sugar to a gentle boil, and and let them simmer on a medium heat for a good half hour. Then turn the temperature way down and let the mixture simmer LOW AND SLOW until the figs darken and the syrup thickens. I usually simmer them from 90 minutes to a couple of hours. Stir often so they don’t stick. This is a project you can’t just leave! One good test is to take a spoonful of the syrup and put it on a plate – tip the plate and if it is thick and doesn’t “run,” it’s the right consistency. A nice slow simmer for a couple of hours is good.  If you have a very large amount of figs, you may need to cook them longer – just do the “thickness” test and that is a good indicator.
  • CANNING:  Bring your clean jars to a simmering boil in a large pot. Also put the bands and lids in a separate pot. Keep those HOT also by leaving them in a pot of simmering water also.
  • Carefully ladle the HOT fig preserves into the HOT jars, leaving about ¼” of headspace.
  • Put the lids and bands on – don’t screw the tops on too tightly – just finger tight so they can expand.
  • Carefully lower the jars of hot figs back into a large stock pot of hot water, covering the jars by at least an inch of water. Process them, or “water bath” the jarred preserves for a good 10 minute rolling boil.
  • After 10 minutes, carefully remove the hot jars with tongs and let them cool and seal on the kitchen countertop. I love to hear those popping sounds as the jars seal. One of life’s simple joys.

Get ready to make some homemade buttermilk biscuits. Generously butter them to enjoy with these delicious fig preserves. A Southern delicacy for sure. My biscuit recipe is also here on the blog!

Happy Preserve-Making & Canning ~ Gran Jan

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August 3, 2020 5:13 PM 0

Banana Bread – Best Ever!

June 9, 2020 10:35 AM 1

Good Morning! Are you tired of throwing away over-ripe bananas? I’m here to help with the Best Banana Bread recipe!

I’ve made this often during our quarantine. It is seriously so good. As always, I find a recipe, make it as directed…then adjust it to what I know we will enjoy! This one is now a keeper.

(And baking it in my grandmother’s vintage “glasbake tube pan” from the 1940s makes it even sweeter.)

  • 1 stick of softened butter (I use salted)
  • 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups White Lily all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3-4 very ripe bananas (only 3 if large)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans OR walnuts (I toast them in the oven)
  • 1/3 cup craisins OR golden raisins
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan (9″ is good) with Baker’s Joy (my fave).
  2. Blend softened butter and brown sugar. I actually don’t use a mixer – I do this all by hand with a wire whisk.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla and blend again.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to above mixture.
  5. Now peel the bananas and rough chop them – leave them sort of chunky, then gently add to the mixture.
  6. Lastly, blend in the pecans and craisins.
  7. Pour into your baking dish or loaf pan and bake until golden brown – 55-60 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is especially good with some of that wonderful whipped cream cheese spread, or warm it up in the microwave and add some butter. A cup of coffee makes it taste even better too! ENJOY and don’t throw away your bananas any more. I’m not sure if doing it by hand makes it taste differently, but it is dense and very good – not dry at all. Maybe not using a mixer makes the difference. I’m not sure – but at any rate – it’s a fine banana bread.

Gran Jan

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June 9, 2020 10:35 AM 1
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