The Pioneer Woman Cooks (14 page)

14. While the cake is very warm, pour the icing evenly over the top. Work fast, as it will quickly start to soak into the cake.

15. Spread to coat evenly…then please, do yourself a favor: lick the spatula. It’ll make you smile.

Serve immediately, or feel free to let the cake sit on the counter for a while before serving. It only gets better with age.

I just loved my Grandma Iny. Aside from being a dear lady, she’s brought many a culinary joy into my life—not the least of which is this magnificent creation. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINT: Serve without revealing the fact that the cake contains prunes.

Our creek at sunrise

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Makes 18 to 24 biscuits

Biscuits are tricky, and everyone has a different idea of what makes a good one. My grandmother used to make drop biscuits, which were lumpy and varied in shape. My mom made biscuits that were small but very light and airy. Marlboro Man prefers biscuits from a can.

I prefer a biscuit that’s relatively light, but not skyscraper-tall. I like to be able to taste the outer, crispy surface of the biscuit. Of course, you’ll have some degree of control over the thickness of your biscuits by how thick you roll out the dough. Keep that in mind and experiment to find your own special biscuit thickness.

These biscuits are perfect with softened butter and homemade strawberry jam, served with butter and honey alongside Fried Chicken (Supper), or with Chicken-Fried Steak and gravy (Supper) as an alternative to mashed potatoes. The biscuits are also basic enough to be halved and topped with syrupy strawberries and sweetened whipped cream for a quick strawberry shortcake.

4 cups all-purpose flour1½ teaspoons salt2½ teaspoons baking soda1½ teaspoons baking powder
¹
/
₃
cup shortening
¹
/
₃
cup cold butter (51/
₃
tablespoons), cut into pieces1¼ cups buttermilk (if you don’t have any, see In the Morning)

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir together.

3. Add the shortening and cold butter pieces.

4. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined.

6. The biscuit dough will be sticky, not overly dry or crumbly.

7. Lightly flour a clean surface. Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll to a 1/
₃
-to ¾-inch thickness, depending on how thick you’d like your biscuits to be.

8. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter and place them in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. (If you use an old, beat-up biscuit cutter, your biscuits will taste much better. That’s what I like to tell myself.)

9. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until golden brown; do not underbake or the biscuits will be doughy.

EGG-IN-THE-HOLE

As many as you want!

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that taste the best. Before I married Marlboro Man, I had to learn to make these delicious little numbers or he wouldn’t go through with the wedding. They’re called “egg-in-the-holes” by his paternal grandmother, who made them for him all during his childhood, and through the years I’ve learned not only to love them…but to need them. They define comfort food, are painfully easy to make, and will turn any stressful, hectic morning into something entirely different. I’m not saying egg-in-the-holes will change the world…but they will change your spirit. Maybe.