Festive sweet potato cake
Uncle Bob, this cake doesn't have rum in it, but it sure is tasty. AND I'll bet you could sub some dark rum for the Southern Comfort.......
FESTIVE SWEET POTATO CAKE
A moist, spicy and fruity cake with a subtle sweetness imparted by the liqueur. Although the cake is excellent topped only with confectioner's sugar, it's absolutely outrageous when frosted!
BOWL 1
3 cups unbleached flour
2 cups cane sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon. ground mace
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
BOWL 2
3 ounces chopped dried apricots
3 ounces golden raisiins
about 3 ounces Southern Comfort
2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 extra-large eggs
1. 24 hours beforehand, put the chopped dried apricots and raisins in a 1-cup glass measure. Fill up the cup to the 8-oz line with Southern Comfort. Cover with plastic wrap and let set at room temperature for 24 hours.
2. The next day, heat oven to 325 degrees F. and oil and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
3. Mix dry ingredients together.
4. Mix ingredients in bowl #2. Stir contents of bowl #1 into bowl #2.
5. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake in heated 325 degrees F. oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
6. Cool entirely in pan (with pan sitting upright on a cooling rack.)
7. When cooled, remove from pan and put on platter. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons Southern Comfort over top of cake. (Go around in a circle.)
8. Cover and allow to mellow for a few hours.
9. When ready to serve, the cake may be served plain, or dusted with confectioner's sugar. But if you want to gild the lily (and why not?) frost with the following frosting:
9a. In a glass 1 cup measure, put 1/2 cup raw clover honey. Warm it in a microwave oven for 20 seconds on "defrost" power.
9b. Cream together: 8 oz softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/2 stick unsalted butter with a hand held electric mixer.
9c. When the cream cheese and butter are thoroughly mixed, keep the motor running and pour in just enough of the warmed honey to make a spreadable frosting. You will use from 1/4 to 1/2 cup of honey.
Spread over the top and sides of the cake.