PISTACHIO CAKE WITH BUTTER-RUM CHERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE
• Prehead oven to 350°F. Place all ingredients except powdered sugar in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes.
• Pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake 55 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.
• FOR THE GLAZE
• Drain the jar of maraschino cherries, saving the juice. Heat butter in sauce pan until melted.
• Stir in powdered sugar and rum. Stir in reserved maraschino cherry juice, 1 teaspoon full at a time, until the glaze is the consistency you want. You may not use the whole 2 tablespoons.
• Squeeze the remaining juice from the whole maraschino cherries, chop the cherries. Add the cherries to the glaze and pour over cake.
• for plain butter rum glaze use the same recipe but add a small amount of butter or caramel flavoring and omit the cherry juice. Substitute crushed pistachios or almonds for chopped maraschino cherries.