Old-fashioned fruitcake makes a comeback! Our recipe wows kids with all kinds of colorful fruits and fragrant spices.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and diced
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pecans, chopped
• 1 cup figs, chopped
• 1 cup dates, chopped
• 1/2 pound candied red cherries, chopped
• 1/2 pound candied pineapple, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Line three loaf pans with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, mix together apples, sugar, and apple juice. Let stand for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
5. Add egg mixture to apples and mix well.
6. In another large bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add to apple mixture and mix well.
7. Fold in pecans, figs, dates, cherries, and pineapples into apple-and-flour mixture. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake until toothpick inserted in the middle of the fruitcake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
9. Let cool in pans for about 15 minutes before turning cakes out to cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 1 fruit cake.