Old English Fruit Cake This recipe creates a large volume of batter! It requires 4 mixing bowls, the largest being a bread bowl. 1 pound butter 1 pound light brown sugar 9 eggs 2 tblsps. milk 1 pound regular white floor (about 4 cups) 2 tsps. mace 2 tsps. cinnamon 1 tsp. baking soda 2 pounds dried currants 1 pound seeded dark raisins 1 pound golden (sultana) raisins 8 oz. glace fruits (fruit cake mix) 8 oz. glace pineapple 8 oz. glace green cherries 1 pound whole pecans (be careful to check for shells before adding nuts) approx. 2 cups of rum, brandy, or sherry 2 packages of cheese cloth First sort your dried fruits to pick out any stems. Put all dried fruits into a collander and wash fruits. Use kitchen towel to partially dry fruits. Place dried fruits into large bread bowl, mix in glaced fruits, add 3 tablespoons liquor, mix well, then set aside. Separate the eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff, adding half of the brown sugar, set aside. Cream butter, adding half the brown sugar, mix well. Beat the egg yolks until thick. Beat yolks into butter mixture, along with the milk. Fold in egg white mixture. Sift flour, baking soda, mace and cinnamon. Stir into butter mixture, then stir batter into fruit mixture by hand. Grease and flour baking tins. I usually get 9-10 cakes from a recipe: 3 full loaf size cakes, 6 half loaf cakes, plus 2 minis. Place pan of hot water in 275 degree oven for the purpose of creating steam. Put your cakes into the oven, and bake for one hour. Smallest cakes should be done after one hour, continue to bake larger cakes until they test done with a toothpick. Mid size cakes will be done before largest cakes. Thoroughly cool cakes on racks before wrapping each cake in liquor soaked cheese cloth. Wrap well in plastic and store in cool, dark cupboard. Allow cakes to ripen for at least six weeks. Cakes will keep well for several months. It is a good idea to re-wet cheesecloth with liquor every three months for long term storage.

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This link is Beatrice Bakery company. I think of it as Grandma's fruitcake company because they make some REALLY GOOD fruit cake and it used to be called that. That's Coming from a person who doesn't like fruitcake, except this companys'. They have SEVERAL to pick from. I buy some for my MIL every year and get some samples for me. Watch the video if you have time. This place is 25 miles from my house too. http://www.beatricebakery.com/

Dave, my grandmother (who did not touch alcohol other than fruitcake), put so much brandy on hers I think it would last forever. In the alternative, it probably would have burned for days as a fireplace log, LOL. I didn't like it, though, not even with brandy. Annie