Mrs. Murphy's Fruit Cake, a.k.a. the JFK recipe

Mrs. Murphy's Fruit Cake, a.k.a. the JFK recipe

Mom wrote: I was talking to Mrs. Murphy, Sue's mother, on the phone in 1963 when she told me she thought she had heard that John Kennedy -- the President -- had been shot! She and I were talking about this recipe while her radio or TV was on -- and of course the unbelievably sad news was true -- so this must have been 11/22/63. I had just returned from my first plane trip to Chicago for Uncle Henry McNeely's funeral.

Mom originally got the recipe in Dec. 1958. She and Dad made it in late 1974 or 1975 so recopied it then.

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups cold water
1 pound dates, cut up
1 pound raisins (and white raisins)
1/2 pound fruit mixture
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda dissolved in 1/2 c cold water
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 cup walnuts
1 cup brazil nuts
candied cherries

Boil first six ingredients 5-10 minutes. Cool. Add rest of ingredients. Bake 1 1/2 hour at 275 or test.