Marie Rudisill’s Chocolate Fruitcake

Every year, I try out a different fruitcake. This year, it’s Marie Rudisill, the Fruitcake Lady, who passed away last month, whose recipe I chose. I had never heard of her until I started out on my fruitcake recipe quest several months ago, and I had no idea she had died until I picked her recipe and was doing research on the writer. Apparently she was a very funny woman who made several appearances on Jay Leno’s show. Well, Marie, this one’s for you:

Chocolate Fruitcake

from
1/2 cup shortening (I’ll use either butter or non-trans-fat shortening for this)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted (I’ll most likely change this to >/=70% bittersweet)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup milk
3 cups mixed chopped candied fruits and peels (I rarely like candied fruit, so these will be sulfure-free dried fruit from Trader Joe’s, soaked in brandy or rum for a few days — better if longer, but I don’t have time)
1 cup raisins
1 cup broken walnuts

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well; stir in chocolate.

Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in fruit and nuts. Pour into a greased, paper lined 10-inch tube pan (I only have a bundt that I can use for this, so I won’t line it — I’ll just spray and flour). Bake at 275 degrees F for 1 3/4 hours or until cake tests done.

Cool; remove from pan. Wrap in cheesecloth that has been soaked in sherry, bourbon or brandy. Surround with apples and enclose in a container that is airtight (mine isn’t, just a double layer of plastic pulled tightly on a plate — a large Tupperware just for this is on my wish list!). Every few weeks repeat dousing with the liquor of your choice, until ready to serve.