It's hot and it's August, neither of which most associate with fruitcake. I found this blog post that I started and never finished. Enjoy.
(reprinted from holiday baking 2008; baked again holiday 2009)
My grandparents, MaMaw and Pop Easterwood, always had orange slices and chocolate/cream candies at Christmas. I’ve always heard of this Orange Slice cake; so, when I found an old, now yellowed, newspaper clipping in MaMa’s recipe box a few days ago, I decided I would see what all the hype was about.
The last time I looked for candied orange slices, which was probably 20 years ago, they were easily found. This weekend, I searched three or four retail stores, and finally found them at Fresh Market. Do you want to guess how much they cost these days?????? $4.99/pound
The cake has been minced, mixed, baked, and is now soaking overnight in a glaze.
I finally found a recipe on the internet similar to the recipe I found in MaMa’s recipe box. The candy is called “Orange Slice Jelly candy.’ And the internet entries are referring to this cake as another...........FRUITCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here are some comments from the internet search:
“Tasted good, but scared off the fruitcake-wary folks, too sweet for some, and not at all kid friendly.The finished product was thought to be a fruitcake. Those of us who tasted it liked the flavor, but could only eat a tiny sliver.”
“My grandmother has made this same recipe for years, and it is absolutely fabulous. It has a very similar texture to a fruitcake, but it's sooo much better!”
“Fruit cake haters beware. This cake is much like a "poor man's" fruit cake with orange slice candy rather than candied fruit. HELPFUL TIPS: Coat the candy in the flour used in the recipe before blending and this will help with the candy sticking on the side of the pan. Dip your cutting knife in warm water, flour or spray with nonstick cooking spray to prevent the candy from sticking on the knife before cutting up the orange slice candies.”
My tasting comments:
It’s good!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very sweet, and very moist, but good.
Listed below is my adaptation of a recipe from an old newspaper clipping.
Cream until light and fluffy:
1 c. margarine
2 c. granulated
Add:
4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
Mix and add to margarine/sugar/egg mixture:
1 t. soda
1/2 c. buttermilk
Toss together and coat all pieces well with flour:
3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 box (I used 5 oz) chopped dates
1 pound orange slice candy, diced
2 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)
Note: the smaller you chop all these pieces, the easier it will be to slice the baked cake.
Add flour and flour coated ingredients to creamed mixture.
Stir in coconut.
Bake at 250 degrees F. for 2 1/2 to 3 hours in a well greased tube pan. I grease my baking pans with this pan release.
While cake is baking, prepare glaze.
1 c. fresh orange juice
2 c. powdered sugar
mix well
Immediately after removing baked cake from oven, pour glaze over the cake.
Allow cake and glaze to sit in pan overnight.
Remove cake from pan and store in refrigerator.
I find that this cake cuts easier when it is cold. The cake is very rich. It could be served in small squares in tiny paper liners.
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