Bourbon Cake
This is a traditional cake, with recipe being passed down through many generations of families.

2 cups red candied cherries, chopped
1 ½ cups light seedless raisins
2 cups bourbon
1 ½ cups butter
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 1/3 cups firm brown sugar
6 eggs, separated
5 cups cake flour, sifted
4 cups pecans
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix cherries, raisins and bourbon. Cover and let it sit overnight, then, drain the fruits, saving the bourbon for later.
Cream the butter and sugars together. Add egg yolks, and beat well.
Mix 1 ½ cups flour and pecans. Sift the remaining flour, nutmeg and baking powder together.
Add the flour mixture and bourbon alternately to the butter mixture, beating well with each addition.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then, fold into the flour mixture.
Fold the soaked fruits and pecan flour mixture into the batter.
Pour batter into a greased 10 inch tube pan, lined with waxed paper.
Bake at 275 degrees for about 3 ½ hours. Cool, then remove from pan.
Fill the center of the cake with a cheesecloth soaked in the leftover bourbon, and wrap in a heavy waxed paper or foil.
Store in a sealed container and keep cool.

California Fruit Cake
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped golden raisins
1 cup blanched toasted almonds
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. grated orange rind
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
Powdered sugar

Toast hazelnuts at 350 degrees for 10 minutes - until skins crack and flake. Place in a towel and rub the skins off.
Blanch the almonds by putting them in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove them, and then squeeze between your fingers until the almonds pop out. Toast the almonds at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Coarsely chop the hazelnuts and almonds. Mix in a bowl with the raisins, apricots, orange rind, flour, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Butter a 9" cake pan, and then line it with parchment paper. Butter the paper.
Over low heat, stir the sugar, butter, and honey. Do not boil. Stir continuously until a drop of the mixture makes a firm ball when put into cold water. Then, mix well with the nut mixture and pour into the cake pan. Bake at 300 degrees for about half an hour. Cool on a rack - the cake will firm when cooled. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Christmas Fruitcake
A recipe from a 1938 cookbook, and featured in 'Homemade Cooking Good 'Nuff for Sharing', a cookbook published by the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum. Nestled on 55 acres of rolling farm ground in Vista, California; the museum preserves the early days of the American farm and rural community. Read more.

1 lb. Butter
1 ½ lb. Brown Sugar
1 ½ lb. Flour
2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Mace
1 tsp. Cloves
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking Soda
3 tsp. Baking Powder
3 lb. Raisins
2 lb. Currants
1 lb. Citron, sliced
1 lb. Dates, sliced
10 Eggs, well beaten
1 Cup Molasses
1 Cup Strong Coffee
2 Oranges - juice & grated rind only
1 Lemon - juice & grated rind only
1 Cup Tart Jelly
1/4 lb. Almonds, sliced

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together 3 times and mix well with fruit. Add eggs to creamed mixture. Add flour-fruit mixture alternately with the next 5 ingredients, and beat thoroughly.
Pour into pans lined with greased paper. Sprinkle almonds on top. Cover cakes with greased paper. Steam for 2 hours, then bake in a slow oven (300 degrees), 1 ½ - 2 hours, removing paper last ½  hour to dry surface.

Ginny’s Candied Fruit Cake
Three 7 1/4 oz. packages of pitted dates
2 lbs. pecan halves
1 lb. candied pineapple
1 lb. candied cherries
2 Tsp. double-acting baking powder
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½  tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
Method:
Prepare two (2) 9-inch spring form cake pans (9x5x3). Grease pans and line with brown paper that has been greased on top and bottom. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Chop the pitted dates and candied pineapple into small pieces put in a very large mixing bowl. Leave the cherries whole and add to fruit mixture. Sift the flour and measure two (2) cups. Place this flour into the sifter again and add the baking powder and salt. Sift this onto the fruit. Mix fruits well with fingers so all pieces are separated and coated with flour. Beat eggs until frothy and gradually add the sugar. Beat until well blended. Add this to the fruit mixture and mix well with fingers or spoon. Add the pecan halves (should be about 8 cups of nuts), mix with hands until nuts are evenly distributed in the fruit and all are coated well with the batter. Put mixture into the pans with fingers, rearranging pieces to fill up all empty spaces. Bake at 275 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours (loaf pans a little longer). When done, the tops should look dry. Remove and cool on racks for about 5 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Turn over and pull off paper. Cool. Store in foil and keep airtight. If stored this way, they keep several weeks. They can be kept indefinitely in the freezer and taste good long afterwards
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