Black Walnut Spice Cake
from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, 1950s edition

Good, old-fashioned flavor. . . rich. . .tender. Frost with White Butter Icing and decorate with toasted black walnut halves. Or to make Black Walnut What-nots: cut oblong or square cake into 3" squares. Split each into 2 layers and put together with Cream Filling. Top with sweetened whipped cream and shaved salted almonds.

For 2 9" layers or 13x9" oblong pan	For 2 8" layers or 9" square pan
3/4 cup 1 1/4 cups 1 cup 3 (1/2 - 2/3 c) 2 3/4 cups 1 1/2 tsp 3/4 tsp. 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp. 1 1/2 cups 1 cup	1/2 cup 3/4 cup 3/4 cup 2 (1/3 - 1/2 c) 1 3/4 cups 1 tsp. 1/2 tsp. 1/3 tsp. 1/2 tsp. 1 cup 2/3 cup	soft shortening brown sugar white sugar eggs sifted flour baking soda nutmeg allspice salt buttermilk black walnuts, cut-up

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour the baking pans.

Cream together the shortening and sugars until fluffy. Beat the eggs in thoroughly.

Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in alternately with the buttermilk. Add in the flour first and last. Fold in the black walnuts.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake layers 35 to 40 minutes (square or oblong 50 - 55 minutes) until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. The cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and will spring back when lightly touched with the fingertip (no imprint will remain).

Remove from the oven and let stand in pan(s) 10 minutes. Then carefully loosen from one side with spatula. Tip and turn to let in air. Turn cake on wire cooking rack so it will not "sweat" and become soggy. Place another cooling rack on top and flip so the cake is right side up. If baking the cake in an oblong or square pan, you may leave the cake in the pan, but cool on a wire rack.

As soon as the cake is cool, spread desired frosting or filling between layers to the outer edge (if making a layer cake). Frost sides and top of cake with light sweeping strokes. Pull frosting from bottom up to top to make the cake look well shaped.