Grandma Anderson’s
 Famous Fruitcake
 

Ingredients:

1 lb

Ground salt pork

1 pint

Boiling water

2 cups

Granulated sugar, sifted

2 cups

Molasses

1 lb

Candied fruit

1 lb

Seedless dates

1 lb

Seedless raisins

1 lb

Currants

8 cups

Flour (save ½ cup for dredging walnuts)

1 tsp

Nutmeg

1 tsp

Cinnamon

1 tsp

Cloves

1 tsp

Allspice

1 tbsp

Cocoa

1 tsp

Baking soda (heaping tsp)

1 lb

Walnut meat

Directions:  

Mix pork, water, sugar and molasses.  Add candied fruit, dates, raisins and currants.  Let stand for ½ hour.  Mix separately nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa and 7 ½ cups of flour and add to fruit/pork mixture.  Mix separately walnuts and ½ cup of flour and add to fruit/pork mixture.  Mix heaping teaspoon of baking soda with small amount of hot water and add to mixture. Place mixture into separate loaf pans covered with foil.  Steam loaves (placing pans in large container filled with boiling water) for 3 hours in 300º oven.  Take foil off and bake loaves for ½ hour more.  Wrap loaves in brandy soaked cheesecloth and store in cool crock for 1 month.  Re-wrap weekly in newly soaked cheesecloth.