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Neta’s Fruitcake

Our fruitcakes are not a door-stop joke! We added one extra step to this traditional recipe. We make sure to cut the fruit in small pieces and we do not add citron that many cakes have. The name of the fruitcake is in honor of my mother-in-law, who owned the recipe until she died in 1972. We honor her by making 30 or so for our special friends who savor them each year. This makes five 2-pound cakes.

Gail C. Johnson, Minnesott Beach, Tideland EMC

12 eggs
1 pound sugar
3/4 pound butter
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (not needed with self-rising flour)
2 pounds candied cherries, chopped
2 pounds candied pineapple, chopped
2 pounds white raisins (use 1 pound regular if desired)
2 pounds pecans (may substitute 1 pound English walnuts)

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs 1 or 2 at a time. While creaming sugar, add 3 cups flour alternately (add the baking powder to the third cup). Save the 4th cup of flour to mix with the chopped fruit and nuts, a small amount at a time to coat and mix fruit and nuts. Add fruit and nuts to the batter. Bake at 250 degrees for 4 hours. Clean a long broom straw, double over (not broken), then stick it in cake; if straw comes out sticky, cook a little longer. For the 2-pound cakes, bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

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