Family Holiday Recipes

Nessa is a full time wife and mother of two, living the small town life in rural Texas. She loves cooking everything from tried and true recipes to her own wonderful creations. Catch her blogging at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife and on Twitter @Nessa_TX.

When I was growing up, my Nanny made certain foods every year. The ones that stand out most in my mind are her mouth watering desserts. Unfortunately, Nanny passed away before I ever got copies of these traditional family recipes. I’ve spent countless hours searching, cooking, and trying to come close to recreating the wonderful dishes from my childhood.

Today, I finally found the last recipe I was searching for and I know it is exactly the recipe Nanny used. So, I wanted to share with you the goodies that my Nanny cooked up every December. These goodies will be served when I entertain this holiday season.

German Chocolate Pound Cake – This is my favorite cake ever. It is moist, packed with chocolate flavor, and has a great texture. My eyes lit up when Nanny started baking this cake.

Date and Nut Roll – I remember making this as a child, delighted to be able to squish the ingredients together with my hands. It is decadently rich and oh so delicious. This candy is an excellent addition to holiday candy platters and makes an excellent gift.

Orange Slice Cake Recipe

This was one of my Papaw’s favorites. It is so good, having to let it sit overnight is torture!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pound chopped dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 pound chopped orange slice candy, you can chop them or not, whichever you prefer
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 1/4 cups flaked coconut, optional
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Cream softened butter and sugar together until well blended and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well before adding another.
3. Place buttermilk in small bowl, add baking soda, and mix with a fork until soda dissolves.
4. Add buttermilk mixture to creamed mixture and mix well.
5. In a large bowl, stir flour, orange slice candy, dates, and nuts until the flour coats all the fruit and nut pieces.
6. Add fruit and nut mixture to the creamed mixture.
7. If using coconut, add it at this time.
8. Mix well. The batter will be quite stiff and thick, don’t worry, that’s how it is supposed to be. I advise mixing with a sturdy wooden spoon.
9. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. I would test the cake with a toothpick or butter knife every 15 minutes after the 2 hour mark.
10. While the cake is cooking, combine orange juice and powdered sugar and mix well.
11. As soon as the cake is done, remove from oven, then pour orange juice mixture all over the top of the cake.
12. Cover with a towel or wax paper, then let sit in pan overnight.
13. Grab a cool glass of milk and enjoy!

Stay tuned next Monday for In the Kitchen with Nessa to read Dinner Party Menu.  Make sure you subscribe to our free updates so you don’t miss any of her great kitchen how to articles!

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