Longneck Cake

[frawin]

Note: This recipe fits an 8-inch square pan, or can be doubled and baked in a 10-inch tube pan. 
To bake it in a Texas-shaped cake or cornbread pan, remove 2/3 cup batter before baking: bake that later in a small mold for a sample.  For a tube pan, increase cooking time to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shortening
1 extra large egg
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped nuts (toasted dry)
1 cup beer (let foam settle before measuring)
1 1/2 cups siftedd flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour the baking pan.  Cream
shortening with brown sugar, add egg and mix until fluffy.  Stir in dates and nuts. 
Sift dry ingredients together and work into the date-nut-mixture(it
will be stiff).  Gradually stir in beer, mixing well with a wooden spoon.
Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out
clean.  Cool in pan on wire 20 minutes.  Remove cake from pan and cool right
side up.  Sprinkle with powdered surga. 

I got this recipe from Texas Highways Magazine several years ago.  We like this cake very much.

For those of you in Texas (I know there are a few who have surfaced) bake it in a Texas
shaped pan and tie a red kerchief around the panhandle.  It makes a cute Christmas gift, give cake,
pan and all.

Myrna