Pecan Cake with Cookie Butter Frosting -- From Mr. Henderson—s Tree to the Table

Thanksgiving Day. Sugar, I cooked for two days. The bird went in at five AM. The mac and cheese went in at noon. The greens had been simmering since the day before. The pies were made Tuesday. The whole family came home. The fellowship hall after church was packed for the church Thanksgiving plates. The home table was packed for our family Thanksgiving. I sat down at the head and I said grace and I named everyone — including Marcus, including Bernice, including my Daddy in the nursing home — and we ate.

Calvin preached Sunday on the mustard seed. The church said amen. Destiny came for Sunday dinner. She talked about her work. The work is hard. She is good at hard work.

Sweet potato pie Friday. Bernice's recipe. The crust by hand. The filling by feel. The pie was the pie.

The work is the work, baby. I am tired in the right way.

Sister Patrice's husband had heart surgery this week. I drove a meal over Tuesday — chicken and rice, cornbread, peach cobbler. She cried at the door. I told her, baby, eat the food. The food was the saying.

I sat on the porch Saturday afternoon. The neighborhood was quiet. Mr. Henderson across the street waved. I waved back. The porches are the original social network, sugar. We have been at this since Eden.

Mr. Henderson across the street brought me a bag of pecans Friday from his tree. I made a pecan pie with them. I took half of it back to him. He said, Loretta, this is wrong, you took my pecans and gave me back a pie. I said, that is exactly right. That is how it works.

A new young wife joined the Saturday cooking class. Twenty-two years old. She does not know how to make rice. I will teach her. The chain extends.

Sunday after service Calvin and I drove past the new sanctuary site. The choir loft windows were going in. We sat in the car and looked. He did not speak. I did not speak. The watching was the prayer.

I drove to the grocery Saturday morning. Greens, three pounds. Onions, two big ones. Buttermilk, half gallon. Cornmeal, the good kind. Salt, because I always run out of salt.

Calvin Jr. called Tuesday night. He was tired. He had been at work twelve hours. I told him, baby, eat something. He said, Mama, I will. I said, what did you eat last. He said, a granola bar. I said, baby, that is not eating. He laughed.

The garden in the side yard, sugar. The tomatoes are coming on. The okra is up. The collards are getting big. I will be canning by August. I always say I am not going to can. I always end up canning.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. The Bible, then a book Doris sent me about the civil rights movement in Birmingham. The book made me think about Bernice in the church kitchen during the bombings.

The kitchen smelled like garlic and onion all afternoon Wednesday. Calvin came home from his Bible study and stood in the doorway and said, Loretta, what are we eating. I said, baby, you will see. He said, that is a yes from me. He has been saying that for fifty years.

Calvin and I watched the news Wednesday evening. He fell asleep in the recliner. I covered him with the afghan that Bernice crocheted before she died. The afghan is holding.

I have been thinking about heaven a lot lately. I do not know what I think. I know what Calvin preaches. I know what the AME doctrine says. I know what my Mama believed. I am at the age, sugar, where heaven is more than a Sunday school answer. I am working on it.

Mr. Henderson’s pecans started a whole conversation about how things work — you take what is given, you make something of it, and you give it back doubled. I made a pecan pie that Friday, but baby, there were enough pecans left in that bag to keep going, and a pecan cake with cookie butter frosting is the kind of thing that says thank you in a language everybody understands. After a week of two days’ cooking, driving meals to Sister Patrice, teaching a young wife how to make rice, and watching Calvin fall asleep under Bernice’s afghan, I needed a recipe that felt like abundance — and this one does.

Pecan Cake with Cookie Butter Frosting

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans, divided
• Cookie Butter Frosting:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup cookie butter (speculoos spread)
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whole or halved pecans, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly flour the sides.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl as needed.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
5. Alternate wet and dry. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined — do not overmix.
6. Fold in pecans. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 cup of the chopped toasted pecans. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
7. Bake. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are golden. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting.
8. Make the frosting. Beat butter and cookie butter together on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix on low until incorporated, then increase speed and add cream one tablespoon at a time until frosting is spreadable and fluffy.
9. Assemble. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a generous layer of cookie butter frosting over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
10. Garnish and serve. Arrange whole or halved pecans decoratively on top of the cake. Slice and serve at room temperature. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 620 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 34g | Carbs: 76g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 280mg