The on-going chronicle of all things related to the George and Laura Roediger House (c. 1905) in the historic Holly Avenue Neighborhood of downtown Winston-Salem, NC. More info and pictures can be found at RoedigerHouse.com. [Mobile users: CLICK TO SEARCH the blog.]
Sun 18 Oct. The raucous reunion of RoHo regulars last Sunday night required a dessertish denouement, and I figured a sizable soup serving needed a grand spread of Texas sheetcake as its concluding complement. Fortunately, the double chocolate liqueur ice cream batch I’d made the previous week had sufficient quantity as to let it ride alongside. We didn’t seem to mind doubling up on the fun.
"Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake," from Karli Bitner of Cooking with Karli. [Published 11 March 2026]
Dateline: Sat 19 Sept. It was a second night in a row for a reunion of UNC Tar Heels around the table, back on Saturday the 19th. Fellow alum and fellow Golden Fleece argonaut Chris was amenable to a return journey over to the Triad for a delightful evening of visiting and hanging out and, of course, some suitable grub. Without heading to the grocery store, I realized early in the day that I could pull this off with a bacon Swiss Gruyère quiche, with a base of caramelized onions, along with sliced tomatoes as a cool and refreshing side. It was all helped along, methinks, with a harbinger of the coming fall: apple cider doughnut loaf cake. This sweet side-ride has only shown up here a couple of times before, but it is appreciated with each return.
Also: this dear little hellion Scarlett is a mess:
Recipe based on "Bacon and Caramelized Onion Quiche," from Kelley Epstein of Mountain Mama Cooks. [Published 11 April 2011]
"Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake," by Sarah Jampal. In Bon Appétit, September 2020, p. 56, 57, 76. [Published 14 October 2020]
A couple of weekends ago, we wrapped up our days off with a birthday gathering, which was perfect for bringing out a hearty celebratory dessert consisting of an amazing moist carrot sheet cake that just can't be beat. I also had two different ice creams. One of those has long been a faithful go-to: eggnog ice cream. But the other was a creamy variation on vanilla ice cream, from the delightful Jocelyn Delk Adams, whose recipes have found their way to my kitchen before [like this, or this, or this]. I was looking to up the cream content, and achieving something much more rich, all while still maintaining a good vanilla wallop. As for the gathered crew: I reckon we were all glad for how well all those desserts worked together for the good of the kind humans enjoying time in this treasured sanctuary. Or at least to goad our stomachs to push out a little further into this poor troubled world.
Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 20 April 2026]
"Eggnog Ice Cream," from Bi-Rite Creamery's Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press (2012), p. 186-187.
"Big Mama's Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream," from Jocelyn Delk Adams of GrandbabyCakes.com. [Posted 15 May 2025 / Updated 08 July 2026]
Dateline: Sat 22 Aug. It was a Saturday night special a couple of weeks ago to have Amy on hand, and I was ready to celebrate her return with a tempting dessert offering. This time around, I was nudged into nostalgia and reached for one of my Hershey’s cookbooks, wherein might be found a recipe for a hot fudge pudding cake. We’re pretty fond of pudding cakes around here, mind you. And it was all the better and a bit on the overwhelming side that I had homemade vanilla ice cream to go with it.
That probably spurred the delightful 4-mile stroll that night, around a very lively and happening downtown, outdoor music at a number of venues, and tons of people enjoying these last days of summer. And as if it sensed the need to let it all ride long enough, but then send people home to bed at a decent hour, in rolled a storm system of tight-packed intensity with quite a lightning show and a moderate amount of rain, in and out in a flash (or two or twelve), we might say.
Hershey's Hot Fudge Pudding Cake," from 100 Years of Hershey's Favorites. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International, Ltd (1994), p. 8.
Dateline: Sun 26 July. Intentionally timed to be the final meal’s dessert before my brother-in-law wrapped up his summer visit, on the last Sunday of last month, we interrupted our movie watching to indulge in huge slices of white wine coffee cake. Originally brought to my attention in my youth, surrounded by the very many sweet old ladies of Buies Creek and thereabouts, this cake-mix-shortcut treat is hard to mess up and always proves pleasing. Plus: slices could be wrapped up to help Beau manage the long drive home the next day.
Dateline: Mon 20 July. With the latest visit of fellow Tar Heel Chris late last month, some dessert was called for, and I went with the marvelous vanilla bean pudding cake. Simple enough to throw together while I'm making the rest of dinner, so that it can be ready soon after the evening meal, this sweet explosion of vanilla comes across as a real treat, even though it's not a grand production. But the end result is worth even small efforts, for sure.
