#1139 - Christmas Cake

(by Ella [Bennett] McCoy)

2 cups Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
2 cups seedless raisins
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda + 1 TBSP water
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup Baker's angelflake coconut
green and red holiday sugar sprinkles

In a saucepan over medium heat add brown sugar, seedless raisins, boiling water, Crisco, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt--stir and bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. In a cup add baking soda and 1 TBSP water--stir until dissolved. Add baking soda mixture to brown sugar mixture--stir. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then add flour, chopped nuts and coconut--stir. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cake cool slightly, then loosen the edges and flip cake upside down on to a cake plate. Glaze as desired, then sprinkle glaze with red and green holiday sugar sprinkles. Keep covered with foil. It gets better as it ages.