What You’ll Need
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
16 maraschino cherries, cut into eighths
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten
How to make it
Prepare ahead of time: Coarsely chop 1/2 cup nuts. Cut 16 maraschino cherries into eighths and set aside. They can be put together in the same bowl as they will be added at the same time.
Combine the 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice and 3/4 cup milk in a one cup measure. Set aside.
The timing of the stiffly beaten egg whites is a little tricky. Wait too long and they deflate and get weepy. After creaming the sugar and butter and shortening, I washed off my egg beaters and then beat my egg whites just before the step that adds the nuts and cherries.
Now onto the cake…
Preheat oven to 350*F. Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round** layer cake pans and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto waxed paper or in a medium bowl; set aside.
Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy (about five minutes).
Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk-maraschino cherry juice mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat well after each addition.
Fold in nuts and cherries, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
Divide the batter between pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until springy to touch.
Cook cakes in pans on wire racks for about five minutes. Using a thin blade knife loosen carefully around edges and turn out onto the racks. Cool to room temperature.
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