"Vanilla Bean Pudding Cakes," from Susan Reid. Published by King Arthur Baking. Recipe printed July 2017.
Dateline: Sat 27 June. Between the gastric distress afflicting both pups and the storm-driven power outage on Sumner’s official 10th birthday, it seemed prudent to delay making his special treat. But before that week was out, we got down to it.
I fully expected both Sumner and Scarlett to greet it with great trepidation, as they are subjected to a tightly-regulated and highly-scheduled diet and dining routine.
With little need for encouragement, permission, or assurances, those pups did indeed execute their best doggie dive into the suitable celebration snack, with its heavy concentration of pumpkin and homemade peanut butter and adorned with non-fat Greek yogurt with even more peanut butter.
Sumner was quite certain that his single small slice was not nearly enough.
And much to their delight, controlled portions could be offered up for midday snacks for a few days following. Also: here's the cake before it got cut up and served:
”Dog Birthday Cake,” from Sofi Llansó of Broma Bakery, a baking blog founded by Sarah Fennel in 2010. [Updated 05 June 2026 ]
As May wrapped up, the Roediger House found itself in a celebratory mood with all of its favorite locals on hand for a movie-watching extravaganza that lasted all day, as noted in yesterday's blog post. We did also indulge in dessert later that evening, featuring a new and an old recipe. On its maiden voyage here was vanilla Texas sheet cake, inspired in part because of how much we all liked the recent lemon version I'd made. It also proved to be a winner, in a warmer vanilla bean-boosted way. And as revealed in the photo above, there was also ice cream, a return to the simple churning chest freezer version of a chocolate Wendy's Frosty ice cream (first made in 2012 and based on a long ago Southern Living blog post). Best served when it's got its icy features and mouthfeel, I thought it achieved a strong chocolate punch, perhaps helping it to be acceptable enough for the gang.
"Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake," from Karli Bitner of Cooking with Karli. [Published 11 March 2026]
The recipe for a copycat Wendy's Chocolate Frosty was originally discovered in a discussion thread on the discontinued Southern Living blogs, posted by user Patricia Elizabeth (Pat) Martin (pbj1118), proud alumnus (Class of 1969) of Isaac Litton High School in Nashville, TN. (Recipe accessed September 2005.) Similar recipe is available at The House of Elyn Ryn: "Wendy's Chocolate Frosty: An Easy Copycat of a Classic Treat," from Rynn Hennings. [Published 11 August 2022]
Homemade Chocolate Milk based on guidance from "Homemade Chocolate Frosty," from Tieghan Girard of Half-Baked Harvest. [Updated 04 August 2025]
Flavor boosted with homemade chocolate syrup, from a batch based on "Hershey's Chocolate Syrup," from Stephanie Manley of CopyKat.com. [Published 25 August 2020 / Updated 15 September 2021]
When UNC buddy Chris was here for an evening visit on Saturday a week ago, dessert was included to help make the reunion complete. On that occasion, I tackled the sheetcake version of carrot cake that's proven to be pretty exceptional: a copycat of J. Alexander's. I've made this several times now and it almost always gets rave reviews. Its sugar content certainly does not hurt its popularity but overall it's also a really delicious, warmly-spiced, fluffy and moist concoction. And cream cheese frosting never hurts, eh?
Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 20 April 2026]
You'd have to harken back to those halcyon glory days of college life at Carolina to trace the roots of my friendship with Tim Thomas. We next found ourselves laboring a decade later towards our respective PhDs at the University of Virginia, and we enjoyed many a visit once he had the generous foresight to invite me to offer training when he was an administrator in Shenandoah County. He and his wife Laura and their younger daughter CeCe stopped here last Saturday morning on their way to the North Carolina mountains, and the timing could not have been better, given that Ebbie and Donna were here for their regular Camel City pilgimage.
Such a terrific visit for the whole crew of us, which had to be captured in the usual picture-taking spot in the front foyer. And it seemed like we ought to have a breakfast-y sweet treat to support our gathering at the table for visiting and conversation (even though Donna and Ebbie had already brought great goodies!) but then too did the Thomases arrive with additional treats from their stop at Camino Bakery just up the street. From my own oven I brought out a lemon loaf with a sweet lemon glaze, which generally has proven to be a hit here when I've been smart enough to do exactly what the recipe tells me. As Mondays go, this one was for the record books, all around.
