Oh dear .. I would have to go find a recipe that looks like mine. Yes, I would be very happy to share one but to tell the truth, I have been cooking so long now that I rarely actually follow one any more .. I go by 'feel' and taste. I learned, more by osmosis (being present in the kitchen, not by being taught, per se), at my mother's knee, so to speak, to make dark fruitcake. I think, over the years, I have probably modified the original recipe though. I know I add even more booze than Mom did.
There are many out on the net and all can be adapted to your likes if you have some basic cooking skills/intuitive sense. Google 'rich dark fruitcake' and try out a small recipe to see what suits you, but don't be afraid to adjust it a bit to suit your particular likes and dislikes.
My mother's recipe originally came from Joy of Cooking I believe, the older version. She is gone now but I have the book and that page is all stained with the 'fruits' of her labour- literally.
Unfortunately, I put the book away somewhere (we are remodelling) and can't get at it fast right now.
She was American, my father Welsh .. so I think she started making them to make it feel like 'home' for him at Christmas. We also then lived in Canada, which follows many British traditions even to this day. Christmas cakes were on everyone's table during the holidays. And I think it was only a few years ago (relatively speaking) that Canadian brides began to choose more 'American style' wedding cakes. I made my own wedding cake, and my (American) brother's too .. and they were always fruitcake, dark, rich, liqueur'd up. Shocked a lot of Americans at my brother's wedding but they liked it once they tried it.
So, since I don't really have an exact recipe, and I don't know your level of baking experience, I will just try to give you a bit of insight into 'my' process.
This is a labour of love. I make a large amount, and it can take 2 days to produce the cakes ready to begin the 'ripening' process.
You can begin months before by soaking the fruit (any mixture you like - I use raisins, currants, citron, and mixed diced fruitcake fruit - not the kind with rinds - and sometimes the whole cherries). Some recipes call for apricots and dates too. Soak them in whatever booze you like - I use rum and brandy as I said, but some, who like to use a Jamaican 'black cake' type recipe (which is very similar to mine in many respects) may want to add port. Or, you can just decide to make cake tomorrow and forget soaking the fruit in advance.
Place all your fruit and nuts (I use almonds and pecans, (more, at least 2 pounds of the latter because I love them) in a LARGE bowl - mine is restaurant size stainless, and almost full to the top when I make this cake. Add a cup or two of booze (I use the soaking 'liquid'). Add a cup or so of dark grape juice - used to darken the cake. If you prefer a lighter version, don't add it or use a light grape juice. Let this mixture soak at least overnight, and stir every once in a while to ensure all the ingredients are coated well.
The next morning add a cup or two of flour to the bowl to coat the fruit/nut mixture. This coating helps the fruit to 'float' in the cake mixture so it won't all fall to the bottom. Let sit while you make the 'carrier' cake mixture.
The cake part is just a way to bind the fruit together so there will be a lot more fruit/nuts than cake. In my recipe, it is made up of eggs, butter, sugar (I usually use all brown sugar), spices, more booze and a bit of flour. Some people use more leavenings (baking soda and powder) but I generally only rely on the leavening power of egg whites. My cakes rise but not a lot. I usually use a dozen eggs, separated, and make a basic batter by first mixing the brown sugar with the butter (like a pound cake - a pound of each generally) and beating till 'light'. Add the egg yolks and continue beating till 'fluffy'.
I can usually do this first part with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. You will end up mixing things by hand though - and I mean that literally - when you do the final fruit mixing so dress appropriately and get ready to play in the muck. It is fun actually - my favorite part. I get up to my elbows in deliciousness (which I then get to lick off, of course).
Put flour (about 4-5 cups for my standard large quantity - which often produces about 8 cakes, probably about 40 lbs of cake in total, although I have never weighed them) in a second bowl. This flour is additional to the flour already on the fruit. Add the spices - your choice of mix again, but I use cinnamon, mace, nutmeg and cloves usually. And a bit of salt (probably a teaspoon or two), and vanilla extract - again the real kind - a couple of teaspoons full at least. If you are using baking soda and powder, add them to this dry mixture.
In a third mixing bowl, beat the egg whites till stiff but not dry.
Then the real fun begins. Add the butter/sugar/egg mixture to the fruit/nut mixture. Add the egg whites carefully (folding in) to the resulting fruit/butter mixture. Add the flour in batches to that fruit/nut/butter/sugar mixture, alternately adding more booze or juice to keep it all liquid enough to allow you to keep mixing it (by hand). It will be very sticky, heavy and thick.
Make sure you taste a little bit to make sure you like the combo and adjust the spices, etc. as necessary.
To be authentic to my family's tradition (which somehow, for me, makes them taste better, not to mention it brings back memories for me), I save all my paper bags - the heavy ones, which, thanks to the so-called 'environmental consciousness' these days, are harder and harder to find
- and cut them all to fit the pans (bottoms and sides, in one or more pieces). 'Grease' the papers (the easiest way is to use the butter wrappers from the butter you use for the recipe), on both sides till they are 'translucent'. I use any size pan I can find - from wedding cake sizes to small 'bread' pans, round, square, rectangular. You can choose to line your pans with parchment if you prefer but you really do need to line them so they will slip out easily after baking and the paper can be peeled off, leaving a relatively smooth surface.
Place all the cakes in the oven, at about 275 degrees (F). I place a pan of water on the bottom rack to ensure they stay as moist as possible. These cakes take hours (not minutes) to bake, but I would check the smaller ones after about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. You will smell the aroma and know when to start checking, if you have any experience baking at all. Remove if done (you know the old toothpick trick to check this) and place on a rack to cool. Remove from the pans when they have cooled for 5-10 minutes and continue cooling, etc. Basic baking 101 stuff.
Once cool, I pour a bit more booze over the tops (or you can put holes in the cake and do it that way), wrap the cakes individually in well booze soaked cheesecloth and again, tightly, in foil. Check them every few days for the first couple of weeks and add a bit more booze. Check them every few weeks for the first few months, adding more booze each time. After that, they are usually good to go. If you can hold off eating them for a year, add a bit more booze every 6 months-1 year if you want/need to. Cut in very small pieces - or you will be drunk before teatime!
For use at Christmas, it is best to make by early October, at a minimum.
Sorry this is so long (and boring). Was thinking through it all as I typed. Making fruitcake is a big job but it is very satisfying to have done it and know you have this delicious stuff stashed away. I still maintain it is nutritious too! And .. no calories at all .. umm well .. a few.
Since I usually don't really 'measure' anything or follow a recipe any more, I have miscalculated a couple of times on the amount of batter to add to the fruit. In other words, made a bit too little batter for the amount of fruit. You won't know that till you go to cut it. The longer it sits, and the more booze that is added, over time it will hold together better. However, even if it falls apart when you cut it, it is still delicious so don't throw it away in disgust or be afraid to experiment again. It is a very 'forgiving' cake/process.
If making this for kids, it will not last as long because the booze is the real preservative and you will want to use more grape juice than booze. You can however freeze it and it will last years without the booze, but after shtf you may not have that ability. Perhaps you could make without so much booze to start, freeze it till shtf, and then add booze after it thaws - maybe the kids will be older then and it won't be such a crime to feed them the 'real stuff'.
By the way, I am NOT an alcoholic. I rarely drink and when I do it is just wine. But, I do like a bit of this stuff, at least at Christmas. If made right though, I do feel a bit heady after a slice or two.
