Ingredients

serves 15-20

　　

Cake

4 cups all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon baking soda

　　1 pound candy orange slices

　　One 8-ounce package pitted dates

　　2 cups chopped pecans

　　1 cup shredded coconut

　　1 cup (2 sticks) butter

　　2 cups granulated sugar

　　4 eggs

　　1 teaspoon baking soda

　　1/2 cup buttermilk

　　

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

　　2 tablespoons orange juice

　　1 teaspoon grated orange zest

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 10-inch tube pan. For the cake, sift together 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the baking soda. Cut the orange slices and dates into small pieces and add them with the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Add the nuts and coconut; set aside. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Alternately add the flour and the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in the candy mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan onto a rack.

　　

Step 2

To make the glaze, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, and zest.

　　

Step 3

Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake.

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.