Walnut-Raisin Cake

Submitted by CarbFiend

"Another goody from McCalls Cooking School. Here's what the book says: "Here's a festive cake you can serve all through the year as well as on holidays. It's a light fruitcake, studded with raisins, nuts and cherries mellowed in bourbon, Southern style. Slice thinly and serve with coffee, sherry or even eggnog. It keeps well, and costs less than most fruitcake." Cook time does not include prep time for nuts/fruits. Make ahead a few days- it needs to mellow in the fridge."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 35mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 1 cake

ingredients

• 2 cups chopped walnuts or 2 cups pecans
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) jar candied red cherries, quartered
• 2 cups raisins
• 1⁄2 cup Bourbon
• 3 1⁄2 cups sifted flour (sift before measuring)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1⁄2 cups butter or 1 1/2 cups margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 eggs
• 1⁄2 cup Bourbon

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour well a 10-inch kuchen, bundt or tube pan. in large bowl, combine walnuts, cherries and raisins with 1/2 C bourbon; mix well. Let stand at room temperature several hours or overnight- liquid will be absorbed.
2. On sheet of waxed paper, sift flour with baking powder, salt and nutmeg; set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, at medium speed, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth and light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Beat at medium speed 4 minutes, occaisonally scraping side of bowl. Batter will become thick and lighter in color. At low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture until smooth.
4. Add to fruit; mix with wooden spoon to combine well. Turn into prepared pan; smooth top with spatula. Bake in center of oven 1 hour and 20 minutes in kuchen pan; 1 hour 15 minutes in bundt pan; 1 hour and 10 minutes in tube pan.
5. Cake tester inserted in center should come out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes. Use small spatula to loosen cake around inside; invert on wire rack; cool completely. In small bowl, soak a large piece of cheesecloth in 1/2 C bourbon.
6. Stretch cheesecloth on large piece of foil. Place cake in center. Wrap cake in cheesecloth; then wrap in foil. Refrigerate several days to mellow. (Will keep several weeks in refrigerator). To serve, slice thinly; let warm to room temperature.

Reviews

[Petey Pom Mom]

My Grandmother cut this same recipe out of a magazine 35 to 40 years ago and always called it "fruit cake" and served it at Christmas. I found the page from the magazine and made it two years in a row now and everyone raves over it every time. Thank you for having it on your site. It is easy to make, the only hard part is waiting for at least one week for it to mellow in the fridge. We are always anxious to taste it before it is ready. Thanks again