The Orange-Date Nut Cake, pictured above, is from a plain-looking, rather unprepossessing recipe that was in my father's family for many years. It had become one of those 'forgotten recipes.' Somewhere in the late 1980's (or perhaps early 1990's) my mother gave me a copy of the original recipe around Christmastime. I don't think she had even made it for many years. I remember her commenting that the batter was very thick.
Once finished, with its crunchy sugar-orange glaze, memories came flooding back of Mom having served this during the holiday season. It's a dense cake with just enough hint of being a fruit-cake to satisfy both those who adore, and those who despise, fruitcakes, per se. I decided to dress it up a bit with pecans, candied cherries and sugar crystals, for a bit of splash. (One year I ground the pecans and added them to the batter that way. Not a good idea. Talk about a dry cake...)
Orange Date-Nut Cake
(or, as I dubbed it, The Alabama Plantation Cake)
3 1/2 Sticks Butter (Can use Margarine but please don't. Butter is Better)
2 Cups Sugar
6 Eggs
3 Cups Flour (Measure before sifting, if you sift it)
2 Cups Dates (chopped. I use pre-chopped)
4 Cups Pecans (whole or large pieces)
Variety of flavorings: Pineapple, Orange, Coconut, Rum, Vanilla,
Almond — no certain amount. I usually go heavy on the first two
(about 2 teaspoons), and a bit lighter (about 1 teaspoon) on the rest).
Note: Take butter and eggs our of fridge at least 1 hour before starting. This will help
ensure ingredients cream together well.
Glaze
1 Cup Sugar and juice of 1 orange. (Add some zest from orange into the sugar before
squeezing juice. Need about 1/2 Cup of Orange juice)
Preheat to 300.
Grease and flour (or use Baker’s Joy) standard sized Angel-cake pan. (Don't use a bundt pan. I did that once. Major mistake, unless you like a crumbled cake)
Cream Butter and Sugar together, then add eggs, flour, nuts and dates. Batter
will be thick. (If you have a stand-mixer this is much easier.)
Pour batter into cake pan, smoothing top, then bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.
While cake is baking, prepare glaze. I usually mix sugar and orange juice in pyrex
measuring cup and set on stove to warm it. I also add pineapple and orange extract
to the glaze and stir well. You want it medium-consistency with sugar granules only
partially dissolved. This will dry to a crunchy glaze once on the cake.
Let cake cool and then remove from pan (usually about an hour or so).
Pour glaze over top and drizzle down sides of still warm cake. Let cool completely
before covering.
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