It would be impossible to talk about the history of American baking without talking about black bakers, who have contributed immeasurably to the food culture of this country. From an inventor who revolutionized bread machines, for a caterer who designed the first spring-loaded cookie cutter, to generations of home bakers who preserved and passed down their recipes, black Americans have shaped what and how to bake. In honor of Black History Month, here are 10 of our favorite recipes from black bakers, including a truly spectacular coconut layer cake, fluffy buttermilk cookies, and a Bundt cake with an unusual ingredient.
Photography by Rick Holbrook, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
1) Old Fashioned Coconut Cake
Baker and popular cookbook author Cheryl Day credits her mother for this recipe. She left Alabama for California during the Great Migration and brought this treasured recipe with her on the trip. Layers of yellow cake lightly flavored with cardamom are piled with a creamy coconut filling, then slathered in coconut milk buttercream and showered with flaky coconut for an amazing celebration cake.
Get the recipe: Old Fashioned Coconut Cake
Buy the recipe: cardamom AND Round cake pans
Photography by Rick Holbrook, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
2) Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Red Fruit Glaze
Created in honor of Juneteenth by Baltimore baker Amanda Mack, this rich and moist Chocolate Bundt Cake is topped with a vibrant fresh fruit glaze. The frosting is not only delicious, but also meaningful, as the color red represents the red ribbon of the Pan-African and Juneteenth flags and, says Mack, “the power and strength we have as African Americans.”
Get the recipe: Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Red Fruit Glaze
Buy the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend AND The Original Classic Bundt Casserole
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
3) Emancipation breakfast cake
Filled with berries (fresh or frozen) and crowned with walnut streusel, this cake by Wisconsin baker Adrian Lipscombe was created to celebrate June in Texas, where Lipscombe grew up. It's an easy job to make and good any time of year, especially on a cold February morning.
Get the recipe: Emancipation breakfast cake
Buy the recipe: Pure almond extract AND Square pan
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
4) Purple Sweet Potato Pie
Many people only think about sweet potato pie once a year, at Thanksgiving. It's a shame, because this version from baker Joanne Canady-Brown will brighten the darkest winter day. The filling is a vibrant purple color thanks to the purple sweet potatoes and is flavored with citrus, cardamom, and ginger. A dollop of burnt marshmallows completes the beautiful pie.
Get the recipe: Lilac Sweet Potato Pie
Buy the recipe: Pie bread AND Geng
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
5) Cathead Cheddar Onion Biscuits
Cheryl Day is known for her cookies. These large examples (so named because they're as big as a cat's head) are soft inside (thanks to the inclusion of cake flour), with crispy edges from the addition of a generous amount of cheddar cheese. And because they're cookies, they're especially easy to make.
Get the recipe: Cheddar Onion Biscuits
Buy the recipe: Unbleached cake flour AND Dough/paste blender
Photography by Rick Holbrook, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
6) Root Beer Cake with Chocolate Root Ganache
There's a long Southern tradition of desserts made with soft drinks, and this Bundt cake recipe from baker Carla Hall continues the legacy. Root beer is added to the batter, where its spicy flavor is enhanced by cinnamon, fresh and ground ginger, and star anise. A simple cocoa and root beer glaze completes the cake. (Having trouble with Bundt cakes sticking? Check out this blog: How to prevent Bundt cakes from sticking.)
Get the recipe: Root Beer Cake with Chocolate Root Ganache
Buy the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend AND Unbleached all purpose flour
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
7) Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Adding mashed sweet potato to the dough results in wonderfully soft buns with a golden hue. Rolled in cinnamon and slathered in buttercream, these rolls are a great weekend bake. The recipe was developed by baker Carla Briggs, who points to the influence of black bakers, inventors and scientists who came before her (with a tip of the hat to George Washington Carver's sweet potato research) in this blog: I am carrying on the legacy of the black bakers before me.
Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Buy the recipe: Indonesian cinnamon AND Pure vanilla extract
Photography by Rick Holbrook, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
8) Rose Pistachio Cookies with Cherry and White Chocolate
Baker Dawn Konofaos is known for her beautiful and delicious vegan recipes and these gorgeous cookies, filled with pistachios, cherries and white chocolate and flavored with rose petals, are no exception. She calls them “goddess cookies” and says she created the recipe to celebrate the black entrepreneurs who have influenced her life. Bake them for the goddess in your life—they'd make a perfect Valentine's Day dessert.
Get the recipe: Rose Pistachio Cookies with Cherry and White Chocolate
Buy the recipe: Jumbo cookie scoop AND Circled cookie sheet
Photography by Rick Holbrook, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
9) Coffee Cake Cookies
This ingenious breakfast mix of cookies and brownies includes a fluffy cookie topped with cinnamon crumbs. Baker Amanda Mack recommends sprinkling them cinnamon-Maple butter for an extraordinary breakfast.
Get the recipe: Coffee Cake Cookies
Buy the recipe: Unbleached cake flour AND Maple syrup
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
10) Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding
According to recipe developer Tiffany-Anne Parkes, “Sweet potato pudding is undoubtedly the most beloved dessert not only of Jamaicans, but of the entire non-Spanish speaking Caribbean.” Her version of this iconic Jamaican sticky toffee baked pudding is filled with raisins and warm spices, sweetened with sweet potatoes, sugar and molasses, and topped with rum. Boldly flavored and very comforting, it's a wonderful way to end a winter meal.
Get the recipe: Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding
Buy the recipe: Orange oil AND Sublime Dutch oven
Read more about the rich history of black bakers and American cookies.
Cover picture (Cheddar and Scallion Cathead Biscuits) by Rick Holbrook, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
