Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe of 1929

TIPS On Making Fruit Cakes
Using damp fruit can result in heavy fruit cakes. 
Raisins and currants should be left in the colander for a while to dry after washing. 
They should also be dredged with flour before mixing with other ingredients.

Remember that dried fruits added to batter makes it stiffer, as they absorb the moisture from the batter. 
So, if the recipe calls for fresh fruits and you use dry fruits you might have to add a wee bit of water to the batter to make it less stiff, maybe a tablespoonful.

Cake pans should not be filled more than two thirds full.

Fruit cakes should bake in from two to four hours in a slow (250°F) oven.


Rich Christmas Fruit Cake
1 pound butter
8 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mace
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 pounds seeded raisins
1 pound seedless raisins
2 pounds currants
1/2 pound mixed peel
1/4 pound almonds
1/4 pound walnuts

We use rather an unusual method in putting this Christmas cake together. 
Cut the fruit and nuts in rather large pieces -- this makes a fruit cake look and taste richer.

Cream the butter and sugar together, then stir in the fruit and peel without flouring it, and let this mixture stand while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. We believe that when the fruit is allowed to stand in the butter in this way its flavor permeates the cake more thoroughly than when it is floured and added last.

Sift the salt and spices with the flour. 
Beat the eggs. 
Beat the soda into the sour cream and stir this into the beaten eggs. 
Add the nuts to the fruit and butter and stir in alternately the sifted flour and spices and the egg and cream mixture. 
Line baking pans with greased paper and bake in a slow oven (250°F) till done.