This is Grandma Mable’s recipe that she sent to Uncle Tim with some modifications and comments that he and Oma made. While the recipe calls for an angel food cake pan, Uncle Tim only remembers Grandma making in loaf pans. So, that is the way I will make it too 🙂
Instead of using candy fruitcake mix, mix and match your favorite combination of dried fruits; such as apricots, cranberries, currants, golden raisins, candied ginger, orange peel and a few candied cherries.
Ingredients
Apple Mixture
- 1 c chopped apples
- 1 c raisins
- 1 c Water
- 1 c sugar
- 1 stick butter
Cake Mixture
- 2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbl cocoa
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp +/- allspice
Fruit and Nuts
- 2 cups fruitcake mix OR Candied pineapple and/or cherries
- 1 c chopped walnuts or pecans
- to taste candied ginger Oma's suggestion
Servings: loaf pans
Instructions
- Boil together apple mixture (not butter) for a few minutes.
- Add butter then let cool.
- Mix remaining ingredients, except juice.
- Add to apple mixture.
- Mix dry ingredients.
- Add to apple mixture with fruitcake mix and nuts
- Pour batter in two greased loaf pans.
- Bake slowly for approximately 1 hour at 300 degrees F.
- Season with grape juice.
- Wrap cake in muslin or cheesecloth soaked in grape juice about a week to age.
Uncle Tim's Extra Notes
- I believe Mom usually did not use the fruitcake mix, but usually used the candied pineapples and cherries. I believe one time she just added more raisins and apples and used very little candied fruit.
- To make 3 loaves, use a variety of dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, currants, golden raisins) and only a small number of the candied cherries. Additionally, I used apple juice because I had no grape juice handy.
- "Presbyterian" version: Instead of the apple/fruitcake mix combo, place 4 oz golden raisins, 4 oz. dried currants, 3 oz. dried cranberries, 3 oz. dried blueberries, 3 oz dried cherries, 3 oz. chopped dried apricots, 1 orange peel, chopped, 2 oz chopped candied ginger, and 1 cup golden rum in a plastic storage container, and let sit overnight. (This is called maceration.) Place fruit and liquid in a saucepan, add the sugar and apple juice (instead of water) follow the rest of the recipe. (After baking, spritz with apple brandy instead of grape juice.)
Oma's recommendation
- I like to add candied ginger when I can find it. Otherwise, little to no candied fruit or peel. I don't mind candied cherries and maybe pineapple. Just not real fond of candied fruit.
Recipe Notes
Another variation from Uncle Tim, "No nasty candied fruit is going into this fruitcake. This is my mom's recipe (secret ingredient: cocoa powder) with macerated (that's the non-Baptist modification) currants, cherries, apricots, blueberries, and orange peel."Â Â
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