Blue Ribbon Fruit Cake

FRUIT CAKE
1 c Medium Syrup 1 pt Peach Brandy
1/2 lb Candied Citron 2 lb Pecan Meats
1/2 lb Candied Pineapple 4 c Flour
1/2 lb Candied Cherries 1 1/2 ts Salt
2 15 oz pk Raisins 3/4 lb Butter
2 lb Whole Dates 2 1/4 c Sugar
1 md Orange, Juice and Rind 1 c Buttermilk
1 md Lemon, Juice and Rind 6 Eggs, beaten

Medium Syrup:
Pour sugar in water and heat to boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Add White Corn Syrup and cool.

Cake:
Slice candied fruits, raisins, dates and pecan meats into
match-stick widths about 1/2 inch long. Add medium syrup, peach
brandy and juice and ground rinds of orange and lemon to sliced
fruits, etc. Place in large vessel to soak at least overnight. Turn
mass over with heavy spoon periodically to promote thorough soaking.

Make cake batter with remaining ingredients and blend with soaked
mix.

Fill brown-paper-lined cake pans 3/4 full with batter. Pat thin
film of buttermilk on top of batter to prevent scorching.

Place pan of water on bottom of oven.

Bake at 250F until well-done. (A 1 1/2 lb cake will take about 2
1/2 hours.)

NOTES:
This is a *fruit* cake and not a fruited *cake*. There is nearly 8
pounds of fruits, nuts and so forth and the cake batter has only 4
cups of flour.

You *MUST* cool this cake to a temperature not higher than 40F in
order to slice it and, even then, use a serrated-edged knive with a
good “sawing” motion to prevent tearing the cake.

The cake should be made near Thanksgiving (US) day and really
“ages” well if it is wrapped in a double thickness of cheesecloth.
Soak the cheesecloth with peach brandy one night. The next night,
turn the cakes upside down to help distribute the brandy. On the
second night, turn the cakes right side up again and soak the
cheesecloth with some more peach brandy. Keep this routine up until
about the 21st of December; after that date, just turn the cakes over
nightly.