Originally from Connecticut, Barb Pires is a celebrated pastry chef and seasoned professional with extensive experience in culinary operations, management, and leadership within the hospitality sector. Her Coconut Cake was voted the Best Coconut Cake in Atlanta in Creative Loafing when she was at the helm of Metrotainment Bakery. Her background includes versatile expertise across various facets of the food and beverage industry, from retail and wholesale to instruction and organizational leadership. She has been in the food business for over 30 years, including most recently as the Director of Operations for Henri’s Bakery.
She is the Past President of the Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, in addition to other board roles, and on the Board of Directors for Les Dames d’Escoffier International as Treasurer. Barb lives in Powder Springs, Georgia, where you can find her admiring the hummingbirds on her porch every morning.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the butter and sugar until combined. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Starting with the flour mixture, add it to the sugar/butter mixture alternating with buttermilk and ending with the flour mixture on low speed. Do not over mix – the batter should be crumbly like biscuit dough.
- Add the raisins and walnuts (optional: caraway seeds if using) just until they are mixed in. Scoop dough into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the loaf comes clean, about 1 hour.
