Here’s my late friend’s unusual recipe:
POLLY’S PEOPLE-PLEASING FRUITCAKE:
3 c applesauce or other fruit sauce
2 c sugar
7 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp nutmeg
1 c preserves or jam, any kind
1-2 c raisins
1-2 c chopped nuts
up to 16 oz. chopped dried fruit or candied fruit
In a large pot or Dutch oven, bring ALL of the above to a boil, stirring often, and boil 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Then stir in:
2 beaten eggs
4 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
optional: 1/2-1 cup booze of your choice?
Pour into a greased and floured bundt, tube, or angel food pan and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. When cool, drizzle with a simple icing of fruit juice and confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
I have made this several times. In addition to the above, I have done all-pear and all-apricot versions that were good. People always look skeptical when they hear the word “fruitcake”, then are enthusiastically surprised when they taste it. Polly, a Kentuckian, put bourbon in it but I don’t know how much. You could use any liquor you fancy, and could " feed" the baked, wrapped cake with it rather than adding it to the batter. You will get QUITE a workout mixing up the heavy batter, unless you have a really strong electric mixer. Refrigerated, this cake keeps for weeks. I would recommend divvying the batter into mini loaf pans instead, but haven’t tried that so can’t give you baking times. Maybe lower the tem 25° so mini pans don’t get dry exteriors before the inside is done.
