• Welcome to the Receipts of the Blue & Gray. - The receipts you will find here are original Antebellum, and Civil War period receipts, as originally published between the years 1796 and 1880. One exception, is: Newspaper Clippings & Periodical Receipts are limited to a publishing period from 1858 to 1866.

    Some receipts from this era attempted to give medicinal advice. Many dangerous, and in some cases, deadly, "cures" were given, reflecting the primitive knowledge of that time period. Don't assume everything you read here is safe to try! Recipes and Receipts posted here are for Historic Research Purposes, enjoy them, learn from them, discuss them!

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Fruit Cake

fruit cake
1631041103047.png
(from Godey's Ladies Magazine, edited by L.A. Godey, Sarah J. Hale, 1861)

Ingredients:

1 lb. butter​
1 lb. sugar​
8 eggs seperated​
1-1/2 lb. flour​
1 teacup of cream​
1 wineglass of brandy​
1 wineglass of wine​
1 nutmeg​
1 tsp. mace​
1 tsp. cloves​
2 tsp. cinnamon​
1 salt-spoon salt​
3/4 lb. raisins​
3/4 lb. currants​
1/2 lb. citron​
2 tsp. yeast powder​

Instructions:

Take one pound of butter and one pound of sugar, and beat them together with the yelks of eight eggs; beat the whites seperately; mix with these one and a half pound of flour, one teacupful of cream, one wineglassful of brandy and one of wine, one nutmeg, one teaspoonful of mace, one teaspoonful of cloves, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one salt-spoonful of salt, three-quarters of a pound of raisins, stoned, three-quarters of a pound of currants, half a pound of citron; mix with the flour two teaspoonfuls of yeast powder.​


christmas cake
1631041297778.png
(from Godey's Ladies Magazine, edited by L.A. Godey, Sarah J. Hale, 1863)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. flour​
16 oz. loaf-sugar​
2 lbs. fresh butter​
18 eggs​
4 lbs. currants​
8 oz. almonds​
8 oz. citron​
1 lb. orange and lemon peel candied​
1 gill pale brandy​
1 large nutmeg grated​
1/2 oz. Allspice​
1/4 oz. mace​
1/4 oz. coriander​
1/4 oz. ginger well ground​
1/4 oz. cinnamon​

Instructions:

To two pounds of flour well sifted unite​
Of loaf-sugar ounces sixteen;​
Two pounds of fresh butter, with eighteen fine eggs,​
And four pounds of currants washed clean;​
Eight ounces of almonds well blanched and cut small,​
The same weight of citron sliced,​
Of orange and lemon peel candied one pound,​
And a gill of pale brandy uniced;​
A large nutmeg grated; exact half an ounce​
Of Allspice, but only a quarter​
Of mace, coriander, and ginger well ground,​
Or pounded to dust in a mortar.​
An important addition is cinnamon, which​
Is better increased than diminished;​
The fourth of an ounce is sufficient. Now this​
May be baked four good hours till finished.​


Notes: This recipe makes about 24 pounds. It is for a large crowd. Gill: A liquid measure equal to 1/4 pint. Loaf sugar: A conical mass of concentrated sugar.



fruit cake
1631041798710.png
(from Godey's Ladies Magazine, edited by L.A. Godey, Sarah J. Hale, 1865)

Ingredients:

5 cups flour​
2 cups sugar​
2 cups butter​
1 cup of liquid, equal quantities of...​
brandy​
milk​
molasses​
4 eggs​
2 lbs. raisins​
citron​
currents are optional​
1 tsp. saleratus​
spice to taste​
cloves​
cinnamon​
nutmeg​

Instructions:

Five cups of flour, two of sugar, two of butter, one of liquid, about equal quantities of brandy, milk, and molasses, four eggs, two pounds raisins, citron, currents if you choose, one teaspoon saleratus, spice to taste, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.​


fruit cake
1631041860270.png
(from Godey's Ladies Magazine, edited by L.A. Godey, Sarah J. Hale, 1865)

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups dried apples​
1 cup sugar​
1/2 cup cold coffee​
1 cup sugar​
2 eggs​
1/2 cup of butter​
1 nutmeg​
1 tsp. of soda​
cinnamon​
spices​

Instructions:

Two and a half cups dried apples stewed until soft; add one cup of sugar; stew a while longer, and chop the mixture, to which added one half cup of cold coffee, one of sugar, two eggs, a half cup of butter, one nutmeg, one teaspoonful of soda, and cinnamon and spices to taste.​


Notes: This recipe need about 2 cups of flour to hold it together. Also bake until knife inserted comes out clean. I would guess a 350 degree oven. This one you probably have to experiment with to get cake moist and tasty.

December is National Fruitcake Month. For me, I must have fruitcake at Christmas but a nice moist one.

These recipes for fruitcake during Civil War era are from "Godey's Lady's Book".
 
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The wife has a fruit cake recipe that was handed down from "antiquity." It's very moist, I just don't like those candied fruits. I've threatened to hand out her recipe, but she informs me that's grounds for divorce; so I'll have to pass on giving out top secret information.

The batter involves adding a little wine while mixing. The best fruit cakes were made using her dad's homemade grape wine. That wine was made from his own backyard grape vines. It was amazing to see the batter start bubbling after adding his wine, I haven't really noticed it with the commercial wines she uses now.

I don't think I've passed out any "critical design information."
 
I grew up on my mother's fruitcake and love it. Here is her recipe. She is from eastern Kentucky.

Butter- 2 sticks
1/2 Pound Dark Brown Sugar
1 Cup Dark Raisins and 1 Cup of Golden Raisins
1/2 Pound Chopped Dates (I buy whole dried ones and cut up into pieces)
1/2 Pound Dried Apricots (I cut these up into pieces).
1/4 Cup of Dark Molasses
1 Cup of Orange Juice

Combine the above ingredients and boil 3 minutes. Cool. Beat in 4 eggs. Add:

1/2 Pound of Candied Pineapple
2 Pounds of Red and Green Candied Cherries
1 Pound of Walnuts
1 Pound of Pecans

Mix 1 3/4 Cups Flour, 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Cloves, 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Soda, 1 tsp Baking Powder.
Add gradually to fruit mixture. If batter needs to be thicker add 1/4 Cup more Flour.

Grease, flour and line a tube pan with oiled wax paper. Spoon batter into pan and decorate top with nuts, fruit.

Bake in 275 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Check for doneness with toothpick. Remove from pan and place cake on rack to cool.
 
I heard that the Collin Street fruitcakes are made with only the little native pecans. They are supposed to be the "best" as far as flavor and natural oils go. That was probably true at one time. But I don't think so . The nuts look too big to be the natives. The natives are tasty but who wants to take several minutes to shell one pecan?
 
Thanks for bumping the thread! There are great recipes here! My daughter made her fruitcake early this year and we have already given out a couple of mini loaves as gifts.
Hubby and I just had a slice with a cup of hot decaff coffee! Delicious!
 
If prepared right ... a good moist fruitcake is a delicious Holiday treat.
As many may say, "my Grandmother made the best".

I'll say that too ... (It took my Grand Ma two days to make a good fruitcake).

I think the bad reputation of the fruitcake comes from those stale things grocery stores recycle each year.

However, some of those grocery store bricks are edible if soaked in a good Caribbean rum.
:bounce:
 
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