Nut Cake
Ingredients:
- toasted walnuts, broken into large pieces - 1 pound
- toasted pecans, broken into large pieces - 1 pound
- flour - 3 1/2 cups
- double acting baking powder - 2 tsp
- mace - 1/2 tsp
- salt - 1/4 tsp
- milk - 3/4 cup
- brandy or bourbon, divided - 1/2 cup
- butter, room temperature - 1 cup
- sugar - 2 cups
- eggs - 6
Instructions:
Move oven rack to lower third of oven.
Place walnuts and pecans into a very large bowl; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, mace and salt; set aside. In combine milk and 1/4 cup brandy; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter. Add sugar and beat on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until incorporated. Increase speed, beat until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed alternately add flour mixture in three additions and milk mixture in two, beat only until smooth after each addition. Pour batter over nuts, mix until nuts are coated with batter.
Spread batter evenly into a buttered 10 x 4 inch tube pan, line bottom with parchment paper, butter paper and dust with fine dried bread crumbs.
Bake in a preheated 325 degrees for 1 3/4 hours or until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Place cake on a cooling rack. Brush hot cake top with 1/4 cup brandy. Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes. Cover cake with a cooling rack and invert to remove paper. Invert again and cool in upright position. Let cake age for 24 hours before serving.
