A good friend brought this cake to a little Chilcotin log church one Sunday, years ago. It was so good, I begged the recipe. It’s been awhile, and I never got around to making it myself, I don’t think. But I kept and treasured the handwritten recipe, tucked away in a favorite cookbook. I came across it again the other day, so here it is: I hope I got it right.

Martha Washington Cake

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sour cream

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tsp. mace
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup citron
1 cup currants
1 cup nuts (optional)

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks and lemon rind. Stir in lemon juice and sour cream.

Stir together flour, soda, salt and spices. Mix together fruits and nuts. Sprinkle a little flour mixture over to coat.

Form well in dry ingredients and stir in wet ingredients and fruit mixture until well blended.

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan (substitute a loaf pan if you don’t have a bundt pan).

Bake at 275*F for 2 hours or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before turning out of pan.

Dust with icing sugar.