CAKE--DENSE, CHOCOLATY, TASTY AND MADE WITH... OLD BOTTLED FRUIT!

This cake was made from a bottle of home canned cherries--canned in 1984--I'm serious. Also, it contained no eggs so if you are dying for something really tasty but the fridge is eggless and you have old canned fruit, you are in luck. It was dense and delicious. I've made this recipe three times now, taking it once to a friend who was sick. She got better but said she planned on getting sick again soon if we would bring this cake. We ate it plain and with homemade yogurt. We didn't bother with frosting it but I bet it would be over the top good with frosting.

I made the original version--with spices--first and then decided it probably would be good made into chocolate. It was. I didn't add nuts or chocolate chips.

ANY OLD BOTTLE-OF-FRUIT CAKE--original recipe found here--for chocolate version see below

1 quart of any bottled fruit, juice and all
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 cup oil
4 cups flour (not sifted)
4 teaspoons soda – mix in with fruit
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

Blend or chop fruit and place in a large mixing bowl with sugar and oil. Add sifted dry ingredients, and if desired, nuts and /or raisins/chocolate chips. Mix together well and pour into a 9×13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle. Cool. Frost with Cream Cheese Icing. Hurry and take a big slice before anyone knows that the cake is done, or you won’t get any because it is that good.

Chocolate version: Remove cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon and add 1/2 cup cocoa.

PS Last years I dumped probably four dozen jars of old fruit. What was I thinking?