WHISKEY PECAN CAKE

Prep Time: 4½ Hours
Yields: 8-10 Servings

Comment:
I received this recipe from Anne Butler of Butler Greenwood Plantation in St. Francisville, La. It has been in her family for generations. The cake was often baked around Thanksgiving time then covered with cheesecloth. Each day, a different member of the family will baste the cake with whiskey until it’s devoured.

Ingredients:
1½ cups whiskey
1 pound coarsely chopped pecans
1 pound golden raisins
½ pound butter
1 pound sugar
6 eggs
1 pound flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
8 candied red cherries, halved
8 candied green cherries, halved
1 pound dates, thinly sliced

Method:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray a 9-inch tube pan with vegetable spray and set aside. Place raisins in a zipper bag and top with whiskey. Allow raisins to marinate 24 hours. Drain and reserve whiskey. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar over medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and blend mixture on high speed until pail yellow and ribbony. Reduce speed to low then add flour and baking powder. Whip 2 minutes. Add pecans, raisins, nutmeg, candied cherries and dates. Scrape down side of bowl with rubber spatula and continue to whip until batter is well blended. Pour batter into tube pan and bake 4 hours, checking for doneness at 3½ hours. I recommend pouring ¼ cup of reserved whiskey over the cake once a day for 3 days prior to serving. The cake should remain in the tube pan during this period. Serve with crème anglaise or softened vanilla ice cream.