Fruit Cake: Rich

Makes 3 loaf cakes

“This was the recipe I remember with all the different ingredients. Darlene and I would pick out different colors of citron and candied cherries. I thought the orange marmalade was too bitter - Mama let us taste it before it went in the mix. When I was young and people would ask me my favorite cake I would say fruit cake and no one could understand that because they never had Mama’s fruitcake, which was moist and delicious and ’seasoned’ for weeks before we could eat it.” - Robbie

ingredients

4 c (1 1/2 lbs) seedless raisins
2 1/2 c (3/4 lb) currants
1/2 c (4 oz) candied cherries
1 slice (4 oz) candied pineapple
2 c (6 oz) citron
1/2 c grape juice or brandy
1 c shortening
1 1/2 c brown sugar
5 eggs
1/2 c orange marmalade
1/2 c grape jelly
1/2 square unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp Royal baking powder
1/4 tsp each salt, nutmeg, allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c (1/2 lb) finely chopped almonds
2 c (1/2 lb) pecans, cut in half

directions

1
Soak fruit overnight in grape juice or brandy. Cream shortening and add sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating in well. Add marmalade, jelly, and chocolate. Sift 1/2 the flour with baking powder, salt, and spices; add to first mixture. Sift rest of flour over fruit; add to batter; add nuts. Place in loaf pans lined with well greased brown paper. Cover tightly; steam slowly for 6 hours. Bake in slow oven at 250° about 1 hour.
2
Recipe torn from an unknown magazine featuring cakes with Royal baking powder. Handwritten date of December 1938 on front cover.

Source: ****