Youll enjoy burying your teeth in this fruitcake
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“Now Helen is a brilliant lady with three doctorate degrees. But cooking was not her forte. When my mom didn’t recognize the cake, Helen exclaimed that it was Grandma Annabel’s prize-winning cake. Still not recognizing it, my mother replied that my grandmother had many prize-winning cakes, which one was this one?
“Helen replied that it was the Orange Fruit Cake.
“Of course my mom didn’t recognize it because, as Helen went on to explain, she used bacon and sausage grease - a common practice in those days - rather than Crisco or butter. Helen also said she was in a hurry so rather than pouring the glaze over the top of the cake, she just included it in the cake batter.
“This cake was nothing like my mom or grandmother made.
“The seasoned grease, the lack of the glaze, and the sort of burnt appearance just didn’t look inviting. So, the cake was mostly, er, not even sampled. Once our cousins left, my dad took the cake and buried it in the backyard, where not even the dogs touched it.”
Thank you, Anne, for digging this one up for us!
The Buried Fruit Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup Crisco (or butter)
2 cups Sugar
3 teaspoons grated orange rind
3 large eggs (or 4 small)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates
For the Glaze:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a large bowl, cream together Crisco (or butter) and sugar. Add eggs and orange rind. Pour in buttermilk and let baking soda dissolve on top. Mix well. Slowly add in 4 cups of flour. Stir in nuts and dates. Pour mixture into bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 70 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick comes up clean. While still warm, turn cake over onto a cooling rack or cookie sheet.
Prepare glaze: In a medium pot, combine orange juice, sugar and orange rind. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 5-7 minutes until mixture becomes a glaze. When cake is cool, poke top with fork, toothpick or small chopstick. Gently pour glaze over the top.
