MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Mom's Black Fruitcake Categories: Cakes Yield: 4 Loaves 2 c Golden raisins 2 c Dried apricot halves 2 c Red candied cherries; whole 1 c Green candied cherries; -whole 1 c Seedless raisins 1 c Currants 1 c Dates; pitted 3/4 c Candied citron 4 c Pecan halves 2 c Walnuts; chopped 2 ts Ground cinnamon 1 ts Ground allspice 1 ts Ground mace 1/2 ts Ground cloves 1 c Molasses 2 c Rum 1/2 c Orange juice MMMMM----------------FOR COATING FRUIT THE DAY OF--------------------- 1 c All-purpose flour MMMMM---------------------------BATTER-------------------------------- 3 c All-purpose flour 1 tb Baking powder 1 ts Baking soda 1 1/2 ts Salt 1 lb Butter 3 c Dark brown sugar 8 lg Eggs 1 tb Vanilla extract The day before you make the fruitcake, combine all the fruits, the nuts and the citrus zests in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle on the spices, and toss well to mix. Add the molasses, rum, and orange juice and mix well. Cover and let stand overnight, stirring once or twice. (The mixture may sit for several days if you wish. Stir it occasionally and add a little more rum if it has been absorbed.) The day you make the cakes, preheat the oven to 275°F. Grease four 9x5x3" loaf pans, line the bottoms with waxed paper, grease the paper, then coat the pans lightly and evenly with flour. Tip the pans upside down and tap firmly to remove the excess flour. Sprinkle 1 cup of flour over the fruit mixture and stir well. This will prevent the fruit from clumping together and/or sinking to the bottom of the loaves. Combine 3 cups flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift them together onto a piece of waxed paper; set aside. Cream the butter and the brown sugar and beat well. Add the eggs 2 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the combined dry ingredients and beat until the batter is thoroughly blended and perfectly smooth. Pour the batter over the fruit mixture (you might need to do this in a large tub or a clean dish pan if you have made the full recipe) and mix well until all of the pieces of fruit are coated with batter-your clean hands are the best tools for this. Divide the batter among the prepared loaf pans, filling them within 1/2" of the top. Bake the cakes for about 2 hours. Each cake will rise just above the rim of the pan, the top will crack slightly in several places, and there will be a faint line of shrinkage around the edge of the pan. A long wooden skewer inserted in the center of a cake should come out clean, or with just a slight residue of sticky fruit, but no raw batter. Remove the cakes from the oven and place them on a rack to cool for about 30 minutes. Turn out of the pans, peel off the waxed paper, and let cool, top side up, on a rack. If you wish, pour an additional tb or two of rum over the cakes as they cool. 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. * One-half green cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of yellow pineapple on each side. * Pecan half in center, with pineapple on each side.. To store: Wrap each cake first in rum-soaked cheesecloth, then in plastic wrap, then in foil. The cakes will keep for months. To serve, cut in thin slices with a long, serrated knife. Recipe by Fanny Farmer Baking Book (Adaptation) Recipe FROM: MMMMM