UNBAKED FRUITCAKE

We promised to have a regular tree and we’ll all be children and have a lot of fun out of it.” Ina Dobson, December 21, 1932

Aha! That was it! I was searching for a recipe for unbaked fruitcake because Mike prefers it to baked. In those days we found recipes by asking around. I finally got up my courage -- I was a newlywed, remember -- and asked my mother-in-law, Bennie, who graciously sent me the two following recipes.




Unbaked Fruitcake ("one I have used for years," Bennie noted)
1 lb candied pineapple
1 lb candied cherries
1 qt. toasted pecans
1 can angel flake coconut
1 lb vanilla wafers, crushed
1 can condensed milk
Mix and pack in waxed paper lined pan. More and varied fruit may be used. Chill and store -- also freezes nicely. Makes approximately 5 pounds.

Unbaked Fruitcake (recipe from a friend of Bennie's)
1 lb candied cherries
1 lb candied pineapple
1 lb dates
1 lb vanilla wafers crushed
2 c walnuts
2 c pecans
1 lb marshmallows
1 small can evaporated milk
1 stick oleo (half cup margarine)
Heat milk, marshmallows, and margarine together until marshmallows melt. Pour this mixture over combined fruit and crumbs. Mix with hands. Pack in waxed paper containers and refrigerate.

For several years I worked with these recipes to make the "ultimate" unbaked fruitcake. Mike loves sweetened condensed milk, which now comes fat free (we watch "sat" fat at our house). But I tell you, I loved that marshmallow / margarine mix -- like Rice Krispie treats. I remember cutting back on the candied fruit and adding golden raisins. I haven't made fruitcake in years, but I'm becoming inspired here . . . KW

[My Aunt Shirley sent this card to her aunt, Mabel Dickson Montgomery, in 1935. It came to my collection some years ago when a second cousin sent me a packet of letters written mostly by Aunt Bertha. To me, the most wonderful cards in my collection are those that just happen to come my way.]