Preacher Cake

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This tender, moist cake recipe with crushed pineapple, pecans, coconut and cream cheese frosting is an old Southern tradition to serve when the preacher comes by for a visit!

Author: Mandy Rivers | Updated: 5/7/25

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. JUMP TO THE RECIPE
2. WHY IS IT CALLED PREACHER CAKE?
3. FAQ ON PREACHER CAKE
4. MORE OLD-FASHIONED RECIPES

I heard mention of this cake last week and the name really rang a bell for me. I knew exactly what it was and remembered eating it growing up. I thought about it so much that by the time the weekend rolled around I knew I had to make one!

I just knew I had a recipe for it somewhere so when I went looking and couldn't find one I was stumped. I looked through all my recipes and binders and notes and still could not find one.

Then I even pulled out all my old-school community and church cookbooks and looked through all of them. Nothing.

I knew enough about the cake to know it had crushed pineapple and nuts in it (and maybe coconut?) and that all sounded an awful lot like a Hummingbird Cake (without the bananas). And that's what I recall the texture being like too.

I decided to switched up a few things in my Hummingbird Cake recipe, bake it in a 13x9 pan (because that's how I remember Preacher Cake being made) and went with that!

I decided to put coconut in it because I love coconut but I’m not 100% sure if a true Preacher Cake has coconut in it or not. I guess that depends on your preacher... ha! 

WHY IS IT CALLED PREACHER CAKE?

From what I've been told over the years, Preacher Cake got its name because it was a cake you usually had the ingredients for in your pantry, so if the preacher told you he was coming to visit, you could whip one up.

But I'm not sure that theory holds water. This isn't a "whip it up quick" cake. It's not hard or fussy but it's no dump cake either. And I don't know about y'all but I can't see too many people keeping pineapple, pecans, coconut and cream cheese in stock. 

What makes more sense to me is, since it's made in a 13x9 dish, it's easy to tote around. So when it's time to make a dessert for a fellowship dinner, Sunday school, bible study, etc. you might be likely to make this cake. And it's special without requiring any fancy cake decorating skills.

FAQ ON PREACHER CAKE

Is this the same thing as Hummingbird Cake? Nope, but close. Hummingbird Cake has bananas and this cake doesn't.

Can I make it into a layer cake? Yes! This recipe makes a lot of batter so it will easily fill 3 8 or 9-inch cake pans. You will likely need to double the frosting to have enough to frost it, though.

Can I make this in a bundt pan? Yes, but this is too much batter for one standard bundt pan. Fill 2/3 full then pour the remaining batter into a smaller pan to bake a separate, smaller cake. Use the toothpick test to check when the cake(s) is done.

Can I make this in a tube pan? Yes! A standard, 2-piece tube pan will easily hold and bake this cake. Baking time is the same.

Does it need to be refrigerated? No, not the first 3 days or so. There is enough sugar in the frosting to preserve the cream cheese for 3-4 days. 

MORE OLD-FASHIONED RECIPES TO TRY

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES - An easy recipe for chocolate cupcakes stuffed with chocolate chip cream cheese filling. Very much like a cupcake stuffed with cheesecake!

OLD-FASHIONED RAISIN CAKE - A vintage Depression-Era snack cake made with raisins, molasses and cozy spices without any eggs, milk or butter that’s super moist and perfectly sweet.

CHOCOLATE COBBLER - An easy, homemade chocolate dessert recipe with a warm, decadent chocolate fudge sauce that’s formed under the cake-like top as the cobbler bakes.

AMISH SUGAR CREAM PIE - Sugar and cream bake together to form a creamy, almost caramelized, satiny smooth filling in this old-fashioned vanilla custard pie recipe.

OLD-FASHIONED COCONUT PIE - The perfect recipe for classic, old fashioned baked coconut custard pie that's both creamy and chewy in all the best ways! 

Recipe for How to Cook Preacher Cake

Preacher Cake

Yield: 15 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

This tender, moist cake recipe with crushed pineapple, pecans, coconut and cream cheese frosting is an old Southern tradition to serve when the preacher comes by for a visit!

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 3-quart 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray. Set out butter and cream cheese for frosting so that they are very soft when it's time to use them.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl then whisk together; set aside. 3 c. flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3. Combine sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla in a large bowl then whisk together until well combined. 2 c. sugar, 3 eggs, 1 c. oil, 2 tsp vanilla
4. Stir in pineapple (with juice). 1 20-oz can
5. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients.
6. Stir in chopped pecans and coconut then mix all ingredients until everything is thoroughly combined. 1 c. pecans, 1 c. coconut
7. Pour cake batter into pan then bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until cake is set in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Cool cake completely in pan then the frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
9. Cover and store at room temperature up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Whip cream cheese, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy (about 2 minutes). 8-oz cream cheese, 1 stick butter, 1 tsp vanilla
2. A powdered sugar then continue mixing until smooth and creamy. 2 c. powdered sugar
3. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over cake.

