Gram's Christmas Cake

Source: Toronto Star Weekly, 29 November 1952

Obviously this recipe came from the news paper. Gram cut this page from the Toronto Star Weekly in November of 1952. She liked it so much she wrote "Good, Good, Good" in the upper right side of the page.

This cake had a very heavy batter due to the amount of fruit in the mix. As I got older, it became my job to do the mixing. But it was worth it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon mace
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 lbs. seeded raisins
• 1 lb. seedles raisins or currants
• 1 lb. candied cherries
• 1 lb. blanched almonds, chopped
• 1 lb. pitted dates, chopped
• 1 lb. citron, lemon peel and orange peel
• 1 cup sour milk

Directions

Cream shortening, and sugar. Add eggs, molasses,beat well. Sift together flour, soda, spices. Combine with fruit and nuts. Stir until each piece of fruit is flour-coated. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to creamed mixture. Pour into fruit cake pans lined with 3 layers of brown paper rubed with shortening. Place in oven with dish of hot water to keep cake moist.

Bake in a very slow 250F oven, 3 to 5 hours, depending on size of pans. After 1 hour's baking, cover surface with brown paper or foil. Cool, remove from pans, wrap with waxed paper - store in a cool place.

To serve, cover with marzipan, top with icing-sugar frosting. Decorate with maraschino cherries and citron peel.

Yeild: 10 lb. approx.
one 8" x 8" cake and
one 5" x 5" cake

Enjoy!