Ingredients

Cake

• 3 c sifted cake flour
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 c butter, room temperature
• 1/3 c vegetable shortening
• 1 ½ c sugar
• ¼ c maraschino cherry juice
• ¾ c milk
• ½ c coarsely chopped nuts
• 16 maraschino cherries, cut into eighths
• 5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Pink Cherry Maraschino 7-Minute Frosting

• 2 ½ c sugar
• 1 tbs light corn syrup
• ½ c water
• ½ c maraschino cherry juice
• 3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Cake Directions

1. Prepare ahead of time: Coarsely chop ½ c nuts. Cut 16 maraschino cherries into eighths and set aside. They can be put together in the same bowl as they will be added at the same time.
2. Combine the ¼ c maraschino cherry juice and ¾ c milk in a one c measure. Set aside.
3. The timing of the stiffly beaten egg whites is a little tricky. Wait too long and they deflate and get weepy. After creaming the sugar and butter and shortening, I washed off my egg beaters and then beat my egg whites just before the step that adds the nuts and cherries.
4. Now onto the cake...
   Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round** layer cake pans and set aside.
5. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto waxed paper or in a medium bowl; set aside.
6. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy (about five minutes).
7. Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk-maraschino cherry juice mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat well after each addition.
8. Fold in nuts and cherries, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
9. Divide the batter between pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until springy to touch.
10. Cook cakes in pans on wire racks for about five minutes. Using a thin blade knife loosen carefully around edges and turn out onto the racks. Cool to room temperature.

Frosting Directions

1. Mix sugar, corn syrup, water and cherry juice in medium heavy saucepan, covered, but with lid askew, and heat for five minutes over moderate heat. Remove lid, insert candy thermometer, and heat, without stirring, until syrup reaches 242°F. (takes about 10-15 minutes).
2. In the meantime, put three egg whites in a medium sized bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
3. When the syrup reaches 242°F, add the hot syrup to egg whites in a fine stream, beating hard the entire time. Continue beating until mixture peaks stiffly, about 7 to 10 minutes.
4. This kind of frosting is best enjoyed on the day it is made. It looks okay the second day, but by the third it is definitely weepy and crystallized looking. I would suggest forgoing this frosting on a day with high humidity as it may not set up well for you.

**A final word ~ I used two 8" round 2" high cake pans to obtain a nice tall cake. Baking time was increased by approximately 6 minutes because of the smaller sized pan.