Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Christmas Candied Fruit-Cake Recipe



Christmas Candied Fruit-Cake Recipe
3/4 pound dates, cut in half
3/4 pound golden raisins
1 pound candied pineapple (I use 1/2 pound green and 1/2 pound yellow) chopped
1 pound candied red whole cherries
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 pounds pecan halves
  1. Place fruit, raisins and dates in a very large bowl.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt sprinkled over mixture.  Mix well.
  2. Beat eggs and sugar until light yellow.  Pour over mixture and mix well with large spoon, separating fruit that sticks together.  Mixture will be sticky.  
  3. Add pecan halves and mix well.
Prepare pans:
  • This recipe makes 2 - 9 inch round tube (I use a spring-form pan with a center hole) or 2 loaf pans, size 9x5x3, or one of each. 
  • Grease pans with Crisco.
  • Line pans with brown paper and grease paper.  (The brown paper is the same as the grocery store bags cut to fit the inside of the pan.)
  • Pack and press down the mixture into pans arranging fruit and nuts in a pretty pattern on top. You can use additional fruit for this.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
  • Cook round pan 1 and 1/4 hours, loaf pan 1 and 1/2 hours.  
  • Cake is done when it looks dry; if unsure, leave in a few more minutes, but do not brown.
  • Leave in pans 10 minutes, then turn out on racks, peel off paper, and cool completely.
  • You can brush with Karo syrup, thinned a little with water to give a glossy look.
  • Store wrapped in tin foil in a cool place.
  • Pour a little Brandy over occasionally if you like.
  • May be frozen and will last a year.
"This  recipe came from my husband's family, and I saw it again years later in a Family Circle magazine (1970 - I think)"  ~ Edie Walker  

The Tallahassee Garden Club had their annual Christmas Tea at the Garden Center in downtown Tallahassee last week.  It is always a delightful event and is open to the public.  This year the Chairman of the Christmas Tea, Edie Walker,  contributed a wonderful candied fruit-cake which everyone loved and she was so thoughtful to share the above recipe with us.


Dining Room at the Tallahassee Garden Club

That is Edie's beautiful fruit-cake at the bottom of this photo.

As you can see, there were many other delicious food items cooked by members of the Garden Club Circles, as well as the fruit-cake.  Most of those recipes were taken from the Savory and Sage - Recipes and Gardening Wisdom from the Tallahassee Garden Club Cookbook.


My husband loves fruit-cake.  Every Christmas I think about making one for him, but never knew of a good recipe.  My husband stopped by the Tea and had some of Edie's cake in the above recipe.  He enjoyed it very much......so, now I finally have a good fruit-cake recipe.

Auditorium at the Tallahassee Garden Club

 Hall Stairway looking beyond to the back entrance.

 Front entrance of the Garden Club

Front Parlor   
The painting on the back wall,  to the right,  is a painting of the Garden Club.   If I had not been "on duty" at the Tea,  I would have taken time to get some outside photos to show you....another time!

The Tallahassee Garden Club  was built in 1840 for Henry Rutgers, a City Councilman and Territorial Treasurer, by George Proctor, a free black who built many of the early Tallahassee homes.  The doors and woodwork are mahogany,  most of the lumber hand-hewn from native trees.

In May 1954 the home was purchased by The Garden Club.   Tallahassee Garden Club Circles use the home for fundraisers, workshops, flower shows, and special events.  The house is known as The Rutgers House and occupies half a city block in the downtown area.  It is one of Tallahassee's historic landmarks and has become an important civic asset.

Thanks for coming along with us for the Christmas Tea at the Garden Club.  I am looking forward to getting some time to make this special fruit-cake recipe for my husband.  Hopefully it will be a recipe you might like to use as well.

I hope you are having fun getting all ready for Santa's visit.....he will be here before we know it!   A special Merry Christmas to you and your family wherever you may be.


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