Recipe: Rum Cake with Dates for Lorraine

Rum Cake
A rum cake with dates and walnuts or pecans and a rum glaze.

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 pound pitted dates, chopped
1 pound chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3 eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rum

Cream butter and sugar; beat in chopped dates and nuts.

Mix soda with water and pour over first mixture. Add beaten eggs. Stir in flour and salt, beating until smooth; stir in rum. Turn into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan.

Bake at 300F for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pan and ice with Rum Glaze.

Rum Glaze:
Mix 1 cup confectioners; sugar with 1 tablespoon rum; add water, a teaspoon at a time, to desired consistency. Spread over warm cake.