This is Tom Schneider's family recipe. You can make this in one very large bowl, or mix in two batches. Of course, you can also halve the recipe. A spring pan with a center hole makes 2 cakes. You can also use several 4 x 10 inch pans for 3 cakes.

10 eggs 1 lb. butter 1 lb. (2 C) sugar 1 lb. (3 1/2 C) flour 1 lb. walnuts (~35 pieces) (less needed if not buying whole walnuts) + more for decoration 1 lb. currants 2 lbs. raisins 1/2 lb. figs 1/2 lb. dates 1/2 lb. crytallized cherries (these will be decoration) 1/2 lb. almonds (blanched, if possible) 1/2 lb. candied citron fruit 1/2 lb. candied orange fruit 1/2 lb. candied lemon fruit 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. cloves 1 t. allspice 1 t. nutmeg 1 t. baking soda 2 C. port wine + more for soaking cake in

*** PREHEAT OVEN TO 325 ***
1. Soaked the candied citron, lemon, & orange in 2 C. port wine over night.
2. Cut the dates and figs, removing the stems and seeds.
3. Coat the raisins, currants, figs, and dates so they don't stick together.
4. Crack the walnuts (if not already cracked) and blanch the almonds to remove skins.
5. Cream the butter and sugar together.
6. Add eggs and flour to the butter and sugar mixture (to create dough).
7. Add all of the spices to this dough.
8. Add the wine and citron mix to the dough.
9. Add the raisins, currants, and nuts to this mix.
10. Mix dough with a large spoon, NOT a mixer.
11. Mix baking soda with a little milk to keep it from packing, then add it to the dough.
12. Grease pans, line them with wax paper, then grease batter side of the paper to ensure an easy cake removal.
13. Bake the cakes. Put them in for 1 hour if using the small pans, and 1 1/2 hours if a large pan was used.
14. Over the next 10-14 days, spray or drizzle the cake(s) with port wine daily.
15. Before serving or gifting, decorate the top of the cake with nuts and cherries.