Recipe: McCall's Cooking School Holiday Fruitcake and Watermelon Pickle Fruitcake

Holiday Fruitcake - recipe for Sondra (McCall's Cooking School, 1970')
From: Gladys/PR, 11-18-2003
Board: Cooking Club at Recipelink.com
Msg ID: 0067776

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CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S WATERMELON PICKLE FRUIT CAKE
From 1961 (probably the basis for the recipe in McCall's)
Makes 2 loaves

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 ounces candied cherries, halved
6 ounces candied pineapple, shredded
2 cups drained watermelon pickles, shredded or cut fine
12 ounces white raisins
6 1/2 ounces pecans, chopped
4 1/2 ounces almonds, blanched and coarsely shredded
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup sherry or rum

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans, lined with waxed paper, which has been greased.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix several tablespoons of this mixture into fruits and nuts.

Cream the butter until smooth, adding sugar gradually. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with sherry or rum. Mix in the fruit and nut mixture. Transfer batter to pans, pressing down.

Bake for two hours. Cook, remove from pans and peel off paper.

Wrap the cakes in cheesecloth soaked in rum or brandy and then in foil and store them in an airtight container about two weeks to a month before serving.

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WATERMELON PICKLE FRUIT CAKE

1 cup halved candied cherries
1 cup slivered candied pineapple
1 cup light seedless raisins
1 (1 pound 4 ounce) jar watermelon pickles, drained and slivered
1/2 cup watermelon pickle syrup
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sherry
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup blanched slivered almonds

Combine fruits and pickle syrup; soak overnight.

Cream butter; add sugar; cream again. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Sift together dry ingredients; reserve 1/4 cup. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sherry.

Drain fruits; add nuts and reserved 1/4 cup flour mixture; blend well. Pour batter over fruits and nuts; mix. Pour into two prepared 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 2 hours and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Cool in pans on racks.

Chill 1 month before using to facilitate cutting.