Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
16 ounces diced mixed candied fruits and peels (2 ½ cups)
1 15-ounce package (3 cups) raisins
1 8-ounce package (1 1/3 cups) pitted whole dates, snipped
8 ounces whole red or green candied cherries (1 1/3 cups)
1 cup silvered almonds
1 cup pecan halves
½ cup chopped candied pineapple
4 eggs
1 ¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
¾ cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
¼ cup light molasses
Oven 300o
Method:
- Grease three 8x4x2-inch loaf pans or two 10x3 ½ x 2 ½ -inch loaf pans.
- Line bottom and sides of pans with brown paper (brown paper prevents overbrowning); grease paper.
- Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, all-spice, and cloves.
- Add fruits and peels, raisins, dates, cherries, almonds, pecans, and pineapple; mix till well coated.
- Beat eggs till foamy.
- Add brown sugar, orange juice, butter or margarine, and molasses; beat till combined.
- Stir into fruit mixture.
- Turn batter into pans, filling each about ¾ full.
- Bake in a 300o oven for 2 hours or till cakes test done.
- Cover all pans loosely with foil after 1 hour of baking to prevent overbrowning.
- Place cakes in pans on wire racks; cool thoroughly.
- Remove from pans.
- Wrap in wine-, brandy-, or fruit juice-moistened cheese-cloth.
- Overwrap with foil.
- Store in refrigerator.
- Store 3 to 4 weeks for a blended and mellow flavor.
- Remoisten cheese-cloth as needed after 1 week.
- Makes 40 servings.
