The following recipe is a courtesy of the website www.wisconsinhickorysyrup.com where you'll discover many more delicious recipes using hickory syrup and hickory nuts.

Makes 12 - 16 servings. There are many variations of the hickory nut cake recipe. Each rural family seemed to have its own treasured recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three (9-inch) round cake pans.

1/2 cup butter

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

2 & 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped hickory nuts

5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Boiled frosting to cover 3-layer cake

Hickory nut filling

Additional hickory nuts for garnish

To prepare cake: In mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar. Resift flour with baking powder and salt. Add to butter-sugar mixture alternately with milk, to which vanilla has been added. Add nuts and gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean. Let cool in pans on rack 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pans and let cool completely on rack. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen sides and remove from pan.

Hickory Nut Filling

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup light cream

1 cup chopped hickory nuts

1 teaspoon corn syrup

To make filling, cook sugar, cream and corn syrup in saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until temperature on candy thermometer reaches 238 degrees, or a soft ball is formed when dropped into cold water, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Add butter and let cool. Beat with mixer on high speed until creamy. Stir in nuts. Transfer one cooled cake layer to serving plate, top with half the filling, then another layer, the remaining filling, and finally, the last cake layer.

Boiled Frosting

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup sweet cream

1/2 cup chopped hickory nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Boil sugar and cream together until almost done, then add nut, lump of butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Blend, then let cool, but not set. Pour warm frosting over cake, spreading evenly with back of spoon. Work quickly; frosting will crease as soon as it is firm. If frosting is not beaten long enough, it will run; if beaten too long, it will not be smooth. Frosting beaten too long may be improved by adding a few drops of lemon juice or boiling water. Note: This frosting is soft and has a glossy surface. If decorating the cake with nuts, place nuts on frosting as soon as it is spread.

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