It's time to start preparing for the upcoming holidays.

This is a fruitcake recipe that's been in my family for years.

It's not your typical fruitcake full of nasty candied fruit and cherries. If you use good quality ingredients you'll end up with a awesome cake. It's not cheap. Last time I made it this cake cost me close to $15 per loaf. But it's by far the best fruit cake you'll ever have.

�4 cups walnuts, in halves or large pieces
�4 cups all-purpose flour
�3 cups dark-brown sugar
�2 cups golden raisins
�2 cups dried apricot halves
�2 cups dried figs halved
�2 cups brandy
�2 cups pecans, in halves or large pieces
�1 cup dark raisins
�1 cup currants
�1 cup pitted prunes
�1 cup whole pitted dates
�1 cup black molasses
�2/3 cup chopped candied ginger
�1/2 cup orange liqueur

�Grated zest of 3 oranges

�Grated zest of 3 lemons

�3 teaspoon vanilla extract
�3 teaspoon baking powder
�2 teaspoons cinnamon
�1� teaspoons salt
�1 teaspoon nutmeg
�1 teaspoon baking soda
�1 teaspoon ground allspice
�1 teaspoon mace
�1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

�1 lb (4 sticks) butter, don't use anything but good butter

�8 eggs

At least a day before you want to bake the fruit cakes combine all the dried fruits, nuts, lemons and orange zest in a very large bowl or kettle. Sprinkle on the ginger and the spices and toss well to mix and coat the fruit and nuts. Add the molasses, brandy, and orange liqueur, and mix well. Cover and let stand for at least 24 hours stirring it once or twice. I let my mix set for at least two weeks and stir it twice a day. Add more brandy if it has been absorbed.

The day you decide to bake the cakes preheat the oven to 275� F. Grease four 9�x5�x3� loaf pans (see notes). Line the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper, grease the paper then roll flour about the pans to coat them lightly and evenly. Knock out the excess flour.

Sprinkle 1 cup of the flour over the fruit mixture and stir well. Combine the remaining 3 cups of flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt and sift them together onto a piece of waxed paper or a dry plate and set aside. Cream the butter, then add the brown sugar and beat well. Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the combined dry ingredients and beat till the batter is thoroughly blended and perfectly smooth. Pour the batter over the fruit mix (you will need a VERY large bowl or a clean dishpan if you have made the full recipe) and mix well until all the pieces of fruit are coated with batter � your clean hands make the best tools for mixing this cake.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans, filling them to within �� of the top. Bake the cakes for about 2 hours; each cake will rise well above the rim of the pan and the top will crack slightly in a few places, and there will be a bit of shrinkage around the edge of the pan. Insert a ice pick or a long wooden skewer in the center of the pan. It should come out clean, or with just a slight residue of the fruit but no raw batter. Remove the cakes from the oven and place them on a rack to cool for 30 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans, peel off the waxed paper, and let cool top side up on a rack. If you wish pour an additional tablespoon or two of brandy over the cakes as they cool.

To store: Wrap each cake in brandy soaked cloth, then in foil and keep in a cool place. Make sure the cloth doesn't dry out. Kept this way the cakes will keep for months.


As long as you keep the fruit/nut ratio the same you can use any fruit you want and any nuts. I've made it with nothing but high end dried apricots and pineapple with pecans.

Semper Fi Streetwalker! This looks like an amazing recipe.