Considering that I was almost 14 weeks pregnant when I first hooked up with Jodi and her crew of raucous bakers, and that I was sick as a dog for some time before and thereafter, being able to say I had a great time working for her is a testament to the sort of lady she is. Not only is she a totally deft, righteous baker, Jodi is simply a great lady. She's long been active in the food rights/food security community, serving as a board member of the Bountiful Cities Project, amongst many other non-profit pursuits. She's compassionate, sympathetic and hilarious. And she's an incredible mama and wife. And friend.
If those traits alone weren't enough to intrigue you about this lady (who has full-sleeve tattoos of the Virgin Mary!), her new book will seal the deal. Cake Ladies: A Southern Tradition, is Jodi's journey into the world of cake, community, and love. Part of why she hired me was so that I could help out at the shop during the spring and summer months while she drove all over the southeast U.S., seeking out, soliciting recipes from, and interviewing women in various communities known for their go-to cake-baking prowess. She's compiled those recipes into a lovely book, filled with her time-tested suggestions for expert cake success. Having served under her tutelage, I can personally attest to just how knowledgeable she truly is. When recipes say to scrape the bowl in between beatings, they really mean it!!!
To honor Jodi and all of the sweat, tears, and butter that went into her creation (with the help of my expert editor, Nicole!), I'll be giving away a copy of Cake Ladies. To enter the contest, simply list your favorite cake (I'm a sucker for anything with caramel frosting and I've also never met a coconut cake I didn't like). I'll run the giveaway for one week, ending next Monday at midnight EST. Lark will be sending the book out themselves to the winner and has requested the contest be open to U.S. residents only.
Even if you don't win, do check out Jodi's book. It's a gem. And if you're ever in Asheville, pop on over to the west side and visit her shop for some cupcakes or a slice. You won't be disappointed. Her life in cake is epic, and, delicious!
UPDATE: Oops! I forgot to mention that Ashley, lucky #91, was the winner of Jodi's Cake Ladies book. Sorry! Thanks to all who entered! I loved reading all of your cake passions!
92 comments:
Black Russian Cake
Mexican chocolate cake (with cayenne pepper) is one of my faves.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway!!! Yum.
Anything with Chocolate & Peanut Butter....hell anything with chocolate!
Ginger-spiced apple cake! Or maybe that amazing almond cake in Joy of Cooking; my wife baked both for our wedding back in September, and both were amazing.
A nice, moist strawberry cake that's not too sweet.
Hummingbird cake! This book couldn't have come out at a better time. I'm researching cake recipes for my BF's quickly-approaching birthday...
oh my gosh... i have to choose?
red velvet! coconut!
cheesecake!
Caramel layer cake & a big cup of coffee!
My Daddy's carrot cake.
It's pretty much counter to all of my cooking instincts, but the Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake from Dinosaur BBQ is pretty much the best thing ever.
German Chocolate cake....
Oh, everything Short Street cakes is my favorite...but really, I'm a big fan of deep dark chocolate cake with a cream cheese icing. I prefer rich over sweet any day!
BUT then again, a good Tres Leches cake will rock my world, too!
Or pumpkin spice. Or red velvet. Oh, I am terrible at favorites!
flourless chocolate nut torte or carrot cake :)
My very favorite cake is called Happy Winter Fudge Cake!
It's from a 1982 children's book by Karen Gundersheimer called "Happy Winter," and tastes like the best chocolate-chocolate-chip muffin imaginable.
Strawberry Cake! The cake is great, but the frosting is amazing. Strawberry buttercream with pecans, coconut, and fresh strawberries. It is a once-a-year Easter treat.
Favorite cake? Good old Southern Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing.
no contest. It was love at first s(bite)ight with me and my husband--our cake was old fashioned carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!
Sarah M
Apple Cake!
dark chocolate with caramel frosting :)
My mom used to make a super moist chocolate Mayonaisse Cake...yum!
Carrot cake with pineapple and pecans and a cream cheese frosting. Thanks!
German Chocolate for sure mmmmm.. drool.
I once spent an hour or so driving around Asheville looking for Short Street Cakes in search of vegan strawberry shortcake to bring to a friend. My GPS thought it was on 'short street'.. and it is not. Still have yet to find the place. One day, one day.
My favorite has got to be Red Velvet . . . or Brown Store Front Cake . . . or, well, I just love cake!!!
Yummm. Cake. I love almond-flavored cake with coconut frosting, spiced bundt cake, and the classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Delish! Thanks for the giveaway!
Anything with buttercream frosting... especially if it's strawberry cake with buttercream frosting. Mmmm.
I love that frosting so much that I used it on my wedding cake. In August. In Upstate NY. Yeah, it melted a bit but it was totally worth it.
Toasted Coconut Cake. No question about it.
i pretty much love all cakes, but had an amazing pumpkin cake with maple buttermilk frosting yesterday. the best part? all of the pumpkin, butter and maple syrup was locally produced. hurray for local baked goods!
I'm wanting to hit up her shop for sure! Yum.
Maybe I can make it happen when I up for the D*S party.
My favorite cakes have to be caramel (homemade only of course) or something pumpkin right now. In the summer it is something strawberry.
Thanks for hosting this Ashley!
Man, lately I've been craving any layer cake with a creamy filling. Vanilla cake with chocolate frosting? Pumpkin cream cheese? Dark chocolate fudge? YES PLEASE!!
My grandma's "birthday cake." It's a yellow cake, layered and topped with chocolate buttercream frosting!
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. NO raisins!
