Rich Dark Fruit Cake

Photo: flickr user Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden

Ingredients

3/4 pound shortening

1 pound brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

10 eggs, well beaten

1 cup dark molasses

2 lbs. sultana raisins

2 lbs. seedless raisins

1 pound currants

1 pound chopped dates

1/4 pound blanched and slivered almonds

1 pound broken walnuts

1/2 pound candied cherries

1/2 pound candied fruit peel, slivered

5 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon mace

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup brandy

1/2 cup port wine

2 cups raspberry jam

Preparation

Allow at least 2 days to make this cake. For extra richness, you may melt 1 square of unsweetened chocolate and combine it with the shortening. Prepare the fruit and cover with brandy; let stand overnight. Beat sugar and vanilla into shortening. Add eggs one at a time, beating them in and continuing to beat until very light. Beat in molasses.

Dust a small amount of flour over drained fruit and nuts. Combine brandy, drained from fruit with the port wine. Sift rest of flour with soda and spices. Combine wine, brandy, and ham. Add flour mixture and jam mixture alternately to creamed mixture in small amounts, blending in each addition.

You may bake in loaf pans or small tins, or you can bake it in a large tube pan or a 4 inch deep, 10 inch round pan. Grease pans and line with greased brown paper. Fill only 3/4 full. For an extra moist cake, place a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven for the first half of baking time. Allow 1 hour per pound in baking the small pans and 4 hours entire baking time for the large cake at 275 degrees. This is the best fruitcake I have ever tasted! Our family made them every year since my childhood, but this one came later.