"The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of AverieCooks.com. [Published 15 March 2019 / Updated 16 May 2023]
After supper last Tuesday night, I had a dessert ready to be served: lemon Texas sheet cake. I'd never made this before and feel like I stumbled onto the perfect recipe for it, given how wonderfully it turned out. But man! This is better when there's a crowd, because it is a full cookie sheet pan of deliciousness. Moist and tender, fully lemoned, and a delight to consume, the Roediger House is pleased for this new recipe to join its treasured stable of goodies.
"Lemon Texas Sheet Cake," by Brooke Homec of The Salted Sweets. [Published 18 March 2024 / Updated 05 February 2025]
Last weekend's birthday gathering had cake, but not what one might normally think of as "birthday cake." Instead, we went with a Texas sheet cake, deeply chocolatey and fudgy, with its amazing pecan-studded frosting glaze, which is really what brings it all together. This has been a long-time favorite from growing up in Buies Creek, a regular treat my mother would make and that really became the take-back-to-college staple. But I have neglected it over the last several years: it's only appeared not quite once a year for almost a decade now. That's a shame.
"Scotch Chocolate Cake," [in my world, also known as Texas sheet cake]. Credited to Susie Timmons. From "Popular: Cake Request Gets 22 Responses," by Michael Hastings, Food Editor of the Winston-Salem Journal. [Published 06 October 6 2010 / Updated 16 April 2021]
We've been taking it easy on the dessert regimen lately...seems like there'd been more of it than good sense would call for. But when Amy was here last week, I gave in to a simmering desire for a good old-fashioned single-layer yellow cake round with a simple chocolate frosting. And it was really awesome, actually, in all that non-fussy ordinary glory. Perhaps I could have sliced a larger portion but I exercised rare restraint.
With all that taken in for the evening's sustenance, a walk downtown was certainly necessary before bedtime. I did an initial circling of the block in the day-ending gloaming and snagged this photo of the back of the Roediger House, perched below Broad Street grade, and itself looking towards the city skyline.
"Homemade Yellow Cake," from Stephie Predmore of Stephie Cooks. [Published 13 November 2025]
"Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting," from Erica Acevedo of the Crumby Kitchen. [Published 16 July 2022 / Updated 15 January 2025]
It seems to me that the only J. Alexander’s Restaurant I’ve ever encountered was up in Winchester, VA, and I might have eaten there two or three times. But I do not recall getting to try its featured carrot cake, so having a copycat recipe for it is due not to compulsion but to coincidence. Might I nonetheless be glad for how well it served to guide my dessert-making for four of us last Thursday night? Absolutely. While I’ve no plans to abandon the much-loved three-layer version that dear friends (who at the time lived in Winchester!) recommended years and years ago, this sheet cake take will be perfect for a re-make.
Bradley took some back home to Boone to share with his family, and apparently his younger son Russell thinks Daddy needs to visit Dr. Ray-Ray again soon and come home with more of that carrot cake.
Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 28 March 2024]
Last week's Monday evening dinner of burgers still allowed for a fun little dessert to be served, and that night I went with an old-fashioned sour cream coffee cake. With strudel both as a middle layer and as a topping, and with thin but soft moist layers of sweet cake between, this breakfast cross-over proved pleasing and worthy of extras before the night was done.
"Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Coffee Cake," from Marzia Aziz of the Little Spice Jar blog. [Published 11 April 2019 / Updated 26 January 2026]
It's been over two years since I made the rock-solid RockRecipes.com version of red velvet layer cake, and this past Valentine's Day seemed like just the right incentive to bring it out of the archives. Barry Parsons has a deft touch with velvet cake recipes, and I've tried and loved several from his blog over the years. But there really is something special about a good red velvet cake, and I'm always happy if the occasion calls for it and I step up with the right response. For the four of us hanging out that evening, there was a resounding delight to know second pieces were on people's minds.
"The Best Red Velvet Cake," from Barry C. Parsons of RockRecipes.com. [Originally Published June 2012 / Updated 17 April 2025]
Just before leaving town to work a stretch of days in southeast Georgia, I needed to knock out some items from the fridge, and that helped set the course for dinner on the first Saturday of February. I used ground beef in a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe, which enjoyed a slow simmer on the cooktop before being served abundantly over fresh-cooked spaghetti. With a side salad of power greens topped with the last of some homemade Thousand Island dressing, it was a fine weekend supper.
