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Ruth's Easy, Tasty Fruitcake

Ruth Embree and I concocted this one year when she wanted fruitcake, but the good kind was too expensive.

Take one, 2 layer, package cake mix (spice, carrot, yellow) and leave it dry. Mix in 1 # chopped walnuts, 1 # each red glance cherries, green cherries and pineapple. (If you plan to make small ones, you may want to cut up the fruit.) Add raisins, currants and candied peel as you desire.

I once made one that weighed 6 #!

Fix your pans. Grease and flour a large tube pan, or loaf pans may be lined with parchment. Choose a pan(s) that will hold the batter and be 1/2 to 2/3 full. Turn on the oven now, 325F.

Into the dry mix, stir 3 beaten eggs, 2 Tblsps. oil and just enough water to moisten the mix (1/4 cup?). When well mixed, spoon into the pan/s, pushing down so there are no air pockets. I bake the tube cake for 1 hour and 45 minutes at 325F. Test for doneness with a pick. Cool, turn out, wrap and store in a tin for two weeks. Now is the time to wrap and soak with brandy, if you like that sort of thing. If you have any leftovers, after the first of the year, slice and freeze.