Gram'S Poor Man'S Cake (Eggless & Milkless) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup cold black coffee
1/2 cup shortening
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
1 1 teaspoon brandy extract (your choice) or 1 teaspoon cherry extract (your choice)
Fruit
cranberries or diced apple

Preparation

Bring to a boil the fruit, nuts, extract, salt, sugar, shortening and coffee.
Continue to cook until raisins swell and liquid becomes syrupy; cool completely.
Stir together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Add to fruit mixture and combine thoroughly.
Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan and bake at 325\u00b0 about an hour (if heavy with fruit). Check with tester to be sure cake is done.
Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
At this point I soak a clean piece of cheesecloth in liquor; brandy, rum, even wine.
Wrap the cake with the cloth and in foil--store in COLD place--check often, resoak as needed.
There are no exact measurements for the fruit in this recipe--the original recipe stated \"fruits, nuts & peels-whatever you have on hand\".
This was done because it was wartime and things for fancy baking were not always available.