⅔ cup shortening
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
⅔ cup GRANDMA’S MOLASSES
3 squares bitter chocolate
2 eggs
¾ cup sour milk
1½ cups sifted enriched flour
Heat oven to 375° F. (moderate). Cream together first five ingredients.
Stir in molasses. Melt chocolate over hot water; add to
shortening-sugar, etc., mixture. Beat in eggs. Add sour milk alternately
with flour (about ⅓ of each at a time). Bake 25 minutes or until done in
2 well-greased, lightly floured, round, 8-inch, layer cake pans. Cool;
frost as desired.
YIELD: 12 servings.
OLD FASHIONED FRUIT CAKE
(heavy with fruit)
[Illustration: OLD FASHIONED FRUIT CAKE]
2½ lbs. (6¼ cups) raisins, cut in half
½ lb. (1¼ cups) candied cherries, sliced
½ lb. (1¼ cups) candied pineapple, sliced
½ lb. (2 cups) pecans, coarsely chopped
½ lb. (2 cups) blanched almonds, sliced
¾ lb. (2 cups) citron, thinly sliced
¼ cup sifted enriched flour
use to tenderize fruit:
1 cup GRANDMA’S MOLASSES
½ cup water
_Cake Batter:_
2 cups sifted enriched flour
¼ teaspoon soda
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1¼ teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ sq. bitter chocolate, melted
1 cup butter _or_ margarine
6 eggs, unbeaten
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup milk
_To Freshen and Tenderize Fruit_: Heat molasses and water to boiling
point. Gradually stir in fruit and nuts to coat each piece with syrup.
Slowly cook until all liquid is absorbed by fruit (about 5 minutes).
Stir constantly. Place fruit on large platters to completely cool. Stir
occasionally. Just before adding fruit to cake batter, mix fruit with
the ¼ cup flour.
_To Mix Cake_: Sift together flour, soda, and spices. Cream together
butter or margarine, sugar, and chocolate. Beat in 3 eggs. Stir in ½ cup
flour mixture; beat in remaining 3 eggs. Add remaining dry ingredients
alternately with milk. Stir in freshened fruit. Line bottoms and sides
of 2 greased, tube cake pans, (measuring 8 inches across bottom). Grease
paper well. Pour batter into pans. Bake 3 hours in very slow oven (275°
F.), keeping a large, flat pan of hot water on rack underneath cakes to
prevent them from baking too dry. Turn cakes out on wire cooler; remove
brown paper. Store in tightly closed tin box when cold.
YIELD: 8 pounds.