Wearing o’ Green Cake — Sunday Green on the Table, One Way or Another

Brianna's week. The coldest week of the year. Negative four overnight. Truck barely started. Thursday Jerome and I took our breaks together and talked restaurant. The dream is closer than it was a year ago.

Pop's in the recliner. Tigers on. Sugar in range this week. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Pot of greens. Smoked turkey neck for the pot likker. Cooked low for two hours. Cornbread to soak.

Aiden's 10. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

I went to bed Sunday at 10. Slept eight hours. The body said thank you.

Mr. Williams across the street had a heart scare. He is okay. We are all watching each other now. I took him a plate of greens and chicken Wednesday. He said, "DeShawn. You're a good neighbor." I said, "We're even, Mr. Williams. You shoveled my walk in 2024." He laughed.

I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.

The block had a small drama Tuesday. Somebody parked in front of Ms. Diane's driveway. Ms. Diane addressed it directly. The car moved within the hour. The neighborhood polices itself on small things.

Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

The basketball court at the rec center got refurbished. New floor. Plays different. Bouncy. I shot a few from the elbow before practice Wednesday. The knee held. The shot fell short.

Filled the propane tank Wednesday. The smoker is the only appliance I baby. Wiped it down. Checked the gaskets. Checked the temperature gauge. The smoker is mine the way Pop's torque wrench was his.

The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

Plant ran clean this week. The line ran. The body held. The paycheck is the paycheck.

The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.

A reader wrote in about the smothered pork chops. Said her late husband loved them. I wrote back. I told her about Pop. We exchanged three emails. She's in Saginaw. She's coming to the city in the spring.

I cleaned the smoker Sunday morning. Brushed the grates. Emptied the ash. Wiped down the body. The smoker repays attention. So does most everything that matters.

The drive home Friday was the long way around. I took Outer Drive past the lake. The water was still. I do not always notice the water. I noticed Friday.

Mama’s greens were the whole point of Sunday, but Zaria’s been asking about something sweet to finish the meal — something green, since green is apparently her current opinion about everything. After the week we had, the cold, Mr. Williams’s scare, the slow exhale of Saturday morning lawn-cutting, I wanted to keep the color going into dessert. This Wearing o’ Green Cake is what I landed on: it’s festive without being loud, it feeds a crowd, and Zaria got to stand on her step stool and decide how much food coloring was enough.

Wearing o’ Green Cake

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 32 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1–2 tsp green gel food coloring (adjust to your crew’s opinion)
• For the frosting:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3–4 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2–1 tsp green gel food coloring
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
5. Alternate dry and wet. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Mix just until combined — do not overmix.
6. Add the green. Add green gel food coloring and fold gently until the color is even throughout. Adjust the amount to your preference.
7. Bake. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 30–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool completely. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. This step requires patience. The cake repays it.
9. Make the frosting. Beat butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating on low. Add heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and green food coloring. Beat on medium-high for 2–3 minutes until fluffy and spreadable.
10. Assemble. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting on top. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Smooth with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
11. Serve. Slice and bring it to the table. Let the kids with opinions about seasoning have the corner piece.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 31g | Carbs: 80g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg