The Werner Family Fruit Cake Recipe

Start at least a month before you plan to eat it, so it can ripen, and a day before you plan to bake. The texture is rich and light because you NEVER press the batter down into the pan, and you ALWAYS line and grease the pans and put a large flat pan of boiling water on the floor of the oven ar the bottom rack for the entire baking period, refilling as needed. 



Dice the following ingredients:

4 oz glazed lemon peel

4 oz glazed orange peel

4 oz glazed or soft dried apricots (or candied citron)

4 oz walnuts

4 oz pecans

8 oz cherries

8 oz glazed pineapple

8 oz dates

8 oz raisins (I used mixed currants and golden raisins) plumped in

1/4 cup of liquor 

8 oz crystallized ginger 



Pour a cup of the liquor over all the diced fruit and leave it covered overnight, or up to a month in the refrigerator.  The longer, the better.



The day of baking, turn on the oven to 250 degrees, place a large pan of water on the oven floor. Grease a large tube pan, then line with waxed paper, then grease the paper. 





Drain fruit, saving the liquor that has not been soaked up. Dredge the fruit so it won't float, which means mix in a very large bowl with:

1/4 cup flour 



Cream together:

1 cup (1/2 pound) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey



Beat in, one at a time: 5 jumbo or extra large eggs.



Mix and sift together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon clove 



Add the flour mix to the butter mix alternately with 6 Tablespoons of good brandy (from what you first saved). Pour the batter over the fruit, mix gently but thoroughly. Pour into the tube pan, avoiding air pockets, but do not pack or flatten the mix. Run a knife through the batter to remove any air bubbles.





Decorate the top with:

Pecan halves

Cherry halves 



Bake 3-4 hours at 250 degrees. Because they bake so long, any uneven heating of your oven is exaggerated, so you should rotate the pans after an hour or so. Test with a skewer- the center will be moist but not doughy. Let cool about a half hour before turning out of the pan, then peel all the waxed paper before the cakes are completely cool. 



Douse with:

1/2 to 1 cup of cheap liquor 



Store in an airtight container, or use a jumbo zippered plastic bag, pressing out the air. Place a shot glass in the middle, refill with a little liquor every couple of weeks till you eat it. Or sprinkle with liquor monthly until served.