Gumbo Love Review and a Recipe From the Book!

Today, I am excited to share a new cookbook and recipe with you!  So, if you love pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream, I think you’ll want to make this one!

Recently, the publicity manager for Gumbo Love offered to send me a copy for review.   When I read through the description, I just knew this cookbook would be a great fit for my blog and couldn’t wait to get started.  I mean, what are the odds that I wouldn’t love a cookbook that incorporates Caribbean, Cajun, Cuban, Mexican, Old Florida, and Creole influences?  Mix in the fact that the author, Lucy Buffett (Lulu), is Jimmy Buffett’s sister and I was prepared to be entertained!

*Although I received a copy of the cookbook for review, all opinions expressed are my own.  Also, please note that this post may contain affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking my links below, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Gumbo Love Cookbook Review:

Includes the recipe for pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream:

Gumbo Love Cookbook and Strawberry Pound Cake

About the book:

A delicious love letter to the Gulf Coast’s vibrant food culture, by Jimmy Buffett’s sister and owner of two beloved destination restaurants in Alabama and Florida. 

Incorporating Caribbean, Cajun, Cuban, Mexican, Old Florida, and Creole influences, Lucy proves through her collection of recipes that the Gulf Coast has its own distinct flavors and traditions that make it a destination year after year. Surviving hurricanes, the Gulf Coast—beyond just New Orleans—has a vibrant food and culture that’s gone largely unnoticed. Lucy wants to change that by sharing her food and stories with GUMBO LOVE readers.

Like her brother, Jimmy, Lucy celebrates freedom, relaxation, and seaside decadence in her own art–cooking, and has now written the cookbook her fans have been asking her for; one that offers the recipes she’s famous for, along with Gulf Coast classics and stories of growing up in Mobile, Alabama, working in New Orleans, and her philosophy of relaxation, gratitude, and enjoyment.

Lucy combines over one hundred new recipes with old favorites. Her fans will find recipes for their social occasions including gumbos, main dishes, deep fried favorites (with her easy frying tutorial), salads, seasonings, libations, and desserts. They will also learn how Lucy navigates the kitchen, her business, and her family and readers will come away with the basic ingredients of an inspiring life philosophy.

In Gumbo Love, she combines over one hundred new recipes with old favorites, including gumbos, main dishes, deep fried favorites, salads, seasonings, libations, and desserts. Featuring classic family recipes, Lucy also explains in heartfelt, humorous stories about learning what it takes to make gumbo (especially amid many challenging life lessons), and how that helped her become an independent and empowered woman.

Gumbo Love by Lucy Buffett

Image credit: Angie Mosier

If you’re like me, you sometimes just read a cookbook for the recipes and skip through most of the text.  

Luckily, I didn’t do that in this case or I would have really missed out!

What fun it was to learn about Lucy Buffett’s family memories and traditions along with her inspiration for the name, “Gumbo Love”!  I especially loved Lucy’s list of life lessons and the stories behind them!  Her philosophy on life as well as cooking is so refreshing… and just what you would expect from a member of the Buffett family!

“Jimmy captures in his music the same attitude I celebrate in my food…”  
– Lucy Buffett

 

Lucy Buffett

Image credit: Chandler Williams of Modus Photography

Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream:

Last night, I tried one of her recipes from the book and I would love to share it with you!

Classic Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries Recipe

CLASSIC SOUTHERN POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Excerpted from the book GUMBO LOVE by Lucy Buffett. Copyright © 2017 by Lucy Buffett. Reprinted with permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved. http://lucybuffett.com/

SERVES 12 TO 16

GROWING UP SOUTHERN, pound cake was part of my sweet-tasting experience, as there was always some kind of pound cake sitting on my grandmother’s counter. The traditional story about pound cake is that the ingredients consist of “a pounda” butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. This is my rendition of the classic dessert, and there are really no words to describe the sweet vanilla aroma and rich buttery taste of love infused in every bite.

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract (or use almond or any other flavored extract)

Fresh whipped cream (recipe follows), for garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan (a tube pan is preferred, but if you use a Bundt pan instead, you’ll need to make sure to leave 1 inch of space at the top of the pan, so you may end up with a small amount of leftover batter).

