in order to get a sweet treat at the end of the meal. Now that you’re grown, you know enough to save room for—what some would contend—is the best part of the meal: dessert. Southerners do it right, with plenty of butter, sugar, and chocolate in their pie plates and cake pans. They also add an abundance of classic ingredients from the region, such as molasses, bourbon, pecans, key limes, and peaches.
Good Southern desserts often taste just like Grandma made them. And they also have a standalone quality to them. Some desserts are the perfect finale to a specific meal. But you can eat our Apple Crumb Pie all day long. Particularly if there’s ice cream scooped alongside.
We’ve got all the staples, like Key Lime Pie and Peach Cobbler, in the coming pages. The cobbler dates back to when the first English settlers arrived on American soil. Due to insufficient ingredients and cooking equipment, they couldn’t make their traditional pudding-style desserts, so instead they stewed a filling—typically a fruit—and topped it with a layer of scones or biscuits, pieced together. When the sweet treat cooked, the top had the appearance of a cobbled street.
There’s a fantastic Pecan Pie recipe, which—if legend is to be believed—was invented by the French right after they founded New Orleans. They’d never seen the pecan before, and after the Native Americans introduced them to it, French culinary masters mixed the pecans with copious amounts of sugar and whipped up this down-home comfort food.
Also included are a few newcomer recipes that’ll give the old standbys a run for their money. Like the Southern Comfort Cream Cheese Brownies and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Torte—because liquor makes everything just a little better. We promise they’re so good that thirds are often a requisite.
Desserts, particularly in the South, are another area where personal taste and family recipes often come into play. Sure, the basics for a Red Velvet Cake are always the same, but perhaps you always added a bit of beet juice for coloring (an extremely common coloring ingredient during the forties and fifties that has stuck around in recipes since then). Our recipes are guides for how we do it in our kitchen, but you can absolutely spruce up your favorite pies and cakes however you’re used to making them at home. And decorative flourishes go a long way. There’s no right or wrong way to do dessert, so long as the outcome is plate-licking tasty.
This is a cake you see coming out of nearly every kitchen down South, whether it’s a restaurant or Grandma’s house. The cream cheese frosting is so yummy that you may have trouble getting any of it onto the cake from the bowl.
FOR THE CAKE:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cocoa powder
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons red food coloring
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
SERVES 12
1 Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2 Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
3 In a separate bowl, beat the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
4 Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir just until combined and smooth.
5 Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans, place in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
6 Place on wire racks and let cool completely in the pans while preparing the frosting.
7 Make the cream cheese frosting: Place the cream cheese, butter, and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment and beat at a medium speed until well combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl to break up any remaining lumps.
8 Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and mix well.
9 Remove the cake layers from the pans and place 1 cake layer on a flat plate. Spoon a scant one-third of the frosting over the layer and spread it out to the sides. Place the second layer on top and spread with frosting, then repeat with the third layer, covering the sides of the cake as well.
Alcohol does astoundingly well in dessert dishes, and the Southern Comfort liqueur you’ll be dropping in here is no different. It gives the brownies a unique taste and a bit of a kick.
FOR THE BROWNIE BATTER:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon Southern Comfort
½ cup all-purpose flour
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE BATTER:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Southern Comfort
SERVES 9
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Spray a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line it with foil so that the foil hangs over two ends. This makes it easier to remove the brownies from the pan when they are done.
3 Make the brownie batter: Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the sugar.
4 Beat in the eggs one at a time until just incorporated.
5 Add the Southern Comfort and flour, but don’t overmix. Pour into the prepared pan.
6 Make the cream cheese batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until soft and smooth.
7 Add the eggs one at a time until just incorporated, then add the flour and Southern Comfort.
8 Spread on top of the brownie mixture in an even layer and, using a butter knife, swirl the batter until it starts to look marbled.
9 Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
10 Place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting.
We like to use some sweet apples and some tart apples for this pie. Our apples of choice are Granny Smith and Empire, McIntosh, or Gala. One trick here is that each component can be prepared a day in advance and then assembled and baked the day you plan to serve it.
FOR THE PIE FILLING:
7 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 recipe Pie Dough (this page)
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
SERVES 8
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Make the pie filling: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pie filling and put them in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, stir it well and let it cool. (This step may be done the day before.) Keep the oven on if you are proceeding with the recipe.
