Fruitcakes

Every year about mid November, Mert and I go to the Scoop and Save bulk food store to get our fruitcake supplies. Twenty five dollars later, we're home looking at our calendar, scheduling when is a good time to bake the cakes. We need a good half a day for chopping, preparation, cooking and cooling. These 2 cakes are ideal since they both need a 275 degree oven and take about 2 hours... so I cook them at the same time.


So, today was the day. We started out early and both the dark and light cakes were in the oven by 10am. They've been cooling all afternoon, and we will wrap the cakes tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. We'll put them in the cold room until Christmas. When we bring them up, we'll divide them into smaller pieces, keep a good size piece out for us for the Christmas week and then put a fresh wrap on the rest of individual pieces and return them in the cold room for further curing.

We never started out liking fruitcake, but about 15 years ago, I saw these 2 recipes in the local paper and something made me try them. We loved, loved both the light and the dark cakes and we've been making the same recipes ever since 1994. I still have the tattered newspaper clipping that I cut out using my pinking sheers. I used to cut a piece of cake and give it to the kids, my dad, and anybody who would take it. A funny thing is, that most people still do not like fruitcake. If they do, they like the light, and not the dark. In my mind, they don't know what they're missing...So I don't try to shove it on people any more. If anyone wants some, they know where to get it.

Except Scott of course- my niece Michelle's fiance. He first tried my fruitcake a couple of years ago. I think it was in the summer, so the fruitcake would have been at least 6 months old. It must have been a hunk that I gave to Dad at Christmas and it got lost in the back of my sister, Donna's fridge. Anyway, I recall that Scott got teased for eating 6 month old cake... That didn't stop him.... with in a day, that whole piece of cake was gone... So, the news is, he likes my dark fruitcake and he's out in the open about it. This guy has got taste! He's the only one on my list who is getting some this year!

I know none of my immediate family will ask, but for my other blogger friends, if you want the recipe, just leave me a comment. I'll send to you or post it at the bottom of this blog entry later.

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Just a sec while I get up from falling off my chair... Do you see the comment!! My sister wants my recipes. See, fruitcake grows on you! Here are the 2 recipes that were in the November 26th, 1994 Daily Gleaner:

Dark Fruitcake
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cloves
3/4 cup milk, fruit juice or port rum
2 cups seeless raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup seeded raisins
4 oz green candied cherries
4 oz red candied cherries
8 oz mixed peel
1 tbsp diced candied ginger
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup nuts (I use whole almonds)

Chop the fruit and nuts and mix with 1/2 cup of the flour. Mix the liquids together and add one to the other, mixing well. Add fruit and pour into a well greased pan. Bake at 275F for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.


Light Fruitcake
1 cup butter
1-1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 can (14 oz) drained crushed pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking owder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp almond extract
1-1/2 cup raisins
4 oz green candied cherries
4 oz red candied cherries
4 oz mixed peel
1 cup coconut
1 tsp mace

Chop the fruit and mix with 1/4 cup of the flour. Cram butter, sugar and add eggs one at a time blending well after each addition. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the liquids. Stir in flavorings and fruit. Bake at 275 F for about 2 hours. Less time if using 2 pans.