Orange Date-nut Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine, softened
• 4 cups sugar, divided
• 4 large eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 (8 ounce) package sugared dates, chopped
• 1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
• 4 teaspoons orange rind, grated, divided
• 1 cup orange juice

Recipe

• 1 beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. gradually add 2 cups sugar, beating well. add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• 2 combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. beat a low speed until blended after each addition. stir in dates, pecans and 2 tablespoons orange rind. pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
• 3 bake at 350f for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comed out clean.
• 4 bring orange juice, remaining sugar and remaining rind to a boil in a saucepan; cool 1 minutes, stirring constantly. gently, run a knife around edge of the cake; punch holes in the cake with a wooden pick. drizzle glaze over warm cake. let cool in pan on a wire rack.