the Love Welcome Serve Easter menu + coconut tres leches cake

It's Easter week! The week we celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God! What a game changer for all mankind! If it weren't for my faith in what happened on the cross and and three days later, I wouldn't have hope. I sure am grateful for Jesus and for salvation! He has made all the difference in my life! So THAT'S worth celebrating, right?!

Our Easter tradition is simple. On Good Friday, Sam, my kids, and I go to our quiet sanctuary and take communion together. Then on Sunday, we worship and lunch together. 

The Easter menu this year is primarily out of the pages of the Love Welcome Serve cookbook plus this recipe for coconut tres leches cakes that I'm sharing with you here! It's a lighter, more Springtime menu that we just love! 

So before we get to the cake of my dreams, let me tell you what the rest of the menu will be! The main dish will be G-Dad's Pork Tenderloin with Parmesan Garlic Cream (pg. 67). Then I'll be serving a whole slew of sides including Potluck Broccoli Salad (pg. 36), Mama's Cranberry Salad (pg. 41), Cheesy Garlic Potato Gratin (pg. 146), Blistered Green Beans (not published), Euna Mae's Macaroni and Cheese (pg. 140), and Sunday Sweet Tea (pg. 157). 

And then there's cake. Not just any cake, but this tender, sweet, creamy, cool, Spring-y cake. Every single bite of this coconut tres leches cake is Heavenly. It's so subtly coconutty that even those not fond of coconut have told me this cake makes them a believer! You'll never believe how the cake absorbs the sweet milks, but it does! It's cake perfection, y'all. And it starts with a boxed mix. Hallelujah! What a menu! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

So Happy Easter to you and yours. May you be blessed around your table with your people! And may the eatin' be good! 

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COCONUT TRES LECHES CAKE

1 Duncan Hines white cake mix

1 small box instant white chocolate pudding mix (not sugar free)

3 Tablespoons flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 egg whites

1/2 of a 14.5oz can coconut milk (7oz)

1/2 of a 14oz can sweetened condensed milk (7oz)
1/2 of a 12oz can evaporated milk (6oz)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, lighted toasted in a nonstick skillet

Preheat oven to 350F. Separate eggs, keep whites in a small bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand  mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients except the egg whites. Mix for 1 minute on low. Add egg whites. Increase speed to medium high and mix for 2 minutes until well combined. Spread batter into a prepared 9x13 cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Whisk together the three milks and coconut extract. Poke holes all over the cake using a toothpick or fork with long tines. Carefully and slowly pour the milks over the cake. It will fill the pan and drown the cake! Allow the cake to absorb the milks at room temperature for about an hour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until thickened. (You may add 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract if desired.) Spread the whipped cream over the cake and sprinkle with lightly toasted coconut. Keep refrigerated.

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Order a signed copy of Love Welcome Serve from Amy at www.ShopEunaMaes.com
Need a copy fast? Order an unsigned copy HERE and get it in time to cook for Easter!

coconut tres leches cake

This cake is the cake of my dreams. It's so tender and sweet. It's creamy, cool, and just a teeny bit coconutty. The homemade sweetened cream topped with toasted coconut does me in. Every single bite of this cake is Heaven. Even those not fond of coconut have told me this cake makes them a believer! I've made this cake for people, and they call to tell me they can't believe how good. I've gotten texts late at night from people who are just thinking about this cake. 

I'd give anything to have a piece in front of me right now.

You'll never believe the way this cake absorbs the three sweet milks, but it does. It does! It's cake perfection, y'all. And it starts with a boxed mix. Hallelujah Amen! Click HERE to watch the Cooking Today episode with step-by-step instructions on making this cake. 

COCONUT TRES LECHES CAKE

1 Duncan Hines white cake mix

1 small box instant white chocolate pudding mix

3 Tbl flour

1 cup water

½ cup oil

½ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

4 egg whites

½ 14.5 oz can coconut milk

½ can sweetened condensed milk

½ can evaporated milk

½ tsp coconut extract

1 ½ cup heavy cream

½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.

