Great Grandma-Brown's 5 lb. Fruitcake

By AJloves2cook

Not your average fruitcake, this is truly a sign of the holidays. Make a couple of these & freeze one because they will go fast. Thaw the frozen one in the refrigerator about a day. Delicious cut in thick slices with butter. Slices can be toasted or eaten as is.

Ingredients

• Wet Ingredients:
• 1 lb. seedless RAISINS (you can substitute CRAISINS for up to 1/2)
• 1/2 lb. DATES - chopped into pieces the size of a raisin
• 1/2 Cup BUTTER/OLEO
• 1 Tbs. CINNAMON
• 1 tsp. ground CLOVES
• 2 Cups WATER
• 2 Cups SUGAR (White or Brown)
• Dry Ingredients:
• 1 tsp. BAKING SODA in little water to dissolve
• 4 Cups FLOUR
• 1 tsp. SALT
• 1 1/2 Cups chopped WALNUTS
• 3 tsp. BAKING POWDER
• 3 Cups diced raw APPLES (peeled)
• Decorations:
• Walnut Halves
• Maraschino Cherries halved

Preparation

Step 1

1) Prepare and set out all ingredients, both wet & dry. Also prepare a bundt pan, tube pan or several individual loaf pans by greasing and flouring, or by using a cooking spray like PAM.
2) Combine wet ingredients in a large pot and bring it to a boil for 3 minutes.
3) Preheat oven to 350°F.
4) While the oven is preheating, combine the dry ingredients then fold well into the wet ingredients.
5) Pour batter into Bundt pan, Tube pan, or loaf pans.
6) Decorate top(I cover it) with WALNUT halves & MARASCHINO CHERRIES
7) Place on the middle rack in the oven and Bake at 350°F for 90 minutes or until top is brown and Walnuts are starting to blacken.
8) Remove from the oven and Cool in pan for 5 minutes, before trying to release it from the pan.
9) Let the cake cool overnight on a rack.
10) Wrap in plastic wrap & store in cool place.

~ Very Good after freezing too.