But with some sour cream that was nearing its use-by date, I sought out a quick dessert I might throw together after dinner, and this time around it was the Starbucks-inspired lemon loaf with a sweet glaze. It wasn't needed but what's that got to do with anything?
"Our Favorite Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce," from Joanne Gallagher of InspiredTaste.net. [Published 16 January 2020]
"The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of AverieCooks.com. [Published 15 March 2019 / Updated 16 May 2023]
When National Carrot Cake Day rolled around Tuesday a week ago, I knew I didn't need to make a whole layer cake...even though we do enjoy a perfect recipe for it around here, from time to time. Instead, with three at dinner that night, I reached way back into the pandemic era for something I'd made just once before: carrot cake shells filled with speculoos cookie butter mousse. I'll blame my lack of practice with dessert shells of this sort for the unfortunate structural complications of the finished shells: my special pan does not come with a set of recipes or enough guidance. So I was experimenting. Still: that mousse is sort of addictive, and once one begins to dig into this, the well-formed shellscape is quickly compromised anyway, right? Plus: sugar.
"Speculoos Cookie Butter Mousse," from Erin Vasicek of TheSpiffyCookie.com. [Published 23 February 2015]
Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 28 March 2024]
When I was on faculty at Wake Forest University, I built into the calendar each year a series of events that were simply reasons to gather: a dessert and decaf in May, a brunch in the run-up to Easter, and each January a chili cook-off gathering. The most consistent continuation of those, albeit with an evolving or shifting guest list because of different directions that life takes us, has been the January chili affair. These troubled times are the very reason we must stay connected, so last Sunday night the chili cook-off came back to life at the Roediger House.
The pandemic put a true kink in the ritual, and the only year since that I made an effort to at least time a chili gathering to its usual spot around Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Weekend was in 2022. Deviled by a nostalgic impulse here in 2026, I wanted this to be a bigger deal: that meant a guest list and an invitation card to be mailed, adapted from the graphic I'd used back in 2010. The weather worried us a bit that day: we were in the mid-30s with precip moving through and a promise of a frozen mix. But for the hearty souls who turned out, it was a great night with a delicious variety of chili to sample.
With it being the first attempt at resurrecting this event for a few years, I didn't have a good measure of how available folks on the invite list might be. Still: better to be prepared, right? So I made a couple of appetizer options for us, including my version of South Carolina-style pimento cheese (above) and my own divination of Virginia-style Mexican restaurant white dipping sauce:
Of course, there had to be a pan of Granny Wilson's honey wheat cornbread. Since this delicious variation makes a full sheet pan's worth of sweet cornbread, the chili cookoff was perfect for bringing it out. I must've missed something in its preparation, though: it wasn't quite as on target as I'm accustomed to. No pictures are available, which is probably for the best.
Let's not leave out the dessert options for that chili winter's night, starting with Ina Garten's marvelous lemon bars on shortbread cookie crust. Well-glucosed and super lemony, these bars are marvelous to the max, each and every time.
Before we no longer had the recent holidays out of sight in the rear view mirror, I also wanted another go at eggnog tres leches cake. Alas, the version I've been most dependent on makes a thicker sponge cake than seems prudent—it can end up with unmilked dry portions that I find problematic. So I skimmed down the cake layer with some clever mathing, but kept the milks and topping amounts constant.
"Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans," from Cook's Illustrated, Number Sixty-One [March-April 2003], p. 10-11.
"Vegetarian Chili," from All About Vegetarian Cooking. By the editors of Joy of Cooking: Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. New York: Scribner (2000), p. 82-83. Cookbook was a gift from former student Alison Pomeroy.
"Granny Wilson's Cornbread," a recipe shared with me by Linda B. Dunlap.
"South Carolina-Style Pimento Cheese." Recipe worked out by me, based on Sharon's Palmetto Pimento Cheese. [Published 23 October 2009]
"Mexican Restaurant White Dipping Sauce," a recipe worked out by me, sampled by Spring Street, and approved of by all.
"Lemon Bars," by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Published in Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2001.
Modified from "Eggnog Tres Leches Cake," from Michele Feuerborn of FlavorMosaic.com. [Published 13 December 2015]
Last Wednesday evening's weekly gathering with Amy on hand featured a new dessert, a take on a less-sweet snacking cake with a dark chocolate whipped ganache. It was a tasty evening finisher but dark chocolate is not a universally-loved feature here, so I suspect I'll opt for a less punchy topping if this reappears in the future.
Adapted from "One-Bowl Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting," from Christina Marsigliese of ScientificallySweet.com. [Updated 03 April 2025]
