Proud to Be Southern

And that Sweet Tea Didn't Make Itself.

Being Southern isn’t just something you’re born into—it’s something you carry, like a monogrammed tote bag full of thank-you notes, church bulletins, and emergency cheese straws. It’s a badge of honor, polished with pride and a little elbow grease… especially if you're the one responsible for keeping Mama’s silver tea service from tarnishing before Thanksgiving.

Now, that silver tea service didn’t just sit there for show. It had a schedule. It came out for bridal showers, baby showers, funeral receiving lines, and any gathering where a cheese straw might make an appearance. It lived in a cabinet that was practically a museum exhibit, only opened on high holy days or when the ladies from the garden club were coming over. And heaven help you if you left a fingerprint on that tray—Mama could spot a smudge from the next zip code and had the polishing cloth out before you could say “yes ma’am.”

Besides the silver, Southern pride also lived in the fridge—in the form of a full pitcher of sweet tea ready at all times. Not just “tea,” mind you. Sweet tea. The kind that’s brewed strong, poured over enough sugar to stun a hummingbird, and served in a sweating glass with lemon on the side “if you fancy.” No one wrote this rule down, but it was understood: the tea pitcher should never run dry. Company or no company, someone was always “fixin’ to make another pitcher.”

That tea had magical properties, too. It could soothe tempers, mend rifts, and buy you time to think when somebody asked, “And just what did you mean by that?” It was poured for neighbors, preachers, plumbers, and especially for anyone who’d “just stopped by” and was “only staying for a minute” (which meant at least an hour, and they’d be leaving with leftovers).

Proud to be Southern means you grew up learning how to polish silver without scratching it and how to make tea without reading a recipe. You knew Mama’s silver wasn’t about showing off—it was about respect. Hospitality. Making things beautiful, even when the world wasn’t. And that tea? That was love in liquid form. That was “we’re glad you’re here,” and “sit a spell,” and “you’re family now.”

So yes, we’re proud to be Southern.
Our silver is shining.
Our tea is sweet.
And our hearts? Always open—preferably with a slice of our mama’s Strawberry cake on the side.

My friend Robin Mutz, a fourth-generation home cook, generously shared with me her family’s prized recipes for Strawberry Pecan Cake and her mama’s best German Chocolate Cake. I’ve shared these cakes everywhere; each is always a huge hit. It’s worth the time and effort whenever you want to be the star of the event!

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Emma’s Strawberry Pecan Cake

Robin Mutz, Habersham, SC

Makes three 8-inch layers

This is a classic Southern dish, made from a mixture infused with gelatin, coconut, and toasted pecans, elevating it to a new level.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines)

1 box strawberry Jell-O (mix dry)

1 cup Wesson oil

½ cup whole milk

4 room temperature eggs (one at a time)

1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup pecans, broken

Icing

1 stick of butter

1 box confectioners' sugar

½ cup drained strawberries

½ cup pecans, chopped fine

½ cup coconut

Cream butter and sugar. Add other ingredients and spread on the cake layers.

Cook’s Note: Be sure ingredients come to room temperature before you begin with any cake.

Emma used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic White cake mix, my favorite packaged cake brand. You can make it into a layer cake using two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch pans. Spray pans generously with Bakers Secret. Here’s a hint about how to make your cake layers more even. Use a measuring cup to divide the cake batter evenly among the pans. Level the batter by lifting the pans off the counter a few inches and tapping them gently on the work surface to deflate any large bubbles. Do this several times, and the batter will spread out and bring air bubbles to the surface, which will help to make your cake layers bake more evenly.

Cook’s Note:

No matter how you pronounce pecan, it’s a Southern staple. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 years in a sealed bag and can be thawed and refrozen repeatedly. The flavor is greatly intensified when toasted. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line a baking pan with parchment, spread the pecans on the baking sheet, and toast for about five minutes until you can smell the aroma. Sore in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

This cake is incredible.

Cook’s Note:

Germany went from using chocolates for pharmaceuticals to becoming the largest exporter of chocolate in the world. With so many fun brands and flavours, there’s a German chocolate for everyone.

Moser Roth is one of the oldest German chocolate brands, having been established in 1841 in Stuttgart. It was once one of the largest chocolate factories in Germany before burning down during World War II. Since the war, the company has passed through several owners' hands until 1967 when it was sold to Storck. It is now Aldi’s premium chocolate brand.

German chocolate and Baker’s chocolate have distinct differences. German sweet chocolate is a type of baking chocolate that is sweeter and milder in flavor than other baking chocolates, often containing added sugar. Baker’s makes a German Sweet chocolate - just be sure the label says “German Sweet Chocolate.”

Mise en Place

Be sure to read through this entire recipe before you begin. I like to measure out the ingredients (mise en place) and have them in front of me in order not to forget an ingredient.

Mutz Family German Chocolate Cake

350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes (depending on your cake pan size)This recipe calls for 3 - 8 inch pans

1 package excellent German chocolate, one bar

½ cup boiling water

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups white sugar

4 egg yolks (unbeaten)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ cups cake flour (may use all purpose)

1 cup buttermilk at room temperature (makes a big difference if you microwave it briefly just to warm it up)

4 egg whites stiffly beaten

Place German chocolate in a heat proof dish and pour the 1/2 cup boiling water over the chocolate to melt it. Stir. Set aside to cool. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Add cooled chocolate mixture. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda. Add ½ flour mixture and combine. Add buttermilk and beat well. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in egg whites with a spoon being careful not to over mix. Egg whites should just be incorporated.

Line 3-8” cake pans with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and dust with flour. Place batter in pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25-to 30 minutes or until wooden pick comes our clean when placed in center of the cake. Cool in pans 5 minutes and place on cooling rack until completely cool. Frost between layers and on top of cake with coconut pecan icing.

(If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to whole milk and let sit until curdled-5 minutes)

Coconut Pecan Icing

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup white sugar

3 egg yolks

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flaked coconut

1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter in a heavy saucepan or your double boiler. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thick (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, coconut and pecans. Frost between layers and on top of cake.

If desired, double the recipe to frost entire cake. Yield 1-3 layer cake. Store covered in cool place.