Black Walnut Pound Cake -- The Foundation of Every Savannah Christmas

December. The live oaks are hung with Spanish moss that looks silver in the winter light, and the historic district is lit up for Christmas, and Savannah is doing what Savannah always does in December — putting on her best dress and pretending it's cold enough for a fireplace, which it is not, but we light them anyway because the fire is the thing, not the temperature.

I started Christmas baking this week. Pound cake first — always first, because it needs time to set, and because Hattie Pearl said you start with the foundation and work up. Then the fruitcake, which I know most people hate but I make a dark, rum-soaked version that has converted at least twelve fruitcake skeptics. The secret is soaking the fruit in bourbon for a week before baking, and using blackstrap molasses, and not apologizing for the density. A fruitcake should be heavy. It should have gravity. Like a life.

I'm making hot sauce Christmas jars — twelve, same as every year, hand-labeled, wrapped in red ribbon. They go to: Deacon Harris, Sister Mae, Gladys, Eddie the shrimp man, Mrs. Patterson at Hodge, Sheila my kitchen aide, Dr. Pham (Earl's cardiologist), Miss Corrine, and the regulars who expect it. This year I added one more — for Tasha and Marcus, with a label that says "Baby's First Christmas — From Granny Dot." The baby will not eat hot sauce. But her parents will, and that's close enough.

Kayla came over Tuesday evening and we made cookies together — sugar cookies, cut into shapes, decorated with icing and sprinkles. Kayla is a better nurse than she is a cookie decorator — her Santa looked like he'd been in an accident and her Christmas tree was architecturally unsound — but the kitchen smelled like butter and vanilla and laughter, and that's the whole point. We ate the ugly ones while they were warm. The pretty ones, we'll bring to the church bake sale.

Earl asked me what I want for Christmas. I said, "I want you to be here next Christmas." He said, "That's not a present. That's a plan." I said, "Then plan on it." He looked at me and he knew what I was saying, and he said, "I plan on it, Dot." And I believed him, because sometimes believing is all you have.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Hattie Pearl said you start with the foundation and work up — and for me, that foundation has always been this pound cake. I’ve been making it every December for more years than I care to count, and this year, with a new “Granny Dot” label to write and Earl’s voice still in my head saying I plan on it, Dot, the weight of this cake in my hands felt exactly right. Black walnuts are earthier and deeper than English walnuts — they don’t try to be anything other than what they are — and that’s the whole reason I love them.

Black Walnut Pound Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon black walnut extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped black walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to coat all ridges and the center tube.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and shortening. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and shortening together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add sugar. Gradually add the granulated sugar to the butter mixture, beating on medium-high until the mixture is pale and very fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Add eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl between additions.
6. Alternate dry ingredients and milk. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts (flour—milk—flour—milk—flour), beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined after each addition — do not overmix.
7. Add extracts and walnuts. Stir in the vanilla extract and black walnut extract. Fold in the chopped black walnuts by hand with a spatula.
8. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325°F for 75–85 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown.
9. Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto the rack and cool completely before slicing, at least 1 hour. The flavor deepens as it sits — it is even better the next day.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 490 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 63g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 115mg