Christmas Keeping Cake Fruitcake Like Less Fruit Food

CHRISTMAS KEEPING CAKE (FRUITCAKE-LIKE, LESS FRUIT)

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks until fluffy.
• Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; beat it into eggs.
• Combine 2 1/2 cups flour with spices. Add to egg mixture, alternately with jam.
• Beat egg whites until almost stiff and fold into batter.
• Combine remaining flour with pecans, raisins and dates; fold into batter.
• Pour into well-greased and floured 10" tube pan. (I used bundt pan.). Bake at 300 F 3 to 3 1/3 hours (depends on oven). (NOTE: I believe it took mine no more than 2 hours to bake.) Place on wire rack until completely cool.
• Soak cheesecloth in liquor and wrap cake. Wrap with foil. Brush with more liquor every week, closing tight with foil. Let age 4-6 weeks in cool place.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Soak cherries, mango, cranberries, currants, and citron in 1/4 cup rum for at least 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 6x3-inch round pan or loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix into butter and sugar in three batches, alternating with molasses and milk. Stir in soaked fruit and chopped nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum.
• Cut out one piece parchment paper and one piece cheesecloth, each large enough to wrap around the cake. Moisten cheesecloth with 1 tablespoon rum. Arrange cheesecloth on top of parchment paper, and unmold cake onto it. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with remaining rum. Wrap the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake, then wrap with paper. Place in an airtight tin, and age for at least 10 weeks. If storing longer, douse with additional rum for every 10 weeks of storage.