Southern nut cake

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pounds (4 1/2 cups) walnuts
1 pounds (4 1/2 cups) pecans
3½ cup Sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Double-acting baking powder
½ teaspoon Mace
¼ teaspoon Salt
¾ cup Milk
¼ cup Brandy or bourbon
¾ pounds (1 1/2 cups) butter
2 cups Sugar
6 Eggs
3 tablespoons Additional brandy or bourbon (up to 4)

Directions

OPTIONAL

makes 16 or more generous portions, each 2 or 3 thin slices. It is best to make this cake the day ahead.

Adjust oven rack one-third of the way up from the bottom of the oven.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter a 10 x 4-inch tube pan. Line the bottom with paper cut to fit. Butter the paper and dust all over lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs. Or, if you use a 10-inch nonstick tube pan, either line the bottom of the pan with baking pan liner paper (unbuttered), or line it with wax paper and butter the wax paper.

Break or cut the nuts into large pieces. They should not be finely chopped. Place the nuts in your largest mixing bowl, 6- to 8-quart capacity. If you don't have a very large mixing bowl, use a saucepan or roasting pan instead.

Sift together flour, baking powder, mace and salt. Set aside. Combine the milk and ¼ cup brandy or bourbon and set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula. On moderate speed, add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly incorporated after each and scraping the bowl with the rubber spatula as necessary to keep everything well mixed. Increase speed and beat for about 3 minutes until very light and fluffy. Mixture might look curdled at this point - O.K..

On lowest speed alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions and the milk mixture in two, scraping the bowl as necessary with the spatula and beating only until smooth after each addition. Pour the batter over the nuts. Stir with a large wooden spatula or large wooden spoon until the nuts are all coated with the batter. Turn into pan. Spread the top level.

Bake for 1¾ hours or until a cake tester comes out dry. Remove from oven and place cake pan on a rack. Sprinkle or brush optional brandy or bourbon over top of hot cake. Let cake cool in pan for about 20 minutes.

Cover cake with a rack and invert to remove pan and paper. Cover with another rack and carefully invert again to cool. Let cake stand overnight before cutting. Cut with a very sharp knife into thin slices.

Recipe is from _Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts_.

Posted to EAT-L Digest 9 November 96 Date: Sun, 10 Nov 1996 16:18:09 EST From: Felicia Pickering <MNHAN063@...>

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