Virginia Holiday Nut Cake

from Entertaining Ideas from Williamsburg

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds golden raisins
• 1/4 pound glacé red cherries, cut up
• 1/4 pound glacé green pineapple slices, cut up
• 1 3/4 cup sherry, divided
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 12 eggs, separated
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 1/4 cups almonds, chopped
• 6 cups walnuts, chopped
• 2/3 cup black walnuts, chopped

Page 1 of 2

Virginia Holiday Nut Cake continued.

Directions:

Soak the raisins, cherries, and pineapple in 3/4 cup of the sherry overnight in a covered container. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease well and lightly flour one 10-inch, two 8-inch, and one 5-inch tube pans. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Combine the remaining sherry, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the flour and the sherry mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the nuts, fruit, and egg whites alternately, stirring until well blended. Transfer the batter into the prepared pans and bake at 300°F. Bake the smallest cake for 3/4 to one hour, the two medium cakes 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, and the large cake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until each cake tests done. When cool, stack cakes on top of each other on a pretty plate to form a pyramid, and garnish with festive fruits and holiday leaves.