Separate eggs, keep whites in a small bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients except the egg whites. Mix for 1 minute on low. Add egg whites. Increase speed to medium high and mix for 2 minutes until well combined. Spread batter into a prepared 9x13 cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes or so until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While cake bakes, whisk together three milks and coconut extract; set aside.

When cake is done, remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

Poke holes all around the cake using a toothpick or fork.

Carefully pour the milks over the cake - it will fill the pan and drown the cake! But no worries, the cake will absorb all of that sweet, creamy milk.

Allow cake to absorb milks and cool off at room temperature for about 45 minutes or so. Cover well with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, whip heavy cream and powdered sugar on high with mixer until medium peaks form. May add in ½ tsp coconut extract if desired.

Over medium low heat, toast shredded coconut in a nonstick skillet stirring very often to be sure it doesn’t burn.

Spread fresh whipped cream over cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Guest post on Arkansas Women Bloggers Today!

Happy April! It's sunny and things are blooming around here, and I frankly couldn't be more excited! I wake up every morning, sip my coffee (or my Plexus when I'm trying to be good), and look at the daily unfolding of my pink dogwood tree. We're almost there! 

April 1st marks that I have officially been hosting Cooking Today for three months already. It has been such a treat for me. You have no idea how much your comments and encouragement have meant to me! I gauge the success of the show based on whether y'all are making the recipes at home. That's my hope! And it just thrills me to pieces that you're texting, emailing, coming in Euna Mae's, and stopping me in the aisles at the grocery to tell me that you're fixing my recipes for your families. Thank you for watching, supporting, and participating with me in your kitchens. It means the world!

I don't know if you have tried the Coconut Tres Leches cake or not; but if you haven't, WHY NOT?! Y'all, it's so good. People who have made it have gone out of their way to let me know how good it is. And I wouldn't steer you wrong. I like food too much to do that to you. It's divine. It's creamy. It's milky and sweet. And today I'm sharing the recipe plus my obnoxious love for coconut with the readers at Arkansas Women Bloggers as a Foodie Friday guest blogger!

Psst. There's a little bonus tip for turning this overnight cake into quick and easy cupcakes that take less than 30 minutes! 

So y'all be sure to hop over to their site and take a look! (click here) And if you missed it the first time, you can also watch the episode right from their blog! How 'bout that?! 

Thanks for having me, ARWB! Everyone have a good weekend!

fried buttermilk hoe cakes (also known as johnny cakes)

This is part two of the New Year's soul food menu! I felt like these fried buttermilk hoe cakes deserved a post all their own! If you missed it, click HERE for the black-eyed pea soup and collards recipes! 

I have to confess that I made this menu last night a few days before New Year's Day because I wanted to get the recipes just right so I could share them with y'all! And I also confess that I just ate two reheated hoe cakes while I typed this post. Good gracious. They are good.

Hoe cakes were aptly named by folks who used to fry these buttery, mealy pancakes on the flat part of a hoe over a fire. These days we make them in cast iron skillets! But what hasn't changed is the level of comfort and satisfaction that these little fried dudes provide. The perfect way to round out a soul food meal!

FRIED BUTTERMILK HOE CAKES

makes about 10 cakes

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup all-purpose white cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup plus 3 Tbl. buttermilk, room temperature

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

additional oil and several pats of butter for frying

jalapenos optional

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix well. 

Preheat a cast iron skillet or heavy non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour in enough oil to cover the bottom in a thin layer; drop in a pat of butter and allow to melt.

Using an ice-cream scoop with a release lever, drop 3-4 globs (yes, I said globs) of batter into the skillet. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top of each cake as it fries. Allow to fry for a minute or two until they are golden brown. They will puff up some while they cook. Carefully flip over and press down a little while they cook on the other side. When they're golden brown and crisp on both sides, remove and let drain on paper towels. Repeat til the batter is gone, adding more oil and butter as needed.

If you'd like to add a jalapeno to your hoe cakes, just quickly place one in the batter on top of the hoe cake while the first side is frying. Then when you flip the cake over, the jalapeno will cook into the cake. 

