SHERRY WINE CAKE

This is an old, old and so simple cake recipe. Recipe given to me by my dear MIL back sometime in the sixties.  For our family it has certainly stood the test of time and instantly became part of my baking repertoire, it is simple but oh so good.

 A few ingredients, yellow cake mix (please Duncan Hines Classic Yellow not any of the butter, pudding or other types), canola oil, instant pudding, fresh nutmeg, sherry wine - sherry is one of the fortified wines and the different types will have to do with the sugar content - pale dry, very dry and cream (sweeter).  I usually will just use pale dry but I think any sherry will do EXCEPT never, never, never use cooking sherry - cooking sherry has salt and other things added to it and I personally think it is awful and would never use this product for anything.  I have made this cake with port before and it was good, just different flavor.

Recipe

Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix
5 oz box vanilla instant pudding
1/3 cup of water
3/4 cup sherry
3/4 cup of canola oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp nutmeg - I like to use fresh

Preheat oven to 350°
Grease and flour or use Baker's Joy (cooking spray used in baking) in 10" Bundt or tube pan.

In your mixing bowl mix together the cake mix, pudding mix and nutmeg.  Add the water, sherry and canola oil, mix and then add the eggs one at a time until thoroughly mixed.

Bake in the pre-heated oven 40-45 or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for a bit and then turn out onto a serving plate and let it cool completely. If you prefer you may sprinkle the cake with confectioners sugar.

 My cake was a gift so I just turned it out onto a cardboard cake circle to let it cool.

 Added a bloom from the garden (wrapped first in a moist paper towel and then completely covered with foil) and a couple of faux boxwood sprigs to decorate.  Ready to cover the cake with Saran wrap, into a box for delivery!

One of the nicest things about this cake is that your house will smell good for the rest of the day!  You can serve the cake plain as it is or with some whipped cream or ice cream. Personal preference.  In our family we just serve it plain.  When my boys were little I would put this cake on a little wooden plate and invert the big yellow Tupperware bowl over the top and leave a table knife under the bowl - I would hear the door to the house open and then the dropping of the bowl and know that a little boy had come in to help himself to a piece of cake.  That's another thing - no frosting, no sugar on top, not so messy!

Recommendation   If you like to make really good cakes (like this wine cake) that are not as labor intensive as a scratch cake I recommend both of these cookbooks by The Charleston Cake Lady, Teresa Pregnall Moore. Teresa was a true southern lady and prior to her death had an almost cult following for her mail order baked goods.  I had the good fortune to have a long chat with her on the phone, when to my surprise, she answered the phone when I called to place an order for her books.   Resource   Special Recipes from the Charleston Cake Lady,Special Recipes from the Charleston Cake Lady Treasured Recipes from the Charleston Cake Lady,  Available used from Thrift Books, just looked and they have for $3.39 and they always have free shipping - the book will be used.
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