By May 2020. I am 61 years old, retired from the Postal Service, my days now belong to me and the smoker and Rosetta and the slow unfolding of a life without a mailbag. The week arrived the way weeks arrive in Orange Mound — carried by the rhythm of morning coffee and evening porch-sitting and the steady, patient work of being present in a life that doesn\'t require grand gestures to feel meaningful. August.
I baked Mama's oatmeal raisin cookies — the recipe from the shotgun house kitchen, the cookies that made every kid at my lunch table want to trade. Big, chewy, thick with oats and raisins and brown sugar, the kind of cookie that carries memory in every bite: the memory of small hands in flour, of Mama's kitchen at dusk, of being fed by someone who loved you before you knew what love was.
The week ended on the porch, as most weeks do — Rosetta and me, the evening settling over Orange Mound like a hymn that doesn\'t need words. The smoker cooling in the backyard. The house quiet but full. The life continuing, low and slow, the way Uncle Clyde taught me, the way I am teaching whoever comes next. The fire doesn\'t stop. It never has. It never will.
Mama’s cookies were the beginning — the thing that taught me a kitchen is really just another word for love made visible. When I want to bring that same spirit to the table and go somewhere a little deeper, a little more dressed-up-for-company, this Old Fashioned Cherry Torte is what I reach for: it has that same from-scratch patience, that same old-house sweetness that takes you back before you even finish the first bite. It’s the kind of thing you set on the counter and watch people go quiet over, the way good things make you quiet.
Old Fashioned Cherry Torte
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Beat eggs and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar together until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts and the melted butter.
- Combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just incorporated — do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Add fruit and nuts. Gently fold in the cherry pie filling and the chopped nuts, distributing them evenly through the batter.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 33–38 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve. Allow the torte to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 230 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 95mg