From ehow.com: Add fruit to a cake mix for a new, exciting flavor instead of plain old cake. Be forewarned, however: there is a trick to adding fresh fruit to any cake. It can't be done at any old time. Otherwise you'll end up with a mushy, soggy cake. The fruit muse be carefully added at the last minute. Instructions: Wash the fruit and place on paper towels to dry. While the fruit is drying, mix the cake as directed on the packaging. Allow the cake mix to sit a few minutes to thicken. Pour the cake mix into a prepared cake pan. Place the fruit in sporadic spots in the cake mix. Gently press down on each piece of fruit so it is submerged in cake mix, but don't squish it. Bake the cake as directed on the package. Keep an eye on the cake as it bakes - you may need to adjust the cooking time.

I've made this one for years. I haven't tried it in smaller though. Bourbon Fruit Cake 2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans 1 jar (3-½ oz.) candied red cherries 2 cups of raisins 1 cup of bourbon 1-½ cups butter or margarine, softened 2 cups sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 7 eggs 3-½ cups flour (sift before measuring) 1-½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. salt Mix these together. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 10" Bundt or tube pan. In large bowl combine nuts, cherries and raisins with ½ cup bourbon. Mix well and let stand at room temperature several hours or overnight. Liquid will be absorbed. In large bowl, beat at medium speed: butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating for 4 minutes, scrapping sides of bowl. Batter will become thick, fluffy and lighter in color. At low speed gradually beat in flour mixture until smooth. Add to fruit, combine well. Turn into prepared pan. Smooth top with spatula. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes. Soak cheesecloth in rest of bourbon. Wrap cooled cake in cheesecloth and foil, refrigerate several days to mellow. Will keep for weeks in refrigerate.

