Moravian Sugar Cake

My father-in-law is a retired Moravian minister. Each year, my mother-in-law would bake up a bunch of batches of Moravian Sugar Cakes and sell them at the church bake sale and even at their garage sale. People would come from miles away just to buy one of her sugar cakes. They are absolutely delicious! This recipe makes a bunch of cakes--perfect for Christmas gifts and enough to leave a couple over for your own Christmas or Easter brunch. These also freeze very well.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 6 cakes

Ingredients

• 2  cups mashed potatoes
• 2  cups sugar
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 4  eggs, beaten
• 8  cups flour
• 3 (1/4ounce) packages  yeast, dissolved in
• 2  cups  hot  potato water
• 1 1⁄2 cups shortening (I use 3/4 Crisco and 3/4 Oleo)
• 2  cups brown sugar
• 4  tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

1. Mash potatoes thoroughly in large Tupperware fix and mix bowl (a very large mixing bowl).
2. Do not season.
3. Stir sugar into hot potatoes.
4. Dissolve yeast into potato water. Water should be between 105-115 degrees. I cool mine with ice cubes when necessary. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
5. Melt shortening in microwave and add to potato mixture.
6. Then add all the remaining ingredients, salt, eggs, yeast, and flour. Just stir until flour is mixed in, Do not over-stir.
7. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size. I just wait until it reaches the top of my large mixing bowl.
8. After dough is raised, divide it into 6 greased and floured 9 inch square or 9 inch round pans. Allow dough to rise again until double (about an hour or so).
9. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
10. Sprinkle tops of cake liberally with brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your finger and poke holes into dough (but don't push so deep that you poke all the way through the dough) and fill these holes with melted oleo (I usually melt one stick to do this).
11. Bake three cakes at a time at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until dough is done.