Free Home Cooking With Trisha Yearwood: Stories and Recipes to Share With Family and Friends by Trisha Yearwood Page A

place of pastry in her recipes. Nowadays, most people use angel food cake or pound cake for this dessert, but I like the old-fashioned mix of the not-so-sweet biscuit with the sweetness of the strawberries and the whipped cream. I serve this dessert in the summer with fresh-picked berries from our local strawberry farm.
    SERVES 8 TO 10
    4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
    2 tablespoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
    ⅔ cup butter (11 tablespoons), cold and cut into small pieces
    2 large eggs, beaten
    1 cup milk
    2 tablespoons butter, melted
    3 pints fresh strawberries
    1 cup heavy cream, whipped
    Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans.
    In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ½ cup of the sugar. Add the butter and cut in with 2 knives or a pastry blender to coarse-crumb consistency. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk until fully combined. Gradually stir the egg and milk mixture into the flour mixture. Knead the dough for about 20 seconds on a lightly floured board. Pat half the dough into each cake pan. Brush the surfaces with melted butter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn the shortcake layers out onto cooling racks.
    While the layers are cooling, wash the strawberries and remove the hulls. Reserve a few berries for garnish. Cut the large berries in half and sprinkle with ¾ cup of the sugar. Let stand for about 30 minutes.
    Spoon half of the berries with their juice over one shortcake layer. Place the second layer on top and spoon the remaining berries and juice over it. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and top with the whipped cream.

carrot cake
    My friend Tana first made this cake and left it in our refrigerator for us to enjoy when we returned home from a trip. What a sweet surprise, literally! This cake has become a regular dessert at our house and a popular request for birthdays. I think what makes it unique is that it is cut into six layers. The pureed carrots make for a smoother cake. Of course, at my house, nobody cares about that, they just think it’s good!
    SERVES 12
    Cake
    3 cups granulated sugar
    1½ cups corn oil
    4 large eggs
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    1 tablespoon baking soda
    1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon salt
    1½ cups walnuts, finely chopped
    1½ cups frozen grated coconut, thawed
    1½ cups pureed carrots (about 6 medium, boiled)
    ¾ cup crushed pineapple, drained
    Cream Cheese Frosting
    2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
    ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, room temperature
    6 cups confectioners’ sugar
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with circles of parchment paper, and grease the paper with cooking spray.
    With an electric mixer, cream the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Add the walnuts, coconut, carrot puree, and pineapple, and beat until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    Cool the layers in the pans for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each pan and turn the layers out onto wire racks that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Cool the layers completely before frosting ( see Note ).
    To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fully combined. Add the vanilla.
    Slice each layer horizontally in half using an electric knife. Frost each layer, the sides, and the top of the cake. Press the chopped walnuts into the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
    NOTE: After the layers have cooled, wrap each in plastic