Sunday, December 20, 2009

Now, That's a Fruitcake!

What would Christmas be in the Miller house without mom's fruitcake? Well, it just wouldn't seem like Christmas, that's all. For forty years my mouth salivated and my tummy anticipated Mom Miller's fruitcake. It was a tradition and it was delicious.

Mom is making that secret recipe for Jesus this year. We miss her, and we will remember her as our teeth sink into the light, sweet, almond flavored bread packed with nuts and fruits. Oh, I can barely type without running to get another slice. After she died, I spent a tearful and joyful evening looking through her recipes. There, I found the treasure. I'm sharing it with you in hopes it changes the way you think about fruitcakes. Mom would like you to have it, I'm sure.

For your information, I have no idea how big a "glob of crisco" is, but I put in about 1/4 cup. For the record, I omit the chopped dates and I never "test with a broom thistle." Enjoy!

Fruitcake

1 lb butter and a big glob of crisco
3 cups sugar
1 doz. eggs
3 tsps. vanilla
1 1/2 tsps. almond extract
7 1/2 cups unsifted flour
3 tsps. baking powder (little more)
3/4 or 1 tsp. salt
walnuts (big bag, probably 1 lb.)
2 containers mixed fruit (orange peel, etc. expensive!)
2 pkgs candied pineapple (4 or 3 slices in long pkgs cut them into little chunks)
big bottle marachino cherries, drained well and whole

Cream shortening and sugar with mixer, add eggs, beat more. End up mixing by hand the rest of the ingredients. Put in wide bottom pans with nicely slanted sides. Grease pans, cut wax paper in circle, clip sides to bottoms. Grease paper and trim around top. (I just grease and flour the pans because I don't like anything to do with scissors.) Bake at 225 degrees till done about 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 hours. Test with broom thistle. Makes 6 small and 1 large bread pan. Fill at least 1/2 --doesn't rise.

Christmas tea, fruitcake, fire in the fireplace, Handel's Messiah. Now that's a recipe for serenity on this Christmas week.

Blessed Christmas!

2 comments:

  1. Elaine: What sweet memories your Mom's fruitcake must elicit. She is proud of you, I'm sure.

    Do you suppoese this will be one of the foods at the marriage supper of the Lamb?

    Blesssings,
    Jen
    Audience of ONE

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Jeanette. If it isn't one of the foods, it should be. Can't wait to share the supper with you! Merry Christmas blessings, friend.

    ReplyDelete

I would love hearing from you! Thanks for sharing!