When we talk of missing loved ones who’ve gone to heaven, inevitably we remember them connected to a recipe. Desserts were usually the sweet connection to our family’s angels. If Grandma Walker’s applesauce cake with creamy caramel icing, MawMaw Bernice’s chocolate pie or coconut pie, and Aunt Carrie’s banana pudding come up in our conversations, sooner or later, we’ve all got out our tissues and we are crying and cooking at the same time.

Desserts in the South are a very emotional thing.