Newfoundland

Dark Christmas Fruitcake

Red text on black background reads 'Strange Truths & Tall Tales' in bold, distressed font.

When I watch TV and see people joke about ‘another Christmas fruitcake’ I feel bad for them because I suspect it means they’ve never had good fruitcake.

A good dark fruitcake is a beautiful thing. It’s sweet, moist and spicy. It’s like the best gingerbread turned up to ‘11’ and studded with delicious fruit.

Sliced fruitcake cake with a cup of tea on a holiday-themed table decorated with ornaments, candles, and small faux Christmas trees.

Dark Christmas Fruitcake

This is my mother’s dark fruitcake recipe. It’s kinda been a family ‘secret’ but I recently secured permission to share it with you.

It calls for something like 18 cups of fruit/nuts. For me, it is the cake by which all other cakes are judged.

It’s just about perfect.

Dark Fruitcake Recipe

Ingredients

5 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons cloves

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs (separated)

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup sour milk **

1 cup partridgeberry jam***

6 cups raisins (dark)

1 ½ cups currants

1 ½ cups raisins (light)

1 ½ cups mixed peel

3 cups apples (chopped)

4 cups nut meats

Method

Cream butter and sugar; add egg yolks. Combine flour and spices. Add half flour mixture to batter along with the molasses and jam. Beat well. Add remaining flour and milk alternately. Add fruit. Finally, fold in beaten egg whites. Divide batter between two large cakes pans. Bake in slow oven (300 F) for four hours.

** Or 1 cup of milk plus a tablespoon of lemon juice

*** If you’re not lucky enough to have partridgeberry jam you can substitute another variety.

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