Pear Preserves Cake	by: Evelyn Crane
Servings:	Ingredients:
1 cake	1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 5 eggs, separated 1 tsp. baking soda 1 cup buttermilk 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided as described below 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup pear preserves 4 1/2 cups sugar, divided 1 1/2 cups milk 3/4 cup butter, softened
Directions:
Cream one cup of butter in a large mixing bowl Gradually add two cups of sugar, beating until fluffy Add the egg yolks Dissolve the soda in the buttermilk Stir well Combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour and the spices Add this to the creamed mixture with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture Mix well Dredge the pecans in the remaining 1/2 cup flour Fold the pecans and pear preserves into the batter Beat the egg whites, at room temperature, until stiff peaks form Gently fold them into the batter Pour the batter into 3 waxed paper lined and heavily greased 9-inch cake pans Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes Cool the cake layers in the pan for 10 minutes While the cake is cooling, combine 3 cups of sugar and the 1 1/2 cups of milk in a large saucepan Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved Remove from heat and set aside Place the remaining sugar in a 10-inch cast iron skillet Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and becomes a golden syrup Add the remaining butter and stir well Gradually pour the syrup mixture into the mixture in the saucepan Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage Remove from heat and beat mixture at medium speed for five minutes or until the frosting becomes thick enough to spread on the completely cooled cake Spread on the layers immediately