My favourite of all cakes! An elderly relative always baked this when I visited her as achild, long after her death, her daughter passed it on to me and I am delighted to share it. A word of warning - the icing takes long and vigorous beating and I can only admire my great-aunt's stamina in having created it without the aid of electrical appliances.
Ann Creber
Ingredients:
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
125g butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
Caramel Frosting:
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
125g butter
1 tesapoon vanilla essence
walnut or pecan halves
Sift together flour and cinnamon. Beat together butter and sugar until well mixed and creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat mixture again. Slowly stir milk into the creamed mixture. Add flour and cinnamon, stir in, then add the walnuts or pecans. Lightly stir into mixture.
Beat egg whites until stiff, gently but thoroughly fold into other ingredients. Gently spoon into a lightly buttered and floured loaf tin and cook in a preheated 185˚C (350˚F) oven for 30-45 minutes. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack. Cover with Caramel Frosting when cold.
To make frosting
Combine, sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan. Cook over a moderate heat until mixture forms a ball when dropped into a little cold water. (Brush down the inside of the saucepan with a small brush and cold water, from time to time). Cool a little, then add the vanilla essence. Beat (and beat and beat!) until thick and of a spreading consistency. Frost entire cake and garnish with walnut or pecan halves.
Ann doesn't know whether it keeps well. She says she's never had one last long enought to find out. Thanks Ann for the recipe. If anyone bakes the cake could you please let us know how it turns out.
Cheers, webgurl
