One thing you will notice when you walk into my house, is my large collection of cookbooks.
I have rows and rows of cookbooks, some new and some vintage, some written by my favorite chefs and some that I have even been featured in!
Needless to say, I was delighted when my Aunt and Uncle from Paris, KY sent me a vintage Kentucky cookbook called Out of Kentucky Kitchens to add to my collection. I eagerly browsed through the pages, searching for the first recipe I would make from the large collection of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Then I found it: Kentucky Black Cake. I have a plethora {we’re talking bags and bags…} of dried figs from my previous posts with Valley Figs so this fruit cake filled with bourbon soaked dates, figs, and raisins along with blackberry jam and pecans, was just what I had in mind!
This recipe does take some time and calls for quite a few ingredients but the end result is worth it. I also toasted the flour in my cast iron skillet to give the cake a more nutty flavor and mixed up my own Cinnamon Glaze to go on top.
I was out of Maker’s Mark {shhh don’t tell my Kentucky family!} so Ashton even let me use his Woodford Reserve for soaking the fruit!
Hope you enjoy this vintage recipe as much as I did.
Vintage Kentucky Bourbon Black Fruit Cake with Cinnamon Glaze
Makes one large bundt cake or two loaf pans.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried dates pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup dried figs chopped
- 2 tbsp Bourbon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp crushed cloves
- 1/2 cup blackberry jam
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- For the cinnamon glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Add 2 cups flour to a large dry skillet (I prefer a cast iron) until it becomes golden brown, about 6-7 minutes.
- Stir from time to time to prevent sticking.
- Set aside and cool then sift.
- Mix the raisins, dates, and figs in a small bowl.
- Pour the Bourbon over the fruit and mix well. Let stand 2 hours or until the liquor has been absorbed.
- Cream butter with brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs and sour cream.
- Sift the flour once more adding the baking soda and spices.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, stirring constantly to keep from lumping.
- Add the jam and chopped nuts then the bourbon soaked fruit.
- Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans or a bundt pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes to 90 minutes (depending on the pan size) or until browned and a toothpick entered in the centered comes out clean.
- You can tent aluminum foil over the top if it becomes too brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, setting on a platter, and adding glaze.
- For the glaze: in a small bowl mix together glaze ingredients until smooth. Add additional tbsp milk if needed.
- Using a spoon, drizzle glaze all over the top of the cake.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Cake recipe adapted from Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion Flexner.
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For The Love of Food Blog
All these ingredients along with the toasted,
flour, nuts, and spices make for a moist and flavorful cake!
Add 2 cups flour to a large dry skillet (I prefer a cast iron)
until it becomes golden brown, about 6-7 minutes.
Stir from time to time to prevent sticking.
Set aside and cool.
*Toasting flour cooks out the raw taste so that it has a nutty,
more complex flavor to baked goods.
Sift the cooled, toasted flour into a bowl and set aside.
Mix the raisins, dates, and figs in a small bowl.
Pour the Bourbon over the fruit and mix well.
Let stand 2 hours or until the liquor has been absorbed.
Cream butter with brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Mix the raisins, dates, and figs in a small bowl.
Pour the Bourbon over the fruit and mix well.
Let stand 2 hours or until the liquor has been absorbed.
Cream butter with brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the beaten eggs and sour cream.
Sift the flour once more adding the baking soda and spices.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, stirring constantly to keep from lumping.
Add the jam and chopped nuts then the bourbon soaked fruit.
Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans or a bundt pan.
I did a small bundt and a loaf pan.
Smooth down the top and bake Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes to 90 minutes (depending on the pan size) or until browned and a toothpick entered in the centered comes out clean.
My cake did get pretty dark on top before cooking all the way through. You can tent aluminum foil on top to make sure it doesn’t get too dark. The good thing about bundt cakes is once you flip it out of the pan, the top is now the bottom and you can always trim away any dark pieces!
Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan,
setting on a platter, and adding glaze.
For the glaze: in a small bowl add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon,
1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp milk.
Whisk together until smooth. Add additional tbsp milk if needed.
Using a spoon, drizzle glaze all over the top of the cake.
Slice and serve.
This Kentucky Bourbon Black Fruit Cake with Cinnamon Glaze is delicious and flavor packed and as you can see it feeds a crowd!
It says to add liquid but there isn’t any in the recipe!
Hi there! Thanks for commenting. The “liquid” or wet ingredients are the eggs, butter, sour cream mixture. The dry ingredients is the flour mixture. You mix seperately then combine before adding the fruit and nuts. Hope this helps.