Fruitcake Lovers Anonymous
I think I need to start a support group for those of us (relatively few, it seems) who love fruitcake. In my opinion, the haters haven’t tried the right kind of fruitcake. It’s been almost two years since my novel, The Last Suppers, came out. The story is about a young, female prison cook who is obsessed with preparing the most meaningful last meal for death row inmates. One of the elderly inmates chooses fruitcake, a recipe from his childhood. The novel contains a recipe appendix and I included recipes of the time period, like this fruitcake from 1933. It’s one I make every year. It’s one my husband and I absolutely adore, and could eat year-round. Maybe take a chance and try it?
Source: All About Home Baking (General Foods Corporation, 1933, p. 135)
Dry ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Calumet baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon mace
Fat, sugar and eggs
- 1/2 pound butter or other shortening
- 1/2 pound brown sugar
- 5 eggs, well beaten
2 ½ pounds of the following fruit (your choice)
- Candied cherries
- Candied pineapple
- Diced dates, seeded and sliced
- Raisins
- Candied citron
- Candied orange and lemon peel
- Walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup cider, coffee or milk
Combine flour, baking powder and spices in a bowl. Cream butter or shortening with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, fruits, honey, molasses and cider. Mix well. Add flour mixture gradually. Bake in two greased pans, 8x8x2 inches, lined with greased paper, in slow oven (250 degrees F) 3 to 3 ½ hours. (Can be baked in three loaf pans.)
