Old Fashioned Wedding Cake (Over One Hundred Years Old)

Mrs. A. J. Prentiss

Four and a half pounds flour, four pounds butter, four and a half pounds sugar, twelve pounds raisins, five pounds currants, three pounds citron, thirty-four eggs, four large nutmegs, one and a half tablespoons cloves, one ounce mace, three large tablespoons cinnamon, three large tablespoons rose extract, one cup molasses, one quart boiled sweet cider, one tablespoon soda. Bake four hours.

(Note: Since the Plymouth Cook Book was published in 1906, that would make this recipe circa 1780-1810. Looks like it would make either one enourmous cake or several smaller ones. Today's wedding cakes are often light airy cakes. This seems almost to be a spice/fruit cake. If you are looking for a cake that will feed a crowd I beleive this one is it.)