Sugar Plum Fruitcake
Grandma made this fruitcake every Christmas. It’s amazing stuff. Not at all like the treacly sweet cakes available in stores.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Oregon brand red tart cherries, well drained and checked for pits
- 1 cup maraschino liqueur
- 3 cups pitted dates, halved
- 1 cup dried apricots, sliced thin
- 1 cup dried prunes, sliced thin
- 1 unpeeled medium orange, ground
- ¼ cup sherry, port, rum, brandy, or sweet wine
- 5 cups walnuts or pecans, left whole, toasted
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 6 eggs
- Cheesecloth
- Sweet wine
Instructions
- Bring the liqueur to a simmer, take off heat, and stir in the cherries
- Cover and allow to cool overnight
- The next day drain the cherries well and pat dry with a tea towel before using
- Put cherries, dates, apricots, prunes, ground orange, and alcohol into a large mixing bowl, stir until combined
- Cover and let stand overnight, stir occasionally
- The next day add the nuts and stir until combined
- In another bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice
- Pour flour mixture over fruit mixture and stir with a large wooden spoon until combined
- Beat eggs to ribbon stage, pour over mixture and mix with clean hands or a large wooden spoon
- Grease 2 9½ by 5½ metal loaf pans
- Divide the batter between the pans, press lightly into corners
- Bake at 300 degrees for 1¾ to 2 hours
- Allow to cool and remove from pans
- Soak several layers of cheesecloth in wine and wrap each loaf individually
- Place loaves in a covered container or large zipper bag and store in the refrigerator for at least three days
- Best if allowed to return to room temperature before eating
Notes
Grandma says the loaves freeze well if left wrapped in the cheesecloth and placed in a zipper bag. She also mentions this recipe will fill five smaller loaf pans but doesn’t mention size or baking time.