Bourbon-pecan Cake

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup whole candied red cherries
• 1 cup golden seedless raisins
• 1 cup kentucky bourbon
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups pecans or 2 cups walnuts, halves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine, in room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• candied red cherries, optional
• pecans, optional

Recipe

• 1 in medium size bowl, mix cherries, raisins and bourbon.
• 2 cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hour.
• 3 grease and flour 12 cup fluted tube pan.
• 4 heat oven to 325 degrees.
• 5 drain fruits, reserving bourbon.
• 6 in small bowl, toss ¼ flour and pecans.
• 7 in medium size bowl, mix remaining 2 ¼ cups flour with nutmeg, baking powder and salt.
• 8 in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat butter until light and fluffy.
• 9 add sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 10 add eggyolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 11 beat in 1 cup flour mixture.
• 12 with mixer at medium speed, add ¼ cup reserved bourbon alternately with remaining 2 cups flour mixture, beating well each addition.
• 13 batter will be thick.
• 14 in another large bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.
• 15 stir about ¼ beaten egg whites into batter and fold in remaining egg whites.
• 16 fold in cherries, raisins and nuts.
• 17 turn batter into prepared pan and bake about 1 ½ hours or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• 18 remove cake from pan and brush remaining reserved bourbon.
• 19 drizzle glaze down sides.
• 20 cut candied cherries and pecans into quarters and garnish cake.
• 21 note: for stronger bourbon flavor, saturate piece of cheesecloth with additional bourbon.
• 22 wrap cake in cheesecloth then with foil or plastic wrap.
• 23 store in refrigerator in tightly covered container for 2-3 weeks.
• 24 unwrap cake, place on serving platter.
• 25 drizzle with glaze and garnish as desired.
• 26 confectioner’s sugar glaze: in a small bowl, beat 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 4 tsp milk and ¼ tsp vanilla extract until smooth.