Here's one Sharon Cb shared last year-- perhaps she'll add her photos to this : Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Heirlooms , Traditional & Ethnic English Christmas Cake (from SharonCb 2005 ) ====================== 1 pound flour (4 cup) 3/4 pound butter (1 3/4 cup) 1/2 pound soft brown or castor sugar 1 pound sultanas (2 2/3 cup) 1 pound currants (2 2/3 cup) 6 ounces chopped mixed peel (1 cup) 1/4 pound glac cherries chopped (2/3 cup) 6 large eggs 1/4 pound almonds (1 cup) 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1 tablespoon black treacle (molasses) 1 level teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice 1 wineglass (or more) of brandy 1 Sieve the flour with the baking powder, spice and a pinch of salt 2 Blanch the almonds and finely chop; chop the peel or put through a mincer; quarter the cherries. 3 Put the butter into a bowl and warm it slightly; beat with a wooden spoon Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, using a level dessertspoon of flour as each egg is added. Then stir in the treacle (molasses). 4 Add half the rest of the flour, all the fruit, almonds and orange rind Put the other half of the flour on top, stir and mix well but do not beat. Put in the brandy. If the mixture seems too stiff, add a little milk - the mixture should drop easily from a spoon. 5 Prepare a cake tin about 10 inches in diameter, grease the tin then line with buttered grease-proof paper high enough to come 2 to 3 inches above the top of the tin. 6 Put in the cake mixture, slightly press in the centre to make the cake rise evenly and stand the cake on a layer of coarse crushed salt on a baking tin (or cookie sheet). This will prevent the bottom becoming too brown before the cake is cooked. 7 Have the oven preheated at Gas 4, electricity 350F Put the cake not higher than the centre of the oven - just below if possible. Lower the heat at once to Gas 2, electricity 300F for one hour, then lower the heat to Gas 1, electricity 275 F The cake will take from 5 to 6 hours to cook Test with a warmed fine skewer or knitting needle after 5 hours. 8 After removing from the oven leave it in the tin for half an hour, then turn out onto wire rack, remove the paper. After about 12 hours, wrap in double sheets of greaseproof paper and store in a tin with tightly fitting lid until required for icing. If preferred, the cake can be baked at Gas 3, electricity 325F for 1 hour, then turned to Gas 1 electricity 275F for the rest of the time. Source: The Margaret Powell Cookery Book - London 1970. MY TIP: I made the cakes in mid-October and wrapped them in brandy-soaked cheesecloth in tightly closed containers, removing and resoaking the cloths (in brandy) and rewrapping them a couple of times before I did the marzipan and icing a few days before Christmas. . ICING THE CAKE: - in two stages --------------------------- ALMOND PASTE (Marzipan) 12 oz ground almonds (3 cups) 6 oz castor sugar (3/4 cup) (or fine fruit sugar) 6 oz sieved icing sugar (1 1/2 cups) 3 egg whites few drops almond essence 3 TBS apricot jam, sieved ROYAL ICING - (three days later) 4 egg whites 2 lbs icing sugar, sieved (7 to 8 cups) 4 teasp lemon juice 2 teasp glycerine 1. Mix almonds and sugar in a bowl, then blend in egg whites and almond essence to make a soft paste. Knead until it is smooth, then divide into three equal portions. 2. Roll one piece onto a sugared board to an 8-inch circle. Roll remaining two-thirds to a strip the same depth as cake, and long enough to go all the way around the edge.. 3. Brush the sides of cake with apricot jam. Press long strip around sides and press firmly to join. Place circle of paste on top of cake. Allow to dry for at least three days before icing. 4. Whisk egg whites for royal icing until they become frothy. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat well after each addition. Finally beat in lemon juice and glycerine. To prevent the icing hardening, cover bowl with a damp cloth 5. Spread icing thickly over top and round sides of cake and smooth flat. Leave for a day to set and then decorate with red ribbon around sides. Tip: Using glycerine in the icing ensures that it is not hard. The lemon juice adds flavour and helps tp make a softer icing. Source: Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book London - 1970. MY ADVICE: Buy ready made marzipan, apply it and then top with purchased rolled fondant icing. It's softer and easier than royal icing. SharonCb Notes from Delia Smith Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it. Also can soak the fruits 12 hrs in the brandy prior to mixing. Additional notes for English Christmas Cake =========================================== Mixed spice is a propriey product-common in England & Australia--make your own, grind together 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 tablespoon each clove , mace, ground nutmeg, coriander seeds, and allspice berries Some people add a little ginger for extra 'bite'. Or you can use pumpkin pie spice or allspice instead. Daisyduckworth . Diane, I would use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves if you didn't want to grind them as Daisy has suggested. Here's an English website that sells that mixed spice and lists the ingredients they use. I've haven't seen this type of cake done in a loaf pan. It might not turn out as moist in that shaped pan. I made my smaller cakes in round tins as well - about 6 inches across. As I remember I did 6, 8 and 10 inch round cakes, not all on the same day and used springform cake tins with inserted paper sides higher than the pan as per the recipe. I'm sure the times should be shortened if you're using smaller cake tins.. Darn - I'm kicking myself for not making careful notes last time I made these cakes. I have a notebook where I keep all my Christmas recipes and cooking experiences from year to year but didn't think to make notes in it when I was making Christmas cakes. I know that I used a metal skewer to test for doneness. I have a fan oven so I normally reduce cooking times for most things. I guess you just have to try it once and keep an eye on them as you wouldn't want them too dry or underdone. SharonCb

Seagrass, I live in Central Wisconsin now. Aside from the two plants in great soil, the rest of my rhubarb is growing in super sandy soil and a good bit of shade and has to compete with tree roots. Those plants need supplemental water and fertilizer to keep growing through the summer. Generally cool weather. Some 'summers' we're lucky to hit 90 degrees for a couple of days! So don't give up on your plants. If the plants are still small, you could dig in some bagged cow manure & compost around the perimeter of the plants and/ or toss them a couple handfuls of high nitrogen fertilizer. Manure & compost preferable, of course. Also, some moisture crystals dug in to help retain soil moisture if rains aren't reliable. In Oklahoma, rhubarb is mostly a spring crop because the heat and drought zap it. Here in Wisconsin, we can harvest from the plants all summer. Edited to add... Seagrass, Lindac....would you, pretty please, share the rhubarb custard pie recipe? I've never tasted it and keeping hearing/ reading how wonderful it is. Just a mention...my grandmother made wonderful jams and jellies. My favorite of hers, hands down, was a mulberry rhubarb jam. My second favorite jam is blackberry...the mulberry rhubarb jam reminded me of a very rich tasting blackberry jam.