Jocelyn Delk Adams - Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories

Copyright 2015 by Jocelyn Delk Adams

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

Food photography copyright by Jocelyn Delk Adams

Family portraits and photography copyright by Chuck Olu-Alabi

Wedding photography copyright by James Rubio

Food styling by Jesse Szewczyk

Art direction/prop styling by Leslie Watland

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Adams, Jocelyn Delk.

Grandbaby cakes: modern recipes, vintage charm, soulful memories / Jocelyn Delk Adams; photography by Jocelyn Delk Adams and Chuck Olu-Alabi.

pages cm

Includes index.

Cookbook featuring 50 vintage cakes with modern twists and memoir tracing the roots of the authors family recipes--Provided by publisher

ISBN 978-1-57284-760-6 (ebook)

1. Cake. I. Title.

TX771.A327 2015

641.8653--dc23

2015013216

Surrey Books is an imprint of Agate Publishing. Agate books can be purchased in bulk at discount prices. Visit agatepublishing.com for more information.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For my loving family who taught me that lifes lessons are best learned over dessert.

To my dear friend Leonore, thank you for being a guardian angel in the kitchen with me.

Contents

H OOTIE HOO, GOOD PEOPLE! THIS IS CARLA HALL, AND I SINCERELY believe in creating food that hugs you. When I was growing up in Tennessee, I learned a great deal about the true meaning of comfort food from my granny. Sunday suppers were more like soul suppers, consisting of a healthy dose of love, compassion, and wisdom (not to mention some of the best food I have ever tasted). I always looked forward to dessert, especially when Granny made her famous five-flavor pound cake. Her cakes always tasted like the type of warm, Southern hug that only a grandmother could properly give. Each bite was a morsel of sunshine, and each slice had the unique power of making any day better.

As I grew older, I realized the true gift food was in my life and how transformative it can be. I didnt fully appreciate all that Granny had to offer me in the way of cooking and baking techniques when I was young, but she instilled in me the life lesson of infusing every single thing I created with love. When the cooking-and-baking bug bit me at 25, all of a sudden I felt like I was playing catch-up. Granny was and will always be my inspiration.

Cooking from the heart is my motto, and there is no better way of expressing that than with comfort food.

Cooking from the heart is my motto, and there is no better way of expressing that than with comfort food. From a small country kitchen in Nashville to some of the most renowned kitchens in the world, Grannys teachings have blessed and connected me with so many people from all walks of life. No matter what language you speak or what background you come from, the universal language of love can be felt and experienced by anyone, especially in food.

Speaking this language actually led me to meeting Jocelyn. I always say that the universe makes no mistakes, and that phrase couldnt have been any truer than when I received a tweet from Jocelyn out of the blue. All I saw were the words Grandbaby Cakes and a photo of Jocelyns smiling face. For some reason, I felt compelled to connect with her, and I am so glad I did. I invited her to breakfast, and our similar personalities hit it off right away. It felt natural. She ended up showing me some images of a photo shoot she took with her grandmother for this cookbook. I realized that we not only shared a love of food, but we also cherished the bond of a grandmothers love. It reminded me of my sacred memories with Granny. It truly touched me, and from that moment on, Jocelyn and I became friends and kindred spirits.

When she asked me to write the foreword for her first cookbook, I was honored to do it. The love and tradition steeped in her recipes are clear influences from her grandmother and the rest of her family roots. But I can definitely see the playful touch and modern impact Jocelyn gives as well. This book is a tribute to those who know where they came from and also where they are going. Each cake is baked with the same love I grew up knowing and experiencing during my younger days back in Nashville. They are trips down memory lane that end with delicious treats on your table.

No matter what language you speak or what background you come from, the universal language of love can be felt and experienced by anyone, especially in food.

Big Daddy, my mom, Big Mama, and Uncle Sidney

Y OU CANT KNOW WHERE YOURE GOING UNTIL YOU KNOW WHERE youve been. This age-old saying couldnt be more appropriate for describing the life journey that ultimately led to me writing this book. When I was young, my family routinely embarked on a 10-hour journey from our hometown of Chicago to Winona, Mississippi, to visit my maternal grandparents, Sid and Maggie Small. Now, at the age of 34, I can say that this tradition has not ceased.