Elsie's Blue Ribbon Fruit Cakes
Fruit Cake Recipe

3 cups whole candied cherries
2 cups dark raisins
6 cups mixed candied fruits (of your choice)
6 cups mixed nuts (not salted), your choice of nuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
8 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice orange juice

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Generously grease (using solid vegetable shortening) and flour ten (1-pound) loaf pans. Place a pan of water on the lowest rack in the oven.

In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, brown sugar, and eggs.

In another large bowl, combine the 4 cups flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Add dry ingredients, alternately with orange juice, to the egg mixture, beating after each addition until well blended. Pour prepared batter over the candied fruit/nut mixture, mixing well. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake the fruitcakes approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Test for doneness by placing a metal/wooden skewer in center of cake. If it comes out clean, cake is done. Be careful not to over bake. Remove from oven and let the fruitcakes completely cool in the baking pans.