Cherry Spice Cake

Cake

• ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 ½ cups cherry pie filling

Frosting

• 8 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Red and green candied cherries, cut in half, to decorate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  For cake, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In another large bowl, sift together next 6 ingredients.  In a blender or food processor, process pie filling until cherries are coarsely chopped.  Add dry ingredients and pie filling alternately to creamed mixture, mixing until smooth.  Pour batter evenly into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

For frosting, beat all ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.  Frost between layers, on sides, and on top of cake.  To decorate cake, refer to photo and place cherries on top of cake in wreath design.  Transfer remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip.  Pipe decorative border along bottom edge and top of cake.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator.  Serve at room temperature.

Yield:  about 20 servings

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com