MAMA'S CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE - DEE DEE'S

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Mama's Christmas Fruitcake - Dee Dee's image

This has to be the very best fruitcake ever!! This recipe was passed down to my mother from her mother. I can remember mama making 2 to 4 of these cakes at a time for Christmas. Everything mama put into her fruit cakes was very fresh. She would crack a fresh coconut and grate it. The pecans she put in this cake were not...

Provided by Diane Atherton

Categories     Cakes

Time 3h30m

Number Of Ingredients 16

5 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 c butter or margarine
2 c sugar
5 eggs
3/4 c whiskey, or mogan david concord american red wine(add'l liquor is needed for soaking cheese cloth)
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb candied cherries, red and green, chopped coarsely
1 lb candied pineapple, chopped coarsely
3 c california golden raisins, cut up
4 c pecans, chopped coarsely
1 fresh coconut, grated

Steps:

  • 1. Sift all dry ingredients together. Coat fruit and nuts with just enough of flour mixture (about 1 cup) to ensure that the fruit does not stick together; set aside.
  • 2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  • 3. Add remaining dry mixture to egg, sugar and butter mixture; add liquor and vanilla; mix well.
  • 4. Pour the creamed mixture over the fruit and nuts. Hand stir until mixed well.
  • 5. Pour into 2 10-inch waxed paper lined tube pans, garnish top of cake with cherries, pineapple slices and pecan halves; place in cold oven, set oven at 275 degrees; bake 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. MY MOHTERS RECIPE STATES BAKE IN SLOW OVEN FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 HOURS. IT TOOK MUCH LONGER IN MY OVEN.
  • 6. Once cakes are done, cool and wrap in wine soaked cheesecloth, then in Reynolds Wrap and then wrap in towels.
  • 7. NOTE: The secret to these wonderful cakes is in the aging process. Mama would age her cakes from 2 to 3 weeks. Once a week she would un-wrap the cakes and pour enough liquor over the cakes to keep them moist until Christmas.

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