FAMILY MEDICINE® COLUMN
By John C. Wolf, D.O.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine®
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

[DR. WOLF DONS THE CHEF'S CAP FOR THANKSGIVING]

[Editor's note: for the past several years, Dr. wolf has done a special holiday recipe column at christmas time. These columns have been so well-received that this year he's giving his readers a double treat of culinary advice and adding a thanksgiving RECIPE for their enjoyment.]

For this week's column, I've done something a little different. Instead of the usual answers to questions about health-care issues, I'm going to share a recipe for a Thanksgiving desert with you. Actually, this recipe for rum cake is from my stepmother, Margaret. She has since passed away, but for many years she prepared this as the finishing touch for Thanksgiving family gatherings. This cake is the type of desert that should be reserved for special occasions because it is high in calories and fat. You definitely shouldn't have it every day. Fortunately, Thanksgiving does qualify as a special occasion, so you may want to try it.

MARGARET'S RUM CAKE

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix #1

1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

1 box vanilla pudding (not instant)1/4 cup corn oil

3/4 cup hot water1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla4 eggs

Mix above ingredients well.

Mix #2

3/4 cup chopped nuts (Black walnuts are best. English walnuts are a good

second choice. Pecans are also acceptable.)

2 teaspoons cinnamon3/4 cup sugar

Pour a layer of mix #1 into the bundt pan. Cover this with a thin layer of mix #2. Repeat making layers 3 and 4. Finish with a layer of mix #1. Use a table knife to cut through the batter to disrupt the layers without totally mixing them.

Bake for one hour. Remove from oven, and let cake cool before removing it from the pan.

Once the cake is totally cool, skewer from top to bottom through all layers to make several small channels. Pour 1/4 cup rum over cake. Cover and let stand, preferably for 24 hours. Before cutting, sprinkle cake with powdered sugar. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream or Cool Whip.

I hope that you will be able to be together with friends and family this Thanksgiving. I'm sure Margaret would be pleased if you choose to serve her rum cake to your loved ones on such a joyous occasion.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to John C. Wolf, D.O., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701.