Serve with black-eyed pea soup or red beans and rice! 

Also scrumptious with honey butter! Like, super duper scrumptious.  

strawberry buttercream frosting

Today is kind of Part Two of yesterday's blog where I shared Gran's strawberry cake with strawberry glaze. I told y'all how I have made Gran's original recipe for years and years, and how the cake is tender and moist from a heavy dose of saucey, sweet strawberries. And then the bundt cake, while still a little warm, is drizzled with buttery strawberry glaze that runs down the sides and pools around the bottom. Mmmmm. It's delicious delicious!!

But since getting my hands on Gran's recipe more than ten years ago, I have developed a love affair with buttercream frosting. Who can blame a girl, right?! So I have taken Gran's cake, baked it in a 9x13 cake pan, and smathered it with almost an inch of strawberry buttercream frosting. This THIS is a cake you won't believe. The frosting is unbelievable. Like eyes-roll-back-in-your-head good. Cool it completely, and then chill it in the refrigerator before you serve it. Trust me on this. I actually made this cake over the weekend for my son's first junior high semi-formal dance, and we've just finished off the leftovers. And every bite is as good as the first. 

You may choose to bake the batter in a paper-lined tin and frost the tops for fun Valentine's Day cupcakes! Adjust the baking time accordingly. Either way you choose to make this strawberry cake - bundt, cake pan, cupcakes, glazed or frosted - it's a perfectly pink, perfectly delicious treat! 

 

-click here for printable recipe-

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup frozen crushed strawberries with juice

2-3 drops red food coloring, optional

1 Tablespoon milk

4 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, cream cheese, and salt until well blended. You will likely need to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl a time or two.  Add the vanilla, almond, strawberries/juice food coloring, and milk; beat until combined.  With the mixer on low, add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing until smooth. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time or more powdered sugar a little at a time to get the consistency you prefer for piping or spreading on cakes.

GRAN'S STRAWBERRY CAKE

 Follow the recipe {here} except bake in a greased 9x13 cake pan, and do not invert like you would a bundt.

gran's strawberry cake with strawberry glaze

This is the cake that I make for every event in my life. I've made this cake for home groups, birthdays, holidays, teacher luncheons, coaches' meals, Saturdays, compassion meals, parties and more. I make it for special and not-so-special days. This is the cake that my 13 year old son says is the cake I'll make for him when he's old and he comes home to visit with his family one day. 

Pardon me while I grieve a little and gush a little. My sweet boy.

Strawberry cake is likely the best cake that comes out of my kitchen. It's as classic as classic gets. It has stood the test of time, having been made in our grandmothers' mothers' kitchens. It reminds me of church potlucks and picnics and pretty aprons. 

This recipe is my best-friend-from-college's Gran's recipe, aka Louise Gaston from Batesville, Arkansas.  I first had this cake more than ten years ago at my friend's house. And I copied it down right away while standing in her kitchen. Since then, I've made it a gazillion times. I've made it with Gran's original buttery, strawberry glaze AND I've made it with a full-blown, inch-thick homemade strawberry buttercream frosting. Both. Are. So. Good.

So I'm kicking off the week of love with this classic, to-die-for strawberry cake and so y'all can make it for your loved ones! Nothing says Happy Valentine's Day like pink cake. Or at least I think so anyway! 

Tomorrow, I'll share the strawberry buttercream frosting recipe so you can ice this cake however it tickles your fancy.

-click here for printable recipe-

 

GRAN'S STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY GLAZE

 {makes one bundt pan}

1 white cake mix

3 Tablespoons flour

1 small box of strawberry jello, do not use sugar-free

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup frozen crushed strawberries with juice

3 large eggs, room temperature*

1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

*Euna Mae's is a Great Day Farms brand ambassador

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the cake mix, flour, and jello to combine the dry ingredients and remove any clumps from the cake mix.  With the mixer on low, pour in the oil, water, and strawberries with juice. Then add one egg at a time. Add the vanilla. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for about two minutes to put air in the batter. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 37-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean and moist, but not batter-y. Allow to cool for about 10-12 minutes before inverting onto a cake plate.

