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Lucy Buffett has done it again – she has published another delicious cookbook that highlights the best of Gulf Coast cooking: Gumbo Love:  Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life.  You have to love a cookbook that starts the recipe section off right – with desserts.  Among the recipes is Classic Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries, a recipe that has already won the hearts of my family.

Lulu’s Classic Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries

Before I share with you Lulu’s recipe for Classic Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries, let me tell you a little bit about Gumbo Love:  Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life.

Yes, it starts the recipe section with desserts, but there is so much more.  After the forward at the beginning of the book is a letter from Lucy.  In it, we learn how the book is a continuation of the conversation that she began in LuLu’s Kitchen.  It’s an homage to her coastal Southern food culture.  There are stories throughout the book as well as Lucy’s inspirational Ten Grateful Ingredients For a Bright Life And a Happy Kitchen.  Gumbo Love would not be complete without Lucy’s notes on how to make gumbo, which is included in the book.

Getting into the meat of the book, the recipe chapters include:

• Life is Sweet:  Eat Dessert First
• Starters and Snacks
• Gumbo Love and Other Heartwarming Soups
• Main Dishes
• Vegetables and Sides
• Deep-Fried Favorites:  A Southern Must
• Salads
• Sandwiches
• Vacation Libations and Mocktails
• Sauces and Dressings

At the end of the book, there is a section Coasting the Gulf Party Menus which is inspiration for planning dinner parties.

Now on to more good stuff – Lucy’s recipe for Classic Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries.

Classic Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

It only takes one bite to see why this is a classic dessert!

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 3 cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, or use almond or any other flavored extract
• Fresh whipped cream, recipe follows, for garnish

Fresh Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavored liqueur
• 3 Tablespoons sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan (a tube pan is preferred, but if you use a Bundt pan instead, you’ll need to make sure to leave 1 inch of space at the top of the pan, so you may end up with a small amount of leftover batter).
2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the sliced strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the cake.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the remaining 3 cups sugar, ½ cup at a time, and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minute, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Serve each piece with a spoonful of the chilled strawberries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Fresh Whipped Cream

1. Place a medium metal bowl in the freezer to chill.
2. When ready to prepare the whipped cream, place the cream and vanilla in the chilled bowl. With an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed, gradually adding the sugar. The cream will begin to thicken.
3. Whip the cream until it begins to form stiff peaks. Be careful not to overwhip or the cream will separate.

Notes

Recipe from Gumbo Love: Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life by Lucy Buffett. Copyright 2017. Recipe reprinted with permission.

Below is a video of Lucy that was recorded prior to the release of Gumbo Love:  Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life.

Look for Gumbo Love:  Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life at your local bookstore or get it online at Amazon.com.  If you are lucky to find yourself at the Gulf, be sure to check out Lucy’s restaurant, LuLu’s.  (Click here to read my post about LuLu’s in Gulf Shores.)