Family Favorites Recipes
Wesson's Famous Fruitcake
Wesson's Famous Fruitcake is the fruitcake that my Mother, Margaret Marie Roth, made every year to give away to family and friends at Christmas-time.
Ingredients
Cakes
- 1 cup Wesson oil
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sifted Gold Medal flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup pineapple, apple or orange juice
- 1 cup more sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup thinly sliced citron*
- 1 cup chopped candied pineapple
- 1 1/2 cups whole candied cherries**
- 1 cup seeded raisins
- 1 cup chopped figs or dates
- 3 cups coarsely chopped nuts
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Cake
- Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans, then line with brown paper.
- Combine Wesson oil, sugar and eggs. Beat vigorously with electric mixer for 2 minutes.
- Sift the 2 cups flour with baking powder, salt and spices. Stir into the oil mixture alternately with the fruit juice.
- Mix the other cup of flour with the fruits and nuts. Pour batter over fruit, mixing thoroughly.
- Turn into prepared loaf pans.
- Place a pan of water on lower oven rack.
- Bake cakes for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- For a fancy touch, glaze cakes.
Glaze
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Brush over cakes. Decorate with candied fruit, if desired.
- After cakes have cooled, wrap in wine-soaked gauze, then wrap in aluminum foil.
Notes
* Since I do not care for citron, I leave this out of the fruitcake.
** Use both red and green candied cherries.
My Mother never soaked the cheesecloth with wine as she used the glaze, but when I make them I don't glaze them. Instead I soak the cheesecloth with rum and keep adding rum to the cheesecloth every day and re-wrapping the cakes.
Attribution
From the family recipe collection of Linda Jolly, Arizona.