MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Damsel's Fruitcake
 Categories: Cakes, Christmas/y
      Yield: 4 1/2 pounds
 
MMMMM---------------------------BATTER--------------------------------
      1 c  Sugar
      1 c  Butter
    1/8 ts Salt
    1/4 ts Cinnamon
    1/4 ts Mace
    1/4 ts Nutmeg
    1/4 ts Cardamom
      6 lg Eggs
      2 ts Lemon extract
      2 ts Vanilla
      2 ts Sherry
  2 1/2 c  Flour

MMMMM-----------------------FRUIT MIXTURE----------------------------
    1/2 lb Candied cherries
      1 lb Golden raisins
    1/2 lb Seedless raisins
    1/2 lb Currants
    1/2 lb Pecans; chopped
      1 lb Mixed fruitcake fruit
           Flour; to coat fruit
 
  In a large bowl, combine batter ingredients in the order given,
  beating in one egg at a time. In a huge bowl, combine fruits and
  nuts. Add enough flour to the fruit mixture to coat lightly. Pour
  batter over fruit mixture; combine well.
  
  Line baking pans with at least two layers of heavy brown paper, such
  as postal wrapping paper, or grocery bags. (Instructions at end of
  post, if needed) Spoon batter into pans, filling no more than 2/3
  full. Place shallow pan of water in bottom of 300 F oven and bake
  cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean
  (1-1/2 hours for 1 pound cake, 2-1/2 to 3 hours for larger cakes)
  Remove from oven and pour rum over cakes while still hot. When cooled
  just enough to handle, remove paper from cakes and cool on a wire
  rack.
  
  When thoroughly cooled, saturate with more rum (optional). Decorate
  tops with candied fruits, attached to cake with corn syrup.
  
  Examples:
  
  * One-half red cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of
    green pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
  * One-half green cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of
    yellow pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
  * Pecan half in center, with pineapple on each end (rectangular
    cakes)
  * One-half cherry with thin wedge-shaped slices of pineapple
    forming a starburst around cherry center (round cakes)
  
  Wrap neatly with plastic wrap, using tape to secure wrap at the
  bottom of each loaf.
  
  Baking containers:
  
  * Any size loaf pan. I like to make tiny, individual-sized cakes for
    gift-giving.
  * Short coffee or sweet potato (yam) cans.
  
  Lining baking pans:
  
  * Cut paper to size. Be sure to allow enough to cover bottom of pan,
    and up the sides.
  * Mark the paper (on the side that will be away from the cake) to
    the size and shape of the pan bottom.
  * For a rectangular pan, cut the paper from the outside corner to
    the marked corner, and stop there. Do this with all four corners.
    Place paper into pan, covering bottoms and sides of pan, and wrap
    excess paper around corners, inside the pan.
  * For a round pan, follow the same procedure, but cut the paper
    from the outside edges to the marked base of pan, cutting several
    times, in a starburst-type pattern.
  
  Recipe by Damsel in dis Dress
  
  Source: Pat and Carol Zastera
  
  Recipe FROM: <https://web.archive.org/web/20170327131333/
  http://recfoodcooking.org/sigs/Damsel in dis Dress/
  Damsel's Fruitcake.html>
 
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