The Greatest Fruit Cake on Earth!!!

Okay, I know...I hear you say "there aren't any great fruit cakes". Wrong my friend....this one is so great, my Mom hides it so we can't find it! She makes a batch each year....around Christmas time...and then, we put several loafs in the freezer. Around May or June...we can't find any of them! She has hidden some! Then on Thanksgiving...she pulls one or two out to eat! So, today..we made a new batch...and while it was cooking...what does she pull out and cut!!!!!!!

 

I kid you not...she baked this last year! And, it was just as great today!!

FRUITCAKE

Everyone Loves THIS Recipe!

Recipe from Mrs. Verna Finch (who clipped it from a 1954 issue of Woman’s Day)

INGREDIENTS:

3 pkgs (8 oz each) pitted dates (cut in half)    

1 pound candied pineapple (cut into large chunks)

2 cups sifted self-rising flour*                                     

1 pound candied whole cherries

4 eggs                                                              

1 cup sugar

2 pounds pecan halves

Butter

Use butter to grease an angel food cake pan or three large loaf pans. Cut brown paper (or parchment paper) to fit the bottom of the pan, and grease that with butter too. Set pan aside and preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, or kitchen shears…cut dates in half, and cut candied pineapple into big chunks.

Reserve a few whole cherries and whole pecan halves for decoration (optional).

In a large bowl: Add dates, candied pineapple, and whole cherries together.  Cover with sifted flour. Toss until all the fruits are well covered with the flour. Set aside. (My mom mixes this recipe with her hands...but you can try with a spoon...it gets very dense, and is sticky...so good luck with that method!)

In a medium bowl: Mix eggs and sugar until frothy. Pour this mixture over the fruit/flour mixture.

Mix until each piece of fruit is sticky with batter. Add pecan halves. Place mixture by the handful into the cake pan(s). Press the mixture down into the pan to remove any excess air. Fill the pans, as the cake does not rise much.

Decorate the top of the cakes with a few cherries and pecan halves if desired.

Bake angel food cake pan for 1 to 1 ¼ hours…bake loaf cake pans for about 1 ¼ hours.

After recommended baking time…check the cake. If it looks slightly undercooked…leave in the oven…but Turn the Oven Off. Keep an eye on the cake. When done, remove from oven.

You can brush the top of the fruitcake with a thin coating of white corn syrup to make it glisten. (optional)

Slice and enjoy! Great to make ahead and freeze..they last over a year in the freezer. Thaw and serve.

*1954 recipe used plain flour, baking powder, salt (we changed it to self-rising instead)