European Recipes:Polish Recipes:Placek Swiateczny

Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.04

       Title: PLACEK SWIATECZNY
Categories: Breads, Polish, Holiday
       Yield: 1 loaf

       5    Eggs
   2 1/2 c Flour, all-purpose
       2 c Sugar, icing
       2 ts Baking powder
     3/4 c Walnuts or pecans,
            -chopped fine
     2/3 c Raisins
       4 oz Orange peel,
            -chopped fine
     1/2 ts Salt
       1 c Butter
       1 tb Lemon peel, grated
       1 ts Vanilla
       3 tb Vodka or brandy

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs with sugar
   using an electric mixer for 5 minutes at high speed.

   Mix chopped nuts, raisins and orange peel with 2
   tablespoons of flour. Mix remaining flour with baking
   powder and salt.

   Cream together the butter, lemon peel and vanilla
   extract until fluffy. Beat in vodka, then add egg
   mixture gradually, beating constantly. Add the flour
   mixture and beat for 5 minutes. Fold fruit-nut mixture
   into the batter. Turn into a greased and floured
   9x5x3-inch pan or a 1 1/2 quart ring mold.

   Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Cool cake in pan
   on wire rack for ten minutes, then turn cake out onto
   rack and cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and
   set aside to mellow for a couple of days.

   NOTES:

   * Christmas Bread -- This recipe could be used as
   part of a 12-course meal known in Polish as Wigilia,
   or on its own. Wigilia is eaten after sundown on
   Christmas Eve.