Among the many things most Southern mommas teach their children about baking, it's that when you're making a cake, cookies, brownies or any other confection that calls for flour and you don't have White Lily flour in your pantry, wait until you do to continue your baking.
That's what my mother told me, and I have instilled it in my children. I hope they will tell their children the same thing.
Now, there's another generation of White Lily products, adding to the Tennessee company's line of flours and cornmeal. White Lily has introduced a line of pound cake mixes - traditional and lemon - just in time for Mother's Day, a day when many of us will be making lovely cakes and treats for our mommas and our children.
There's a recipe on the back of the pound cake box for sour cream pound cake. My mother made the best pound cake I've ever had using sour cream, so I was interested to see if this cake mix would come close to being as good as the one my mother made from scratch. The fact that it was from White Lily gave me hope.
The recipe calls for two boxes of pound cake mix and I only had one, but I did have a box of the lemon pound cake mix. Why not combine the two? So I did.
The end result was a delicious pound cake with a slight lemon flavor. It was perfect. Of course my mom's pound cake is better, but the White Lily pound cake was so much easier to make.
The mixes are nice to have on hand when you need to make a cake in a hurry. You'll find the mixes, as well as the company's new brownie and cinnamon crumb cake mixes, for sale at area Walmart and Food City locations.
Here's the recipe, and a blessed Mother's Day to all you mommas.
White Lily Pound Cake
3/4 cup oil
1 cup sour cream (not low-fat)
4 eggs
2 boxes White Lily pound cake mix
Heat oven to 325 degrees. With the mixer on medium speed, mix the oil, sour cream and eggs until combined. Add 1 box pound cake mix, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Then add the second box, and mix until combined, about 30 more seconds. Spoon batter into a Bundt pan that has been sprayed or well greased. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then make the glaze according to package directions. When the cake is fully cooled, drizzle the glaze over the cake.
A CINCO CELEBRATION
A cold margarita and Cinco de Mayo, happening Thursday, go hand in hand. To celebrate, Miller's Ale house is offering $5 house margaritas and full pitchers of margaritas for just $9 - but only on May 5, so don't miss out. Miller's Ale House is located at 2119 Gunbarrel Road.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE READ HOUSE
While on the subject of special drinks, the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Southeast - our very own Read House - has teamed up with whiskey maker J.W. Kelly & Co., to showcase a special drink, the One Fifty Cocktail, in honor of the Read House's 150th anniversary. The drink is made from Kelly's 114.8-proof Cask Strength Whiskey, a spirit that was hand-selected at J.W. Kelly's rickhouse here in Chattanooga.
The cocktail combines the whiskey with orange Curacao, Campari, fresh lemon juice and absinthe bitters.
"J.W. Kelly's Distillery was once located across the street from the Read House, so it is fitting that we commemorate our 150th anniversary with a limited-edition single-barrel whiskey pick," says the hotel's general manager, Jim Bambrey.
In fact, back in the day - more than 100 years ago - J.W. Kelly owned the bar and billiards room at the Read House.
"We look forward to sipping this delicious whiskey with our guests, residents and whiskey fans," Bambrey says.
I consider myself a member of the last two categories, so I look forward to sipping a One Fifty and raise a glass to the Read House. Happy birthday to you, grande dame of Southern hotels!
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or annebraly.com.