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The Civil War recipe for common fruitcake included simple ingredients: butter, molasses, sugar, eggs, baking soda, salt, various spices, and a medley of fruits such as raisins and currants. The method involved soaking the fruits in flour and gradually incorporating them into the batter, ensuring even distribution and avoiding a clumpy texture.
Baking Techniques Through the Ages
Interestingly, the fruitcake we recognize today, which employs baking powder or soda instead of yeast, emerged in the mid-19th century. This adaptation made baking fruitcake easier and more accessible. Despite the transition away from yeast, the berries and spices in fruitcake have always lent it a distinctive and rich flavor profile.