Why does fruitcake get such a bad rap? They aren't all hard and tasteless. I like mince pie and I like fruitcake. To me they are in the same class of food. To prove it, I have a recipe to share with you for a Mincemeat Fruitcake.

I searched the Internet for the history of fruitcakes. There was more information there than I care to use. They talk about cheap sugar arriving from the American colonies in the 16th century. Mercy sakes alive! Fruitcakes have been around almost forever. One site said that some entrepreneur discovered that fruit could be preserved by soaking in successively great amounts of sugar. I suppose the next question was what to do with all that sugar-laden fruit. Aha! The fruitcake was born.

Have you ever seen fruitcake on a restaurant menu? Nope. Are they good to toss? Yup. There is a yearly Great Fruitcake Toss in Manitou Springs, Colorado. If you didn't bring your own fruitcake, you can rent one for 25 cents. The Japanese like them, so they say. One department store offers them year round. Most Southern fruitcakes are teetotaler cakes. Some say that the alcohol-bearing versions are superior cakes, but Food City doesn't offer that in their bakery department so I wouldn't know.

One of the oldest worst jokes is about the lowly fruitcake. "There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other." Not so. My fruitcake is delicious. I won't send it to you. I will give you the recipe so you can make your own. Then you can send it to some lucky recipient.

MINCEMEAT FRUITCAKES

1 cup soft shortening
1 cup white sugar
5 eggs
3 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup canned orange juice
2 cups mincemeat (home-canned preferred)
3 cups chopped nuts
16-oz candied red cherries
1 cup chopped candied pineapple
1 cup mixed candied peel
2 cups raisins
8-oz pkg chopped dates

In a large mixer bowl, cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well at medium speed, after each addition. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add to creamed mixture alternately with orange juice. With large spoon, mix in by hand the mincemeat, nuts, candied cherries, candied pineapple, candied peel, raisins and chopped dates. It will be very thick. Grease three 9 by 5 inch loaf pans. Line bottom with waxed paper. Bake at 300 F. for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until toothpick at center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out and remove waxed paper. Cool on wire rack. When cold, wrap in plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator or wrap and freeze. If desired, tops may be decorated when half done. This is a delicious moist fruitcake.