Old Tennessee Recipe - Black Pepper Cake

I was going through my file of old recipes and found this one. I had put the notation - "Old Tennessee Recipe" on the card. I don't remember where I got the recipe. It calls for black walnuts, haven't seen them used in years. I think I may give the recipe a try. A caramel frosting would be good.

1 cup black walnuts, chopped small
1/2 cup butter
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs well beaten
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg, cloves
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts in boiling water to cover for 1 minute, drain. Cream butter and brown sugar in bowl. Add eggs, mix well. Sift dry ingredients together. Add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Pour in to three 9-inch layer pans. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Frost as desired.

I looked online and many stores now sell black walnuts, so probably wouldn't need to soak them in water. I can remember from childhood that black walnuts were hell to shell. But I also remember that they had a great taste, different from regular walnuts.