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* Exported from MasterCook *
Margaret's Fruit Cake
Recipe By :
Serving Size : Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Volume 9-09 Sep 2006
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups shortening
4 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 cups hot applesauce
4 teaspoons baking soda
8 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons cloves
1 pound apricots
1 pound nuts
2 pounds seeded raisins
1 pound currants
1 pound candied pineapple and cherries
1 pound citron
1 pound figs
1 pound dates
Chop all the fruit into small pieces. Mix together fruit and nuts. Sprinkle
with part of the flour to keep from sticking. Set aside.
Cream shortening with sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then
warm applesauce into which half of the soda has been dissolved. Mix in
sifted dry ingredients. Incorporate fruit. Mix well.
Divide into pans which have been greased and lined with brown paper and
greased again. Bake 75 to 80 minutes in a very slow oven, 300F. to 325F.
Remove, cool and store, either plain or soaked in brandy for at least two
week or a month before serving. Wrap fruitcakes in foil.
NOTES : If one should be so inclined, this cake may be cooled, wrapped in
cheesecloth and liberally sprinkled with brandy.
Jennie's notes: This is my annual fruit cake recipe, it is so good and will
last for years. Contrary to the belief that there is merely one fruitcake
in the world and it makes the rounds annually, this is a fruitcake which
people will actually eat. When I was a young bride I made this cake for the
first time for Christmas - I put all of the chopped up fruit in the largest
bowl I owned, than I mixed the cake batter in the second largest bowl (and
the last of the lot) I owned. Now came the problem of mixing the fruit and
the cake batter and no bowl large enough to hold the mixture. I scrubbed
out my sink and dumped fruit and batter into the sink and mixed away. Then
I just rinsed out the mess when I was done. This worked so well that every
year that I make these cakes, I use the same "sink" method. It is names
Margaret's fruit cake because Margaret was my mother in law and it was her
recipe.
Hallie's Notes:
--- My Mum used to use her big canner to mix her cake because she didn't
have big bowls and when I was very young we didn't have running water in
the house so she didn't have a sink either. One of my best memories is of
watching her set out all those pretty ingredients and sniffing the sniffs.
I still have the old square pans she used and about once every 10 years or
so I completely lose my mind, haul them out, grease them, line them with
brown paper, grease the paper and make Christmas cake from her old recipe.
By which time I usually come to my senses and swear off for another 10
years. When I used to make fruitcake (and I'm one of those who love the
stuff) I usually poked a bunch of holes in the cake with turkey skewers
then, with the cake sitting on the wrapping material, slowly drizzled as
much rum or brandy (depending on what was to hand) over the cake as it
would hold. Then I wrapped it up and stored it away. I told myself that
made it keep better and stay moister. (hi hi) H.
Contributed to the FareShare Gazette by Jennie; 23 September 2006.
www.fareshare.net
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