Chocolate Fruitcake
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 one ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup milk
3 cups mixed chopped candied fruits and peels
1 cup raisins
1 cup broken California walnuts
Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well; stir in chocolate. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.. Stir in fruit and nuts. Pour into a greased, paper lined 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 275°F for 1-3/4 hours or until cake tests done. Cool; remove from pan. Wrap in cheesecloth that has been soaked in sherry, bourbon or brandy. Surround with apples and enclose in a container that is airtight. Every few weeks repeat the dousing with the liquor of your choice.
Rum Fruitcake
pound dried currants
1/2 pound dried citron, cut into thin slivers
1/2 pound dried figs, coarsely chopped
4 cups raisins
1-1/2 cups blanched almonds
1 cup cooked prunes, drained and chopped
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup candied cherries
1/2 cup diced candied orange peel
3 cups dark rum
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
5 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1-1/2 allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large mixing bowl (currants through orange peel). Pour rum over the mixture and let it steep for at least 7 days, stirring occasionally. Work butter until it is soft and gradually add the brown sugar, working the mixture until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs. Sift flour with baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir 1 cup of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Beat in 3 eggs and add the rum-soaked fruits and nuts and the remaining flour mixture. Mix the batter thoroughly. Spoon it in loaf pans (any size you choose) oiled, lined with brown paper, and oiled again. Bake the cakes in a very slow oven at 275°F for about 3 hours, or until the cakes test done. Place the cakes on a wire rack until the cake are almost cool. Remove them from the pans and peel off the paper carefully. Wrap the cakes in cheesecloth and store them in an airtight container for about 1 month.