Name: Mary Clare Leader
Class Year: 1980
Country of Residence: Lebanon

Nutmeg Feather Cake

Serves  8-12. Takes approx. 1 hr.

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/2 cup (113 gm) butter
1-1/2 cups (301 gm) sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups (256 gm) flour
1/4 tsp (1.5 gm) salt
1 tsp (4 gm) baking powder
1 tsp (4 gm) baking soda
1 cup (237 ml) buttermilk (I add 1 tbsp/15ml lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk to make a buttermilk substitute if I don’t find it in a shop)
2 tsp (8 gm) nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla (extract liquid)

Topping:
6 tbsp (85 gm) butter
2/3 cup (135 gm) brown sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (100 gm) shredded coconut
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla

Instructions:

Cake:
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs.
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
To the egg mixture, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, and blend well.
Mix in the nutmeg and vanilla.
Pour the batter into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans (lined with parchment paper if you prefer).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until done.
(test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of each cake; when it comes out clean, the cake is done)
Remove from oven. Cool slightly (about 10 minutes) and remove cakes from pans to cool further on a rack.
Ice (when cool) with the following topping (or any other icing you prefer) (or not at all, which is my preference).

Topping:
Preheat oven to broil.
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts.
Spread the mixture on the warm cake.
Broil briefly until the topping is light brown. Cool.

Source:

The Wolf Trap Picnic Cookbook, coord. Janet M. Fesler (Vienna, VA: Wolf Trap Assoc., 1976).