Mom's Fruit Cake
Fruitcakes are holiday, especially Christmas, and wedding cakes which have a very heavy fruit content. The oldest reference that can be found regarding a fruitcake dates back to Roman times. The recipe included pomegranate seeds. Pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. Honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added during the Middle Ages. While the practice of making cakes with dried fruits, honey and nuts may be traced back to ancient times, food historians generally agree that fruitcake (as we know it today) dates back to the Middle Ages. Due to their alcohol content, some fruitcakes can remain edible for many years.
According to charts on the Internet, candied fruit, including cherries is only 2 cups, not 2 1/2 cups.
1 pound butter (2 cups)
1 pound sugar (2 cups)
1 pound eggs (9 - 10 eggs)
1 pound flour (4 cups)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. allspice
1 pound candied cherries, red and green (2 1/2 cups)
1 pound candied pineapple (2 1/2 cups)
1 pound mixed candied fruit (2 1/2 cups)
1 pound white raisins (2 3/4 cups)
1 pound walnuts (4 cups)
extra flour for dusting fruits
2 cups sherry
Note: you may use dried dates for part of the fruit
Save out some of the candied cherries, both red and green for decorating the tops of the cakes. Dust the rest of the candied fruit lightly with flour.
[Note: Many recipes have you soak the fruit in the alcohol for a day, especially if using dried fruit rather than candied fruit. Some recipes even tell you to soak it for a minimum of one week, and up to a year!]
Prepare bread pans (number of pans 4?, size 8½" x 4½") by greasing them and lining the bottom and sides of the pans with brown paper bag, which is greased again. You can use parchment paper if you have it.
[I made 1/4 of the recipe and made two 7½" x 3½" loaves. The pans were only about 2/3 full and I thought I could have used a little more batter.]
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the flour and spices, then the flour dusted fruits and nuts along with 1 cup of the sherry.
Pour into the prepared bread pans lined with brown paper, the pans should be 2/3 - 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 3 - 4 hours until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and prick several holes with a toothpick. Pour the remaining 1 cup sherry over the cakes and let cool before removing from the pans.
When the cakes have completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing container (don't leave in the bread pans or the sherry will turn the bread black where it touches the pan). Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, pour a little more sherry on top. The cake's flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks.
Note: You can cut the recipe back to 1/3 of the amount and bake these in the smaller loaf pans (7½" x 3½").