3 Roll the pie dough out and fit it into a 10-inch pie plate, crimping the edges however you like. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4 Line the pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with baking weights, dry beans, or rice. Bake the shell for about 15 minutes, until it sets up. Remove the paper or foil and weights.
5 Make the crumb topping: Combine the ingredients for the crumb topping in the bowl of a food processor or a mixer and combine until crumbs start to form. Take care not to overmix, or you will have a mass of dough.
6 Place the cooled filling in the pie shell and cover with the crumb topping. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is set and the filling starts bubbling around the edges. Let the pie sit at room temperature until cool.
A creamy slice of this pie is a solid dessert for any occasion. The sweetened condensed milk helps give it that silky smooth texture that keeps forks coming back for more.
FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER PIE CRUST:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or 1 packet of graham crackers ground to a fine crumb in a food processor)
¼ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup key lime juice
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
SERVES 6
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter (it will look like wet sand) and press into a 9-inch pie plate.
3 Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until if you slightly shake the pan, the center appears firm, not loose.
4 Make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk.
5 Whisk in the key lime juice and cream of tartar.
6 Pour into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes, or until set.
7 Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.
If you don’t want to bother with the ganache, you don’t have to—a simple dusting of cocoa powder will do. Though with that extra bit of bourbon … need we say more?
FOR THE CAKE:
1 cup pecan halves
1½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chips, chunks, or chopped)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
7 large eggs
1 tablespoon good-quality bourbon
FOR THE BOURBON GANACHE:
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chips, chunks, or chopped)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good-quality bourbon (you’ll taste the liquor more because it doesn’t cook off)
SERVES 12 to 16
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.
2 Make the cake: In a food processor, process the pecans with ¼ cup of the sugar and the salt until the mixture is very fine.
3 Melt the chocolate with the butter in the top part of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.
4 Remove the bowl from the heat and sift the cocoa power over the melted chocolate; mix well. Add the nut mixture and stir to combine.
5 On the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1¼ cups sugar. Place the mixture in a double boiler over simmering water. Continue whisking until the sugar dissolves. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat on high speed until the eggs triple in volume. Add the bourbon.
6 Gently fold the eggs into the chocolate mixture in three additions.
7 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or when you can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
8 Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.
9 Make the bourbon ganache: While the cake is cooling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream to scalding and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
10 Add the butter and whisk to combine. Add the bourbon. Let the ganache sit for another 5 to 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
11 Carefully remove the sides of the pan from the cooled cake. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, spreading it all over and along the sides.
Bubbling, hot, fragrant peaches get cobbled here. Be sure to hit it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream when plating.
6 cups thick peach slices or chunks
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup plus 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of peaches
2 tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling (optional)
SERVES 6 to 8
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish.
2 In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the lemon zest, 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar, the cornstarch, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Pour into the baking dish.
3 In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the remaining ½ cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
4 In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5 In a third bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
6 Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add the milk mixture; it will not be a smooth batter.
7 Spread the batter on top of the peaches. If you like, you can sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top.
8 Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and it’s bubbling at the sides of the pan. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes but no longer—it is best served warm.
Everyone loves s’mores, and this recipe brings enough of the campfire indoors to satisfy kids of all ages.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (or 3 packets of graham crackers ground to a fine crumb in a food processor)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
SERVES 9
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan.
2 In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with 2 cups of the graham cracker crumbs. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan.
3 Spread the chocolate chips on top of the crumb crust, followed by the marshmallows.
4 Pour the condensed milk evenly over the chips and marshmallows.
5 Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs on top and place into the oven.
6 Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the marshmallows start to puff and the condensed milk turns golden in spots.
7 Place on a wire rack and cool completely, then cut into squares.
This a great use for leftover or stale bread. We like to use a chewy Italian-type loaf for this dessert.
8 cups cubed crustless bread
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 bananas, cut into 1-inch slices
SERVES 8
1 Preheat the oven to 325°F and butter a 2½- to 3-quart baking dish.
2 Place the cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until toasted.
3 In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, 1 cup of the brown sugar, the vanilla, and nutmeg. When the bread comes out of the oven, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then add it to the bowl, stir to coat, and let it soak for 15 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, heat the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar with the lemon juice in a large sauté pan; when the sugar starts to melt, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of heavy cream to make it like a caramel sauce. Add the banana to the caramel and mix well. Remove from the heat.