2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the sliced strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the cake.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the remaining 3 cups sugar, ½ cup at a time, and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Serve each piece with a spoonful of the chilled strawberries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

FRESH WHIPPED CREAM

INGREDIENTS

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or

flavored liqueur

3 tablespoons sugar

METHOD

1. Place a medium metal bowl in the freezer to chill.

2. When ready to prepare the whipped cream, place the cream and vanilla in the chilled bowl. With an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed, gradually adding the sugar. The cream will begin to thicken.

3. Whip the cream until it begins to form stiff peaks. Be careful not to overwhip or the cream will separate.

Pound Cake and Strawberries - Gumbo Love Review and Recipe

I guess it made sense for me to try one of her dessert recipes first since Lucy, being the “rule breaker” that she is, begins her cookbook with desserts!  As she says, “Life is short – eat dessert first.”  I loved the way this pound cake turned out.  Not only is it pretty and great for entertaining but it’s the perfect amount of sweetness – and so moist!  Even with my tendency to overcook things, I didn’t mess it up!  Adding the strawberries and fresh whipped cream took it to another level of deliciousness!  I can’t wait to make this one for guests!

In addition to all the delectable dessert recipes, I have already bookmarked several pages of fun drink concoctions, (margaritas anyone?!!), amazing salsas and other enticing entrees that will be sure to pull me out of my recipe rut!  For some reason, I have a feeling I’ll be referring to this book a great deal!

Yield: Serves 12-16

Southern Pound Cake with Strawberries

Strawberry poundcake on plate with bowl of strawberries and Gumbo Love Cookbook

A delicious pound cake recipe with a rich, buttery taste topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Additional Time 1 minute
Total Time 1 hour 21 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
  • 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract (or use almond or any other flavored extract)
  • Fresh whipped cream (recipe follows), for garnish

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan (a tube pan is preferred, but if you use a Bundt pan instead, you’ll need to make sure to leave 1 inch of space at the top of the pan, so you may end up with a small amount of leftover batter).

    2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the sliced strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the cake.

    3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

    4. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the remaining 3 cups sugar, ½ cup at a time, and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

    5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.

    6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Serve each piece with a spoonful of the chilled strawberries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Notes

FRESH WHIPPED CREAM

INGREDIENTS

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or

flavored liqueur

3 tablespoons sugar

METHOD

1. Place a medium metal bowl in the freezer to chill.

2. When ready to prepare the whipped cream, place the cream and vanilla in the chilled bowl. With an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed, gradually adding the sugar. The cream will begin to thicken.

3. Whip the cream until it begins to form stiff peaks. Be careful not to overwhip or the cream will separate.

Since I just know you will want to check out more of Lucy’s recipes and read all about her adventures, order your copy of Gumbo Love today!  Please keep me posted on which recipes are your favorites!

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Gumbo Love Review - with a recipe from the book!

Gumbo Love

Pound cake with strawberries

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15 Comments

  1. Looks like a fablous cookbook! I may have to order one for my Sista's bday!! Enjoy your week, sweet Sally.

  2. Looks like a fun cookbook. Love your pictures in this post, Shelley. Have a great weekend!

  3. I am a collector of cookbooks and since Lucy is from my state, I know I will want her book! Pound cake is a favorite dessert at my house…thanks for sharing the recipe!

  4. That looks like such a nice cookbook. The pound cake looks really good with the strawberries. Thanks for telling us about the book.

  5. Everything looks so delicious! OXOXDawn Lucyhttp://fashionshouldbefun.com

  6. I love a recipe book that has a story and although I'm not familiar with Gumbo recipes I've heard of them. The pound cake with strawberries looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe and book review with us at #overthemoon link party. I'm sharing on social media. Have a lovely week and see you next week.Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

  7. Ooo…this looks like a cookbook that I would enjoy. I already love the pound cake and strawberry recipe 🙂

  8. Looks like a great cookbook!…I love making pound cake..this one looks so delicious especially with those strawberries!

  9. Yum!!! I recently made almost the same recipe, but I cheated and bought the pound cake. This looks like a great cookbook!! xoxo

  10. oh my…having a husband who grew up in lousiana, this style of cooking is right up our alley!! your strawberry pound cake looks so refreshing. hope you are having a great summer so far.

  11. Pound cake with whipped cream and strawberries is a go to favorite for summer! Can't wait to try this recipe!

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