It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep, so I decided to share a favorite family recipe. This was created by my mother about 50 years ago and has been made by various family members every year since.
Chocolate Applesauce Fruitcake In a large mixing bowl, sift: 2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 3 tablespoons powdered baking cocoa 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cloves Make a hole in the middle of the pile of dry ingredients. pour in: 1 16-ounce can (or 1-1/2 cups) applesauce Make a hole in the middle of the applesauce and put in: 1 egg Start mixing by beating egg briefly then mix egg with applesauce. Then mix everything until all dry ingredients are moist. Gently fold in optional additions of your choice -- about one cup total: chopped nuts (I use walnuts) black raisins golden raisins currants candied fruits maraschino cherries chopped dried apricots or other fruits Last option -- stir in 1/4 cup brandy or sherry (I use apricot or cherry brandy) LAST -- stir in 1 tablespoon oil Put in pans of your choice (not greased). Decorate tops with nut halves and/or maraschino cherries. Bake at 350 degrees. Entire recipe in a bundt pan takes one hour. Two bread loaf pans, check at 30 minutes. 5-inch loaf pans, check at 20 minutes. Let cool briefly, then remove from pans to cool on rack. When cool, wrap in plastic wrap to keep moist. Store in refrigerator. Freezes well. Note: Makes a good chocolate cake without optional items. Dried raisins and other fruits are better if plumped. Put in a pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let set 10 minutes. Drain well. Merry Christmas everyone! Alice in Oregon -- where I painted holly leaves on my new red cast in honor of the season, and plan to make this recipe later today (with one hand) To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
