Recipe: Fruit Cake, Quick Spicy Old Fashioned Fruit Cake, and Refrigerator Fruit Cake (using spice cake mix)

Fruit Cake

1 box spice cake mix
1/3 cup boiling water
1 lb. cut up fruit peel
1/2 cup dates
2 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup nuts
1 cup coconut
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened

Mix cake mix and boiling water; let set 30 minutes.

Mix fruit peel, dates, raisins, nuts, coconut and eggs and add to cake batter. Beat until smooth. Add soft butter.

Bake in greased and floured tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Quick Spicy Old Fashioned Fruit Cake

1 box Spice cake mix
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 (6 1/2 oz.) pkg. Dromedary pitted dates
1 lb. (2 cups) mixed whole nut meats, chopped

Mix Spice cake mix according to directions on box, replacing liquid with 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce. Save out 1/4 cup dry cake mix to sprinkle over fruit and nuts. (Use to flour them before stirring in batter.)

Fold floured fruits and nuts into cake batter. Spoon batter into greased, wax paper lined Angel Cake pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours. Always place a pan with water on bottom of oven when baking fruit cake. This keeps cake moist.

Very important!! Cool 45 minutes at least or longer before removing from pan. Let cool out completely then glaze and decorate with nuts and fruit.

GLAZE:
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water

Mix corn syrup and water together in a saucepan and boil 5 minutes. Brush syrup over sides and top of cake. Place nuts and fruit decorations and return cake to 300 degree oven for 10 minutes to set glaze. Cool cake thoroughly and warp in wax paper then foil and store in refrigerator.

Bake at least 6 weeks before using. This is great!! I add more spices: 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cloves (ground).

Refrigerator Fruit Cake

1 pkg. Duncan Hines spice cake mix
4 cups candied mixed fruit
1/2 cup each whole red and green candied cherries
1 1/2 cups of seedless raisins
1 cup dates (6 1/2 oz. pkg.)
4 1/4 cups pecan halves (1 lb.)
1 pkg. fluffy white Pillsbury frosting mix

Make cake as directed on package and cool.

Crumble cake into large bowl. Add fruits, nuts and frosting prepared according to directions. Toss together until mixture is damp and blended.

Pack tightly into foil lined 10 inch tube or loaf pan. Pat down until smooth.

Cover with foil and chill in refrigerator at least 24 hours. Cake improves if stored longer. Freezes well.

Makes 6 1/2 pounds