Mom'S Fruit Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. light raisins
1 1/2 c. pitted dates, diced
1 c. each: green and red candied cherries, halved
1 c. candied pineapple, diced
1 c. nuts, halved
2 c. sugar
2 c. boiling water
2 Tbsp. Crisco shortening
3 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

Preparation

Place raisins, dates, sugar, water and shortening in saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes until thick.
Set aside until cool. Sift flour, soda, cloves, cinnamon and salt together.
Mix into cool mixture.
Stir in cherries, pineapple and nuts.
Bake at 325\u00b0 for 1 1/2 hours.
When cool, wrap in cheesecloth saturated with red wine.
Every 3 to 5 days, unwrap and saturate cheesecloth again.
Re-wrap for 3 weeks.
Wrap with foil to keep moist.