Cherry Fruitcake

When thinking about a retro recipe, the first thing that I did was pulled some of my oldest cookbooks off of the shelf. I flipped through pages of aspics, gelatin salads, and odd meat dishes. As tasty as they may have been back in the day, I couldn't bring myself to make anything that I saw. Then, I thought to make something from my own family. I found my Mom's recipe for Cherry Fruitcake. It's written on a weathered piece of paper that is splashed with remnants of ingredients from when she made it. Perfect for this challenge! My family loves fruitcake, and it's thanks to this recipe. It's heavy with fruit and pecans and delightfully highlighted with dark rum.

Cherry Fruitcake

by Tonda
Adapted from my Mom's recipe

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound diced candied pineapple

32 ounces maraschino cherries, drained

18 ounces pecan halves

6 eggs

1/3 cup dark rum

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Line with foil, allowing a two-inch overhang and grease again.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add candied pineapple, maraschino cherries and pecans. Toss to coat well. Beat eggs thoroughly. Slowly add in rum and beat until mixed. Pour over fruit mixture and toss until combined. Turn mixture into prepared loaf pans, pressing frequently with metal spatula to pack tightly. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes clean.

Allow cakes to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Remove foil from loaves. Brush loaves with corn syrup while still warm. Cool thoroughly before serving or storing.

Enjoy with an ice cold glass of eggnog!