Nana's coconut cake! This book looks like a blast!
Carrot apple cake with cream cheese frosting!
yellow box cake with chocolate icing.
I adore tres leches cake.
My favorite cake is a moist carrot spice cake with light, fluffy cream cheese frosting that you can ONLY get right if you do it from scratch.
Princess Cake oh yumyumyum
Carrot Cake!!
Probably carrot cake - or maybe coconut, or German Chocolate! Of course there is always pound cake, too!
Italian Wedding Cake - so great! Also really love my grandmothers' Seafoam Frosting recipe on top of a Devil's food cake. That's what we always got for birthdays growing up.
Amy L
alpetcr8z@yahoo.com
Ice cream cake!
Apple spice poundcake. Thanks for the chance to win!
dorking(at)orcasonline.com
Coconut cake (especially from Peninsula Grill in Charleston!)
Priscilla Cake from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook - it was the cake my mom made for all our birthdays, and the one I make for my kids now!
c h o c o l a t e ! ! !
nasturtium(at)fastmail.fm
Carrot cake. Or Spice Cake. Or Zucchini Cake. Or, maybe just any cake that has cinnamon and spices in it that's really dense and delicious!
Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl.
melodyj(at)gmail(dot)com
Yellow butter cake with old fashioned boiled chocolate icing.
I love Red Velvet cake (but sans the food coloring)
This book sounds great! Lately, I've been really into perfecting a recipe for a simple chocolate cake.
Trying to narrow it down to one cake it going to be difficult. Any moist cake with chocolate in it will always be my first choice from the dessert buffet. The darker, the tastier.
Neighbor Edie's Italian Cream Cake. Rest her soul, that woman could not cook anything palatable except her cornbread dressing balls and this cake.
Icebox cake!
This book sounds awesome, and you've written such a charming back story! Thanks for the giveaway -- even if I don't win the book I'll definitely check it out.
Texas sheet cake is my fav!
steim99@yahoo.com
Italian Cream
pink lady cake!
Breton kouign-amann...it's just so buttery!
-curlygirl8988@yahoo.com
I love just a simple dark chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting. I could eat it everyday.
Penuche frosting. Real buttercream frosting. Sour cream chocolate frosting.
Wait? What was the question? Frosting? Cake. Oh, right. Cake.
I once made a delicious chocolate cake and forgot to grease the bundt pan.... it came out look like a pile of bear poo we saw down by the creek and will forever be called "Bear Dump" cake by my family. But it was tasty.
Chocolate...with chocolate frosting (although anything that combines caramel and salt is always a winner in my book.
Hard to choose just one, but carrot cake is up there!
Favorite cake from Jodi: Georgia Hummingbird.
I've had to cut way back on baked goods for health reasons but I'm looking forward to treating myself soon when Charlie & I go there to do sugar skulls!
Strawberry cake
I never pass up cake! I would have to say a basic chocolate cake with a rich fudge middle and frosting is it. Love me some cake! And a book to read about cake!
I have two: Red Velvet with classic cream cheese frosting and a Flourless Chocolate Torte topped with chocolate ganache. For anyone living in Orlando, FL you can get the latter at Dessert Lady on Church Street (downtown). It's to die for, truly.
German Chocolate Cake, always my favorite!
Gosh, so many cakes to choose from. Probably carrot cake is my favorite.Thanks for the giveaway!
Hummingbird! and ss cakes makes the BEST with their addition of strawberries! Yay, for cake!
Fresh Coconut Cake! LOVE it!
My Aunt Eli's German Chocolate Cake
Right now, hazelnut cake with Nutella buttermilk frosting.
But sometimes, caramel cake with butterscotch frosting.
Or lemon cake with a thin crystallized sugar glaze.
My kids vote for whichever cake I just made!
Tory in DC
German Chocolate Cake - complete with gooey, coconutty frosting. (Don't forget the ice cold milk) Mmmm....now I need some cake!
Peanut butter cake. Hands down;)
Lemon cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.
What a lovely give away! My hands down favorite cake is Red Velvet. Yum!
Hmmm....any cake made with love is great! But if I have to pick a type it'd be Blanche's Chocolate Cake (an old family recipe from Blanche who was the ranch foremans' wife).
Lemon poppyseed pound cake with lemon icing
I like a good classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting!
Coconut cake! :-)
Oh my gosh, I think I need to get in on this. We had a bakery where I grew up that made a Pink Champagne cake that I loved, love, loved! But my mother made a pretty amazing red velvet cake. Now I'm not sure what my favorite is but I'm more than willing to do some sampling to try and figure it out:))
Carrot Cake!!! :)
Carrot Cake and Cheesecake!
Chocolate Guinness Cake! I married an Irishman. (Or anything involving peanut butter -- that's the American coming through ;)
x Susie
My grandmother's chocolate Waldorf cake! I emptied the contents of her house recently and searched furiously for that recipe but haven't found it yet. It's my Holy Grail. I have my Nana's cake plate and cover to give my sister as a shower gift and would really love to include a beautifully stained, yellowed-with-age recipe card with it. I am determined to find it. Such sweet memories!!!
I have a Chocolate Cake recipe that is wonderful.Never lasts long around here.
I like plain gingerbread with a dusting of powered sugar. Super yum!
Two favs - German chocolate & coconut!!
Carrot cake!
Favorite cake? Lemon bundt.
carrot cake with nuts, raisins and cream cheese frosting. my kids favorite when they were little...
oh god. carrot cake.
though i'd probably eat most any cake.
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