Italian Wine Cake

This is not a traditional recipe from my family. I have no idea if it really "Italian" since Italy is a very divided place and overall, not really a cakey country, if you get my drift. Although there is a traditional Sicilian cassatta that I would love to adapt. But I digress.

I found this in a magazine (Better Homes and Gardens?) in the seventies. The ingredients were so unusual that I just had to try it, figuring it would be fabulous or horrible. It was fabulous. The picture above is a wedge, while my recipe called for loaf pans. You could easily adapt to any pan, including a Bundt, just do not overbake.

Italian Wine Cake

(Hint: you need a BIG bowl for this, although I can manage it in my Kitchen Aid bowl, but barely)

2 Cups Raisins

Place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Set aside.

Cream together:

1 cup shortening

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

Add to mixture one at a time:

3 eggs

Sift together:

4 cups flour (sift before measuring0

4 tsp cocoa

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

Add sifted ingredients to the batter alternating with 2 1/2 cups of Burgundy (or red wine of your choice -- Charles Shaw would be a decent option)

Fold in the raisins last. Divide the batter among 3 9x5 greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes (worth repeating, do not overbake, it dries out)

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack.

I've never frosted it but I'm sure a glaze of some sort would be quite good.