Well, Mother’s Day is here and it is a good idea to honor them with a great meal to truly show your love. I have to say, I am not one to go out to a restaurant on holidays simple because I don’t like crowds. I always feel compelled to eat in a hurry knowing that there are a lot of people waiting for the table (I know I should not feel that way… I just can’t help it). The best conversations are always around the dinner table. Having the time to relax and enjoy dessert later on is the perfect ending to a great dinner experience. Speaking of dessert, if you like traditional cakes, try making this 1-2-3-4 cake with a honey-roasted pecan frosting. The recipe for this cake has been around for a very long time and I know it has been used by many grandmothers and mothers out there. There is no better way to honor that special person in your life than baking a cake that will stir memories of their own childhood with their mothers. Happy Mother’s Day.
1-2-3-4-Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups sifted flour
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions: (Makes three 8-inch layers)
Sift together flour mixed with salt three times. Set aside. Cream butter; add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.Add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in vanilla. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold in carefully. Pour batter into three 8 inch layer pans which have been lined on bottoms with wax paper. Bake in moderate oven 355 degrees F. About 25 minutes. Cool and frost.
Honey Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered (confectioner’s, not just finely granulated) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup pecans
1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup cream
Directions
Cover pecans in honey and toast them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Grind the nuts and the honey finely in a blender. Heat the cream in a saucepan, cut the heat off, and add pecan mixture. Cover and cool off for about one hour.
Beat the cream cheese for about one minute. Add the butter and mix for an additional minute or two. Finally, add the salt, vanilla extract, and pecan cream, mixing briefly to incorporate, and then add sugar. Mix this until entirely incorporated into the frosting. Chill the frosting till ready to put the cake together.
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