Recipe: Tennessee Fruitcake

From the Detroit News website:

Tennessee Fruitcake

1/2 pound candied pineapple, cubed
1 pound dates, cubed
1/4 pound candied citron, cut into strips
1/4 pound candied lemon peel, cut into strips
1/4 pound candied orange peel, cut into strips
1/2 pound currants
1 pound seedless raisins
1/2 pound candied cherries
1/2 pound blanched almonds
1/2 pound pecan halves
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup fruit juice or sweet wine
1/2 cup honey

Line 2 loaf pans with greased foil (See note). Combine pineapple, dates, citron and citrus peel with currants, raisins, cherries, almonds and pecans. Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add sifted ingredients to fruit and nut mixture and blend.

Cream together butter and sugar and beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chocolate, fruit juice or wine and honey. This is a heavy mixture and is best mixed with the hands.

Place a shallow pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven and check periodically to see that it doesn't boil dry. Bake in a slow oven, 250 degrees, 2-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours depending on the size of the cake. For example, a 1-pound cake (1 pound, 2 ounces of batter) will take about 2-1/2 hours, a 4-pound cake (4-1/2 pounds batter) will take about 4-1/2 hours. (See note)

Note: This recipe will fill four 33/4-by-71/2-by 2-inch pans, two 4-1/2-by-8-1/2-by-2-1/2-inch pans, two 5-by-9-by-2-1/2-inch pans, or a 10-inch tube pan.
Makes 7-1/2 pounds of cake.

Per serving: 422 calories; 16.0 g fat; (5.0 g saturated fat; 34 percent calories from fat); 56 mg cholesterol; 104 mg sodium; 68.9 g carbohydrate.