Carolina Fruitcake

Directions

Reserve some of the candied fruit and a few pecan halves to decorate the tops of the fruitcakes.

Mix flour and spices thoroughly, then mix the flour mixture w ith the fruit so that each piece of fruit and each nut is coated lightly with flour.

Cream butter (or margarine); add sugar gradually. Add eggs, mixing thoroughly. Stir in flour and salt until well blended.

Pour batter over fruit-nut mixture. Mix with hands until fruit and nuts are well coated with batter.

Spread mixture in a greased roasting pan (17 x 11½ x 2¼ inches). Bake in preheated moderated oven (350?F) for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to slow (325?F) an d continue baking for 1 hour. Watch the heat carefully; do NOT overbake.

After 45 minutes of second baking, remove roaster from oven and quickly stir mixtur e, breaking up the top crust, scraping sides and bottom of pan. Continue baking 15 minutes.

When done, the batter will lose its gloss and be brown and crumbly. In the meantime, grease pans you wish to use: Loaf pans, muffin pans, cof fee cans, decorated tins, etc.

Spoon cake, while hot, into one pan at a time, making a layer about ¾ inch thick, pressing firmly, adding another layer, pr essing, and so on until pan is full.

If the batter gets too cold to mold proper ly, put the roaster pan back in the oven to heat for a few minutes, but watch it carefully to avoid overcooking.

Decorate while hot with crystallized fruit and nuts. If packed carefully, this cake may be sliced very thin.