Notes

• If making into a layer cake (or anything you're not going to leave in the pan), grease and flour the pans instead of using cooking spray.
• Double the frosting if making into a layer cake to ensure you have enough.
• Feel free to omit pecans or coconut if desired.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2013/11/preacher-cake.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2013

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Hamburger Steaks with Brown Gravy

The BEST recipe for Hamburger Steaks made from fresh ground beef with an easy, homemade brown gravy.

JUMP TO RECIPE

Can you think of many things that are better than brown gravy? I would, honest to God, choose a plate of rice and gravy with a side of black-eyed peas and fresh sliced tomatoes over filet mignon. I’m not even kidding.

And, ummm... I'm  not trying to brag or anything but... if there's ONE thing I'm great at, it's making gravy. If they had a cooking competition for gravy, I could win that sucker blind-folded and drunk with one hand tied behind my back.

Making biscuits? Negative. Cooking a steak to the perfect temperature without cutting it to peak inside? Dumb luck if I do. Decorating beautiful cakes with hand-piped icing? No way. But making gravy? Oh yeah, that's my jam.

You can make brown gravy from just about any kind of meat that’s cooked to yield pan drippings. I guess that’s why we just call it “brown” gravy because you can’t really pigeonhole it into just beef, pork or chicken gravy.

Sometimes I add onions to this but the white onions I had on-hand were wicked strong and I didn't want to overpower the taste of the gravy. If you want to add onions, just slice a medium onion into rings and add to the pan while you’re searing your hamburger steaks.

If you love gravy, double the recipe below. I always eyeball my roux when making gravy like this. I add enough flour to the pan drippings to make it about the consistency of ketchup, cook the four until light brown then add broth or water, while constantly whisking, until it's the thickness that I'm after.

Recipe for Hamburger Steaks with Brown Gravy

PERFECT SIDES DISHES FOR HAMBERGER STEAKS:

• SOUTHERN-STYLE POTATO SALAD - Classic potato salad with boiled eggs, mayo, a dab of relish and a touch of mustard.
• SLOW COOKER PINTO BEANS - Tender, saucy, slow cooked pinto beans perfect with a little diced onion on top.
• GREEN BEANS & POTATOES - Southern style slow cooked green beans cooked with bacon, onions and potatoes.
• SOUTHERN-STYLE BAKED MAC & CHEESE - Custard style baked macaroni and cheese with eggs and evaporated milk.
• BLACK-EYED PEAS - Slow cooked black-eyed peas cooked with ham or bacon until saucy and tender.
• FRIED CABBAGE - Chopped fresh cabbage sauteed in bacon grease seasoned with simple salt and pepper.

MORE HOMESTYLE HAMBURGER AND CUBED STEAK RECIPES!

COUNTRYFRIED CUBED STEAK & GRAVY - A simple recipe for classic southern-style cubed round steak pan fried until crispy and golden brown with homemade pan gravy.

THE BEST SWISS STEAK EVER - An absolutely perfect, tried-and-true recipe for cubed round steak so tender you won't need a knife, braised in a rustic tomato gravy.

SALISBURY STEAK & POTATO SKILLET DINNER - A one-pan meal with tender hamburger steaks, potatoes and scratch-made gravy that cooks in just 30 minutes.

Hamburger Steaks with Brown Gravy

Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

The BEST recipe for Hamburger Steaks made from fresh ground beef with an easy, homemade brown gravy.

Ingredients

Hamburger Steaks:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Brown Gravy:

• 1/4 cup pan drippings
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 14-oz cans beef broth
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the steaks:

1. Crumble ground beef in a medium bowl and add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder; mix by hand until seasoning is evenly distributed taking care not to over-work the meat. Shape ground beef into four thin hamburger steaks (about 1/2 inch thick).
2. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is good and hot, cook steaks on each side for 4-5 minutes or until nicely seared. Remove steaks to a plate and set aside (do not worry if they are cooked through, they will finish cooking in the gravy).

Make the gravy:

1. Reduce frying pan temperature to medium. Pour off pan drippings into a cup or bowl, measure 1/4 cup of the drippings then add back to the pan (the hamburgers should yield 1/4 cup of pan drippings but if you’re short, add vegetable oil or butter).
2. Add flour to pan then whisk to incorporate. Continue cooking and whisking for about 3-5 minutes or until roux is medium brown.
3. Add beef stock and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes or until gravy starts to thicken a little (gravy will be thin). Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add hamburger steaks to gravy, reduce heat to medium-low then continue cooking, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until meat juices run clear and gravy has reduced and thickened.
5. Serve with white rice or mashed potatoes.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2012/09/hamburger-steaks-with-brown-gravy.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2012

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