My Great Aunt Ellen was known for bringing her famous “Man’s Cake” to every family gathering. It is a moist, coffee-flavored bundt cake (she used an angel food cake pan, according to my grandmother’s hand-written recipe card) with walnuts and an optional simple glaze.
I asked my cousin Jim if he knew why she called it the Man’s Cake. This is what he told me: “I remember asking my Mother that exact question one time, just after she made one. I was probably eating a piece of it when asking the question. Her answer was “Because your Dad loves it!” Which was certainly true, but I think the lack of sweetness and texture of the cake had a lot to do with it.”
Ingredients
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift first, then measure)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups very strong coffee, cold
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a tube cake pan such as a bundt or angel food cake pan. Add cream of tartar to egg whites and beat until stiff but not dry. In another bowl, blend egg yolks, shortening, and sugar thoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with coffee. Add nuts and vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in prepared cake pan for 45 minutes or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Frost with a thin layer of powdered sugar icing or brown sugar icing (pictured) — the glaze recipes are mine, not Aunt Ellen’s –, sift with powdered sugar or simply leave plain.