Williamsburg Orange Cake

• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 23 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour milk or 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup raisins, chopped
• 2 ounces walnuts, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm water

1. FOR THE CAKE: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
3. In a small bowl, blend the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour milk or buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Blend well after each addition.
6. Stir in the raisins, walnuts and orange peel.
7. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured 8 inch square pan, and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
8. Leave the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling it thoroughly on the rack.
9. Cover the cooled cake with the glace icing.
10. FOR THE GLACE ICING: For this recipe use 2 tablespoons sweet sherry instead of water, and flavored with 1 tablespoons grated orange peel.
11. Stir the warm water and the confectioners sugar together until the sugar dissolves completely and the icing is smooth.
12. The icing should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
13. If it is too thick, add more liquid; if too thin, add a little sugar.
14. The icing should be used at once.
15. Makes about 1 cup.
16. To make coffee flavored icing replace the water with strong black coffee.
17. Once it is made, plain glace icing may be flavored to taste with vanilla, almond or peppermint extract, or with a liqueur.
18. Liqueur must be added in large amounts than more concentrated extracts; if you use liqueur, reduce the amount of water used in the icing by about 1 Tablespoon.
19. For chocolate flavored icing, melt 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water.
20. Let the chocolate cool slightly, then stir it into the prepared icing.
21. The Early American Cookbook.

butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, sour milk, raisins, walnuts, orange zest, sugar, water

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/williamsburg-orange-cake-153177 (may not work)