FOR THE GLAZE

2 Tablespoons of melted butter
2 Tablespoons of crushed strawberry juice
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract 
1.5 cups powdered sugar

Whisk together and drizzle over an almost-cooled cake.

chocolate espresso cake with vanilla bean frosting

My husband and I see eye to eye on just about everything except missed free-throws and cake. He has mercy on missed free-throws. I, on the other hand, want to charge the court and wring some necks. His favorite dessert of all time is chocolate cake from a box. I, on the other hand, loathe chocolate cake from a box...and most chocolate cakes in general. 

And since chocolate cake from a box is his very favorite (he calls it "chocolate cake with white icing"), I've been a loving wife and made it for him for Father's Day, birthdays, and other Sam-honoring events. But it has killed my soul. Sucked my joy. Because I want desperately to make a scratch cake that he likes and that I can be proud of - and Lord-willing - that I can also enjoy. 

So if you know me at all, you know that I've been on the hunt for THE chocolate cake recipe that pleases both my husband and me. Like, for years I've tried recipe after recipe after recipe. My desire is for chocolate cake that is moist, dense, and has more complex flavor. When I interview him to find out exactly what he adores about chocolate cake from a box, he says, "You know, it's cakey."  What on earth? Of course it's cakey. It's cake. {bangs head on wall}

I surprised him with this "chocolate cake with white icing" when he came home from a week in Boston finishing his doctoral work! Proud'a you, babe! And he loved it. My kids loved it. And I loved it. 

I. Loved. It.

It's rich, dense, chocolately, tender. And the vanilla bean buttercream is so milky that it's just so right with the dark espresso cake. In a weird way, it almost tastes like the most sophisticated Oreo you've ever eaten...if Oreos were sophisticated. 

We ate a few slices; and to keep ourselves from binging on it all week, we divided it and sent it home with friends. There are no beautiful pictures of it either. We were too busy eating it to worry with photographing it. I did try to grab a quick pic of my son's piece before he ate it... #photobomb #lifewithteenagers #foodbloggerprobs #keepinitreal 

So for your weekend baking...I give you cake!

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO CAKE WITH VANILLA BEAN FROSTING

{aka "Chocolate Cake with White Icing"}

-for the cake-

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 (heaping) cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons coffee-flavored extract

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature*

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

*Euna Mae's is a Great Day Farms ambassador

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with baker's spray, and set aside.

Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl that fits in your stand mixer. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Attach the bowl of whisked together dry ingredients to your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the milk, oil, eggs, vanilla and coffee extract to the dry ingredients, and mix together on medium speed. Mix til nicely combined. Reduce the speed to low and carefully add boiling water to the batter very very slowly so it incorporates without splashing too badly. (I heat my water in the microwave in a glass measuring cup with a spout so I can pour it smoothly and easily.)  Lay a kitchen towel over the mixer or use your splash guard, and turn the speed to high, beating for 1 minute to add air into the cake batter. 

Divide cake batter between the two prepared pans and bake on center oven rack for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I always suggest setting the timer for 5 minutes less than the suggested bake time and checking the cake in 3 minute intervals until it's done. You don't want to overbake. 

Remove pans from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely on wire racks.

-for the frosting-

Make one recipe for Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 Scrape in the seeds of one plump vanilla bean, adding the seeds to the frosting as it beats/creams in the mixer.

When the cakes are completely cool, completely, spread a thin layer of frosting on the top of one cake round spreading all the way to the edges. Then set the second cake round on top, and frost top and sides. Refrigerate the cake to set frosting. And serve it cold which allows the cake to cut more cleanly and gives it the best flavor.

classic vanilla buttercream frosting

Don't you just wanna stick your finger in that frosting when no one's looking? There is no-o-o-thing better than classic vanilla buttercream frosting. If you've never tried making your own frosting, listen to me, you can do it. And once you make your own, you'll cringe at the thought that you ever used (or ate) processed, convenience frosting. 

