RECIPE: Baking fruitcakes tonight: REC: My Mom's Cherry Cake

RECIPE:

patbastrop

Well-known member
Mom’s Cherry Cake

Mom attributed this recipe to Mary Alice Crass of San Antonio. It is a lovely, dense fruitcake made of dates, glace cherries, pineapple and pecans. After baking, you may wish to wrap the cooled cake in cheesecloth and anoint it with rum or brandy or any other desired liquor. Re-moisten the cake by brushing liquor over the cheesecloth from time to time. You may puncture the cake with a fine skewer before drizzling or brushing warm liquor over the cake. Wrap the moistened cake in aluminum foil and allow it to cure for a week to 10 days before cutting. Of course, the cake is delicious without the booze!

For one loaf cake, preheat the oven to 325° and prepare the pan, either with shortening and a dusting of flour or with parchment. I usually double the recipe.

1 pound chopped dates

1 pound chopped glace cherries (I cut them in half with scissors)

1 pound pecan pieces

4 ounces of candied pineapple pieces

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup white sugar

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

You may use in place of the flour, salt and baking powder a cup of self rising flour.

Mix all the fruits and nuts together, and then add the flour mixture, tossing well to coat all of the fruit. I like to use my hands for this, to break up the sticky fruit with the flour.

Beat the eggs and sugar together and pour over the fruit and flour. Mix well.

Pour batter into the waiting pan and bake for 1 ½ hours. Place a vessel with water in the oven to keep the cake from over-browning.

Let the cake cool for just 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan to a rack to cool completely.

 
This brings back memories. It's a version of a fruit cake first published in Ft. Worth

Star Telegram in 1964 and they say it's their most consistently requested recipe. I have a newspaper clipping dating back to the early 70s with the recipe. I've made it many times over the years and it's really good. The Star Telegram site says it's on there, but I couldn't find it. I did find it at Razzle Dazzle, here's a link. The Aronowitz recipe uses slightly different amounts of cherries and pineapple and also has nutmeg and vanilla.

http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/christmas-desserts/fruitcake-rec.htm

 
Marsha's post below has a great hint for fruitcake bakers --

Line the pans with greased or nonstick foil leaving a generous amount of foil overhang to facilitate pulling the cake out of the pan -- I like it!! I'll try it!! Kinda like those turkey handles.

 
It is similar -- my mom was making this in the 50's -- it has more cherries, and does have a chewy

texture. I took this to our cousin's Christmas party this weekend, and they all call it "Dorothy's Cake" -- my mom, who has been gone since 1974. Lovely.

 
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