*  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                       Alaskan Sourdough Fruitcake

Recipe By     : Breads and Coffee Cakes with Homemade Starters
Serving Size  : 6    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Cakes

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1 1/2   c            Golden, seedless raisins --
                        - combined with puffed, seeded
                        - raisins
   4       c            White flour
   1       ts           Baking soda
   1 1/2   c            Dried currants
   1       ts           Salt
   1       c            Blackberry Cordial or
                        - other wine -- +2 tb
   1       ts           Cinnamon
   1       ts           Cloves
   1       ts           Allspice
   1       c            Alaskan sourdough starter
     1/2   ts           Mace
   6       tb           Butter
   3       c            Candied fruit -- green and red
                        - cherries, pineapple,
                        - orange, citron, and ginger
   1       c            White sugar
   1       c            Brown sugar
   3                    Eggs -- well beaten
   1       c            Nuts -- chopped
   2       tb           Lemon rind -- grated

  Soak raisins and currants in 1 cup wine overnight. Remove starter
  from refrigerator and set, tightly covered, in warm place overnight.
  It should be in at least a 2 cup container as it will just about
  double its volume overnight.

  In the morning, cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs and lemon
  rind. Drain wine from raisins into creamed mixture. Stir in starter
  and 3 cups of the flour sifted with the soda, salt, and spices.
  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of flour over the fruit and nuts in a
  large bowl. Toss and shake until well-coated. Add to batter and mix
  thoroughly. Turn into loaf pans which have been generously
  buttered. Let stand in warm place for 30 minutes.

  Bake in oven preheated to 300 F with a pan of water on floor of
  oven and rack as near as possible in middle of oven. Bake about
  2-1/2 hours for medium-sized loaves watching carefully to see that
  they do not brown to quickly. Test with toothpick. Remove from
  oven, turn pans on sides and allow to set for a few minutes before
  taking from pans.

  When cold, drip 2 tb wine over each cake. As soon as it is
  absorbed, wrap tightly in cellophane freezer paper and store in
  refrigerator or freezer. They improve with age.
  
  Posted by: Pat Stockett
 
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