Black Cake



INGREDIENTS:

1 pound raisins minced	

1 pound prunes pitted, minced	

1 pound currants dried, minced	

1 pound cherries glaced, minced	

6 ounces lemon peel glaced, minced	

6 ounces orange peel glaced, minced	

3/4 l passover wine (Manischewitz is good)	

3/4 l rum dark	

2 pounds brown sugar	dark brown	

4 1/4 cups cake flour		

4 teaspoons baking powder		

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg	grated	

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon		

2 cups	butter sweet, softened	

10 large egg		

1 tablespoon vanilla extract		

1 1/2 cup almond paste optional	

2 pounds	sugar confectioners, sifted	

6 large	egg whites room temperature	

2 T lemon juice		

1 x dragee (silver balls) for decoration

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the fruits thoroughly
with the wine and the rum; let the fruit macerate,
covered, at room temperature for at least two weeks.
In a heavy skillet combine one pound of the brown
sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over moderate
heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and
gently boil the syrup, swirling the skillet
occasionally, for a few minutes, or until it is
reduced to 1 3/4 cups. Let the syrup cool; reserve.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg
together into a bowl. In the large bowl of an
electric mixer cream together the remaining brown
sugar and the butter until it is fluffy; then beat
in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Beat in the vanilla, the flour mixture,
and 1 1/3 cups of the burnt sugar syrup, reserving
the remaining syrup for another use. In another
large bowl, combine well the flour mixture and the
fruit mixture and divide the batter between two
buttered and floured 10 inches springform pans. Bake
the cakes in the middle of a preheated 350 F. oven
for two hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the
centers comes out with some crumbs adhering to it.
(The centers of these cakes will be quite moist.) 

2. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a rack, remove
the sides and bottoms of the pans, and wrap the cakes
in foil or wax paper. Let the cakes stand at room
temperature for a week. Roll out half the almond paste
between sheets of plastic wrap to form a 10 inches
round and remove the top sheet of plastic wrap. Fit
the almond paste layer over one cake, trimming the
edge if necessary, and remove the other sheet of
plastic wrap. Roll out and fit the remaining almond
paste onto the remaining cake in the same manner.

ICING:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat 4 cups of the
confectioners sugar with the egg whites and lemon
juice until the mixture will hold a soft peak. Beat
in the remaining sugar, and beat the icing until it
will hold a stiff peak. Transfer two cups of the
icing to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip,
spread the remaining icing on the tops and sides of
the cakes with a long metal spatula, and pipe the
icing in the pastry bag decoratively onto the cakes.
Arrange the drages on the cakes. Makes two cakes.



Black Cake