A couple of weeks ago, I flew to Pittsburgh to see my brother, and I had a wonderful few days.

Now I am home and the holidays have begun. For the past two columns, I gave you my recipes for turkey, gravy, stuffing and a new cranberry sauce. Although pies are de rigueur, why not make a lovely autumn cake and, if you have some extra, make a trifle. I will be driving to Newburyport, Mass., for the day, but feel free to e-mail me if you run into problems. Next week’s column will include recipes for turkey leftovers.

Old Fashioned Spice Cake

Adapted from Linnea Rufo of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Yield: serves 10 to 12 people

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup currants or raisins or dried cherries (optional)

1/2 cup candied ginger, chopped

2 eggs

2 tablespoons molasses

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cake in the pan, set on a rack, for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and spread on icing at once, while cake is still warm.

Espresso Icing

1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon of espresso (use a teaspoon or so of cold coffee)

1 tablespoon milk

Whisk icing ingredients together.