Roy Davis

Roy Davis of Bruce has a policy about cooking: “Follow the recipe. If it messes up following the recipe, I call Evelyn Spratlin for help!”

Davis began cooking in 2001 after his wife, Nellie, was in a car accident. When she first returned home from the hospital, she would tell him how to cook certain things, and was his “taster and a good teacher.” He learned how to cook biscuits and cornbread when he was probably 14, from his mother, Anna. She liked to bake her own bread and he remembers her telling them as kids not to jar the floor while she was baking.

His mother and grandmother always kept a dessert made, and he got used to that, so now he does, too. His favorite desserts are Apricot Nectar Cake, and the Orange Date Cake, which he says is a little harder to make.

Roy, who cooks some every day, likes vegetables–peas, butterbeans, okra, turnips, and tomato soup. He also likes a grated sweet potato pudding that his mother used to make, chicken and dressing, chicken and dumplings, peach cobbler pie, vinegar roll, and butter roll. “I try to copy after her the best I can, but none of it tastes like hers did!” he said.

Apricot Nectar Cake
Nellie Davis
Four eggs, separated
3/4 cup salad oil
3/4 cup apricot nectar
One package yellow cake mix
Grated rind of one lemon
Add yolks to oil and nectar. Stir above into cake mix, to which rind has been added. Beat four minutes at slow speed. Beat egg whites stiff, but not dry and fold them into batter. Pour into angel food cake pan that has been greased, with the bottom of pan also lightly floured. Bake in 325° oven one hour. Remove cake from oven and cool 10 minutes. Then glaze top with: One cup loosely packed powdered sugar and six tablespoons lemon juice. When cool, remove from pan. (You can omit lemon rind and use one teaspoon vanilla flavoring and one teaspoon almond extract.)

Grandma’s Orange Date Nut Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp. soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
4 cups flour, sifted
1 cup chopped pecans
1-7 1/2 oz. pkg. dates, chopped
2 tsp. grated orange rind
Cream butter and sugar; add well-beaten egg yolks. Dissolve soda in buttermilk and add to butter mixture alternately with flour. Dredge nuts and dates in flour. Fold into batter with orange rind and stiffly beaten egg whites. Line greased tube pan with waxed paper and fill with batter. Bake at 300 for one hour and 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Puncture with ice pick.
Topping:
2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. grated orange rind
Combine sugar, orange juice and rind. Pour over hot cake. Let stand and soak overnight. 15 servings.

Sweet Potato Pie
Mrs. Howard Allen
2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 stick margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sweet milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Nutmeg (if desired)
Mix all ingredients well and pour into unbaked 9” pie crust and bake at 325° until it won’t shake when moved.