Recipe: Black Pepper Spice Cake (baked in loaf or layers, 1960's)

BLACK PEPPER SPICE CAKE

This cake was developed by Mrs E.D. Williams of Dallas, TX from an old family spice cake recipe.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper (1/2 tsp if pepper is strong)
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 tsp baking soda

Cream butter until like whipped cream; add brown sugar and stir, then add granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat until grains of sugar almost disappear. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and spices. Add this to first mixture alternately with buttermilk to which baking soda has been added. Beat well after each addition.

When all is mixed, pour into well-greased and floured (9x5-inch) loaf pan or layer cake pans (it may be baked in layers or in a loaf).

Bake at 325 to 350 degrees F from 45 to 60 minutes or longer if baked in a loaf pan, or 20 to 30 minutes at 350 to 375 degrees F if baked in layer cake pans.

Source: Buckinham, Quebec Post newspaper, Dec 15, 1961