Blue ribbon fruit cake

40 to 50 serv

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ cup Sugar
1 cup Water
1 cup Medium Syrup
½ pounds Candied Citron
½ pounds Candied Pineapple
½ pounds Candied Cherries
2 15 oz pk Raisins
2 pounds Whole Dates
1 medium Orange, Juice and Rind
1 medium Lemon, Juice and Rind
1 tablespoon White Corn Syrup
1 pint Peach Brandy
2 pounds Pecan Meats
4 cups Flour
1½ teaspoon Salt
¾ pounds Butter
2¼ cup Sugar
1 cup Buttermilk
6 Eggs, beaten

Directions

MEDIUM SYRUP

FRUIT CAKE

Medium Syrup:

Pour sugar in water and heat to boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Add White Corn Syrup and cool.

Cake:

Slice candied fruits, raisins, dates and pecan meats into match-stick widths about ½ inch long. Add medium syrup, peach brandy and juice and ground rinds of orange and lemon to sliced fruits, etc. Place in large vessel to soak at least overnight. Turn mass over with heavy spoon periodically to promote thorough soaking.

Make cake batter with remaining ingredients and blend with soaked mix.

Fill brown-paper-lined cake pans ¾ full with batter. Pat thin film of buttermilk on top of batter to prevent scorching.

Place pan of water on bottom of oven.

Bake at 250F until well-done. (A 1½ lb cake will take about 2 ½ hours.)

NOTES:

This is a *fruit* cake and not a fruited *cake*. There is nearly 8 pounds of fruits, nuts and so forth and the cake batter has only 4 cups of flour.

You *MUST* cool this cake to a temperature not higher than 40F in order to slice it and, even then, use a serrated-edged knive with a good "sawing" motion to prevent tearing the cake.

The cake should be made near Thanksgiving (US) day and really "ages" well if it is wrapped in a double thickness of cheesecloth.

Soak the cheesecloth with peach brandy one night. The next night, turn the cakes upside down to help distribute the brandy. On the second night, turn the cakes right side up again and soak the cheesecloth with some more peach brandy. Keep this routine up until about the 21st of December; after that date, just turn the cakes over nightly.

Source: A Meta Givens Cookbook of many years ago.

"Soaking" instructions by Jean and Lou Ramsay Submitted By LOU RAMSAY On 10-24-94

Related recipes