5 Put about half of the soaked bread into the baking dish and top with the banana mixture. Pour the remaining bread and any remaining liquid evenly on top of the bananas.
6 Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until set. Spoon it into a bowl or plate and serve warm.
Reese’s got it right when they decided to mix chocolate and peanut butter together, as we did with this cake. All it needs is a tall glass of ice-cold milk.
FOR THE CAKE:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup cold water
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM:
1½ cups smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
SERVES 12
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (10-by-2-inch) cake pans, line them with parchment, and dust with flour.
2 Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa powder until it is smooth and lump free. Whisk in the cold water.
3 Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
4 In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla.
6 Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with the cocoa powder mixture. Mix until smooth.
7 Divide the batter between the 2 pans, place in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Place pans on wire racks to cool completely.
8 Make the peanut butter buttercream: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, and cream cheese until smooth and lump free. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.
9 To assemble, place a layer bottom-side up on a flat cake plate. Remove the parchment paper. Spread about one-third of the frosting on top. Place the second layer on top, bottom-side up, remove the parchment paper, and spread the remaining frosting evenly on the top and the sides of the cake.
Sweet, sticky, and nutty, pecan pie is the all-time iconic Southern dessert. Substitute bourbon for the vanilla if there are no kids around. Or just tell them this pie is for the adults only.
1 recipe Pie Dough (this page)
½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup corn syrup
¾ cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecan halves
SERVES 6 to 8
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2 Roll out the pie dough and lay it in a 10-inch pie plate. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the extra dough under so it covers the rim of the plate, forming a decorative edge. Refrigerate or freeze the dough for 30 minutes.
3 Line the pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with baking weights, dry beans, or rice. Bake the shell for about 15 minutes, until it sets up. Remove the paper or foil and weights.
4 While the pie shell is baking, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl, and mix until well incorporated. Add the pecans.
5 Pour the filling into the pie shell, place in the oven, and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the edges are slightly puffed. If the edges start to brown, wrap aluminum foil around the edges of the crust to prevent burning.
6 Cool completely before cutting.
This sweet Southern pie is perfect with a spoonful of fresh berries served alongside.
1 recipe Pie Dough (below)
FOR THE FILLING:
1½ cups sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
SERVES 8
1 Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2 Roll out the pie dough and lay it in a 10-inch pie plate. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the extra dough under so it covers the rim of the plate, forming a decorative edge. Refrigerate or freeze the dough for 30 minutes.
3 In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the filling except the buttermilk.
4 Add the buttermilk and pour into the unbaked pie shell.
5 Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, until a small, thin knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe makes enough dough for one 10-inch pie crust.
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 large egg yolk
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
1 Combine the flour, sugar salt, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium speed until it resembles coarse crumbs.
2 In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with 3 tablespoons of the water and add to the flour mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary to form a crumbly dough.
3 Turn the dough out and mix in any flour remaining at the bottom of the bowl with a few quick kneading motions to bring it together into a ball—don’t overwork the dough or it will not be tender.
4 Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
We serve these with butterscotch swirl ice cream, but you may use your favorite ice cream flavor—just have plenty of it. Topped with homemade hot fudge sauce, it’s an understatement to say that this is a crowd pleaser.
FOR THE BROWNIES:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE HOT FUDGE SAUCE:
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
6 ounces evaporated milk
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ice cream for topping
Whipped cream for topping (optional)
Maraschino cherries for topping (optional)
SERVES 9
1 Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-by-9-inch square pan.
2 Make the brownies: Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
3 In the top portion of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate, stirring until smooth.
4 Remove from the heat and mix in the sugars.
5 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition.
6 Add 2 tablespoons of water and the vanilla.
7 Add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Scrape into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out with a little crumb.
8 Make the hot fudge sauce: While the brownies are baking, combine the cocoa powder with the sugars in a heavy-bottomed 1- or 2-quart pot. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth and lump free. Keep warm.
9 Let the brownies cool off before cutting. Cut into 9 squares (or portion how you like). Place a scoop of your favorite ice cream on top of the brownie and then drizzle some warm sauce on top. Finish it off with a little whipped cream and a maraschino cherry (or just dig in after the sauce is on!).
