Abraham Lincoln Birthday Recipes: Kentucky Prune Cake

I have lots of chapters about Lincoln's birthday in my vintage holiday cookbooks. This is from Southern Living's Holiday Cookbook, from the late 60's. Of course they refer only to his Kentucky birth, and not his ILLINOIS life. I didn't want to investigate the recipe in this photo, so instead I'm putting up Kentucky Prune Cake. No doubt Molly MacRae will love this one...

Kentucky Prune Cake

1 c. oil or margarine (oh boy - those are not usually interchangeable in a recipe)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. sugar

1 c. buttermilk or prune juice (again - really? Are those interchangeable?)

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. allspice

3 c. flour

3 eggs

1 c. cooked pitted prunes

1 c. chopped nuts

Mix the oil, vanilla, sugar,buttermilk and soda in a bowl.  Mix the salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and flour.  Add to oil mixture and beat well.  Add the eggs and mix.  Chop the prunes and add to flour mixture.  Add the nuts and mix well.  Pour into a greased tube pan.  Bake at 350F for 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan.  Cool.

Wash it down with Blackberry Nectar:

12 lb. blackberries, crushed

1 qt. boiling water

5 oz. tartaric acid (not sure what this is or why you'd want to use it...)

Sugar (no amount) (My kind of recipe)

Combine the blackberries, boiling water and tartaric acid in a large glass or earthenware container and let stand for 24 hours.  Strain.  Add 2 cups sugar for each cup of juice and mix well.  Store in sterilized bottles or jars.  Mix with desired amount of cold water and pour over ice.