Christmas Recipes
Holiday Cheddar Date Cake
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients
Cake
- 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 16 ounces dates, pitted, finely chopped
- 2 cups pecans, chopped
- 4 ounces candied cherries, halved
- 2 cups golden raisins
- 1 cup milk
Decorations
- 4 candied pineapple slices
- 12 whole almonds, blanched
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees F and grease and flour* a 10 inch tube pan; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium, until well blended.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in the Cheddar cheese.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves into a medium bowl.
- In another medium bowl, combine the dates, pecans, cherries and raisins.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture, tossing lightly to coat the fruit and nuts.
- Alternately beat the remaining flour mixture and milk into the butter mixture until well blended.
- Stir in the floured fruit mixture by hand until distributed throughout the batter.
- Turn into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven until the cakes shrinks from the side of the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack then remove from the pan.
- Cool completely on the wire rack.
- You can make a decorative design on the top of the cake by quartering the candied pineapple slices and using the whole almonds, if desired.
- When cool, store in a container with a tight lid for up to 6 weeks.
- To serve, cut into thin slices.
Notes
* For best results, use our Pan Release!
Attribution
Posted by Cookin'Mom at Recipe Goldmine 11/12/2001 10:29 pm.