This recipe for vanilla buttercream is a cornerstone for buttercream frostings of all kinds; thus, it deserves it's very own post. Vanilla buttercream is the building block that can be modified to make coconut buttercream, strawberry buttercream, lemon buttercream, chocolate buttercream, and more. So mastering this frosting recipe sets you up for some big, happy, flavorful success for all kinds of goodies! 

Homemade buttercream frosting is also an easy secret weapon that sends boxed cake mixes over the moon. I made I-don't-know-how-many cakes for our high school coaches and a few tailgates this last fall when my son played varsity football. And I often fancied-up a good boxed cake mix by smothering it in a big, tall layer of homemade buttercream. Of course, when there's time, a homemade cake with homemade buttercream is too good to be true.  But when you're in a quick-pinch, homemade buttercream frosting covers a multitude of sins.

In this particular cake {above}, I made a coconut buttercream frosting on a strawberry coconut layered cake. Y'all. So good. I'll share it with you another time. But get ready, because Friday I'm sharing my husband's absolute very favorite chocolate espresso cake with vanilla bean buttercream. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

 

CLASSIC VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups of confectioners' sugar

 1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

1/8 teaspoons almond extract, optional but I do love it

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar and salt until well blended. You will likely need to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl a time or two.  Add the vanilla, milk, and optional almond extract; beat until smooth, adding more milk a teaspoon at a time or more confectioners' sugar a little at a time to get the consistency you prefer for piping or spreading on cakes.

Welcome to Euna Mae's! Let's eat cake!

Well, I have excited butterflies because today's the day! After more than a year of dreaming of Euna Mae's, it's here! You all have encouraged me and tooted my horn.  And you've asked for a place for me to share recipes and kitchen tips with you. Let's be clear right off the bat - I'm by no means a fancy chef, I'm a pastor's wife and a mom of teenagers who is learning as I go! But I do cook some food, y'all.  I have a lot of food and a lot of love to give away.  And this blog is where I'll let y'all in on what's happening in my kitchen and around our table. So today's the day! It's Euna Mae's day!

A very important nugget to tell y'all starts with Euna Mae. She was my Grannie who lived just around the corner from me most of my life.  My cousin and I would walk barefooted up the hill to her house where she always had something baked, cold Coca-Cola in bright red cans, and lemon drops in candy dishes on every end table in her house. She was Grannie Nelson to us - Euna Mae to everyone in town. And you pronounce it "yoo-na may"...just in case you were wonderin'. 

Gosh, she had a great laugh. I can't think of her without hearing it in my head.

I invite you to meet Euna Mae HERE. She was a neat gal, y'all. I wish you all could've known her. But I've done my best to let you in on her life, to show you how she inspires me in my kitchen, and to express the imprint she left on us all.

So what better way to kick off Euna Mae's than with her very famous Lemon Glazed Cake recipe?! She made this cake for our birthdays, holidays, and just because we'd ask her to. I made it for my own birthday just this weekend, and we shared it with family and friends who ate every last crumb. The BEST part of the whole cake is the mushy cake-y soggy part under each piece that has soaked in sugary, fresh lemon glaze. For 40 years, I have dragged my fingers around the plate to make sure that goodness doesn't go to waste. It's one part elbow-grease, one part boxed cake mix! What's not to love?!

So in her honor and to celebrate the launch of Euna Mae's, here's her Lemon Glazed Cake recipe! Y'all enjoy!

EUNA MAE'S LEMON GLAZED CAKE

1 box lemon supreme cake mix

3 Tbsp flour

1 small package lemon instant pudding

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 large eggs, room temperature 

Preheat oven to 350.  With a mixer, combine the first 7 ingredients and beat until combined.  Add one egg at a time, and beat on medium for 2 minutes.  Bake for 40 minutes or so in a greased/floured 9x13 pan or bundt or til a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake pan. Allow cake to cool about 15-20 minutes. Then drizzle with the following glaze.

2-3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/8-1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together until smooth, adding more powdered sugar to thicken OR adding a little milk to thin it.  When you hold up a spoon and let it fall off the end of the spoon, it should fall smoothly but slowly almost like honey.