2 c Raisins
1 1/2 c Bourbon
1/4 c Butter; softened
1 1/2 c Sugar
5 Eggs
4 c Flour; sifted
2 ts Baking powder
1 ts Baking soda
1 pn Salt
1 ts Lemon zest; grated
1 tb Lemon juice
1 c Pecans; chopped
Marinate raisins in 1 cup of the bourbon for at least 1 hour, up to 12
hours; drain, reserving both raisins and bourbon. Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt cake pan or other tube-cake pan.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (For best
results, use an electric mixer and start beating at a slow speed, gradually
increasing to moderate. If you allow this process to take about 15 minutes,
the butter will be very pale and look something like whipped cream. This
adds lightness to the cake.) Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, beating well
after each. In another bowl, sift together 3 3/4 cups of the flour, baking
powder, soda and salt. Combine reserved bourbon with the zest and lemon
juice. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the
bourbon mixture. Toss the remaining 1/4 cup of flour with the drained
raisins and the pecans. Fold into batter. Bake about 1-1/2 hours or until
the cake tests done. Cool about 10 minutes in the pan before turninout onto
a rack. Brush the remaining 1/2 cup of bourbon over the cake while it is
still somewhat warm. For long storage, wrap the cake in rinsed cheesecloth
that has been thoroughly moistened in bourbon. Then wrap in plastic or foil
so that it is airtight.
Yields
1 Cake