Emily Dickinson's Black Cake

Ingredients

1/2 lb sugar
1/2 lb butter
5 eggs
1/8 pt molasses
1/2 lb flour
1/2 ts baking soda
1/2 nutmeg
1 clove
1 t mace
1 t cinnamon
1/8 pt brandy
1 lb raisins
5/8 lb currants
5/8 citron

Instructions

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and molasses. Beat well. Add flour, soda, and spices. Add brandy, then raisins, currants, and citron. Pour dough into 2 loaf pans [4 fruitcake pans*] lined with waxed paper and bake 3-4 hrs at 300F [60-70 min at 325F*]. Place shallow pan of hot water on bottom of oven, but remove for last hr of baking. [Test with toothpick.*] Let loaves cool before removing from pan. [*suggestions of a practiced experimenter (not myself!)] Posted By bhsiung@uhs.bsd.uchicago.edu (Dr. Bob) On rec.food.recipes or rec.food.cooking