Bring to a boil together:
1 lb. raisins
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/4 cup shortening
Cool slightly. Pour into large mixing bowl.
Add:
4 sifted cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup fruit jam (fig jam is best!)
Mix. Pour into greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 45 min to 1 hour until a toothpick or knife comes clean, depending on original warmth of batter.
Glaze with powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup) mixed with lemon juice until runny.
Before baking, add to the raisin cake recipe:
1 lb candied fruits
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup chopped dates
Mix. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 F for 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 30 min until a toothpick or knife comes clean, depending on thickness of loaf. Makes about 5 lbs. of fruitcake.
When cool wrap in aluminum foil and store for a few days before eating.
This was a Depression-era recipe. It uses no eggs, milk, or baking powder, but uses ingredients that were available at the time. The baking soda reacts with the boiled raisins to make the cake rise.
The raisin cake is solid and heavy, but very tasty. The fruit cake isn't as fruity as most, and may appeal to people who usually don't like fruitcake.
