As our team at Groundswell closes out this year, we’ve been taking time in community with one another to celebrate all the ways we’ve been able to keep serving our neighbors.
As a person of faith, I believe we were made for community, which is reflected in the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s one of the ideas behind Groundswell’s core value of “serving with joy.” In contrast to the culture we see reflected in the popular press and social media – which increasingly portrays serving others as weak and lowly – we believe that serving others is joyful and powerful work.
To that point, there will be much Good ahead in the New Year. For starters, we’re cutting electricity bills for thousands of families and building resilience hubs that will serve thousands more. Our team has already enrolled more than 100 households whose homes will be repaired with energy efficiency beginning in January, and we are looking forward to breaking ground on a portfolio of new community solar and resilience hub projects serving small towns across the Southeast before spring. And that’s just the beginning. As we heard from hundreds of our friends and colleagues at the Rural Renaissance Roadshow, it’s time to come back together in a spirit of unity to get more Good stuff done.
As a Southerner, you can’t get people together without sharing plenty of good food. In my family, during the Christmas season, that always included my Mammaw Knopp’s Red Velvet Cake. As her sous-chef, I dutifully chopped each pecan into four even pieces and learned every trick that made her cake so very good.
It is, therefore, my delight to share her recipe here with you in hopes that it will bless your table, too.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and wishing each of you peace and joy in great abundance in the New Year,
L. Michelle Moore
CEO, Groundswell
RED VELVET CAKE
As made by Mammaw Knopp
Cake
2 1/2 cups of cake flour (measure flour, sift, then sift again to combine the dry ingredients)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cocoa (I use a heaping tbsp)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 Wesson oil
1 tsp white vinegar
2 large eggs
1 oz bottle of natural red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla
Measure and sift your flour.
Add soda and cocoa to your sifted flour and sift it all again.
Add sugar to your sifted dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and oil, gently stirring it together with a spatula or a whisk. Add white vinegar. Then add your two large eggs. Add vanilla and natural red food coloring at the very end.
The batter will be fairly thin. Be mindful not to over mix it. The cake will be more tender and fluffy if it’s not over mixed.
Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper (this will make it easier to get your cakes out when they’re done). Pour batter into the two pans.
Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until the cake is done. When done, let the cake layers cool on a cooling rack.
Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 8-oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 box of powdered sugar (16 oz), sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of pecans, chopped
Cream your butter and cream cheese together. It’s easiest to do this with a mixer. Sift your powdered sugar and add it a little at the time to your cream cheese and butter. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Fold in chopped pecans with a spatula at the end.
Assembling the Cake
When your cake layers are cooled, assemble and frost the cake. (Pro Tip from Mammaw: Put a little powdered sugar on your cake plate to keep your cake from sticking.)
Enjoy in love and good health!
Check Out Our Podcast
Are you passionate about rural innovation and community impact? The latest episode of The Groundswell Way podcast is a must-listen!
In this episode, Tony Pipa of the Brookings Institution leads a dynamic conversation with Al Puchala (CapZone), Kyle Bridgeforth (Bridgeforth Farms), and Chéri Smith (Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy). Together, they share expert perspectives on economic development, agriculture, and clean energy—all with a focus on empowering rural communities.
Whether you’re a rural leader, policymaker, or just eager to learn from forward-thinking changemakers, this episode is packed with actionable insights and fresh ideas.
Don’t miss out — the newest episode drops tomorrow! Be sure to check it out and explore the full Groundswell Way podcast series here!