This cake is a lot like my mom's (and her mom's . . . and her mom's) ranch recipe when they were homesteaders in Colorado (1920s - 1950s).
I recall having a convo on boards about something similar to this cake way way back (likely pre-2007 and pre-HB?)? I think that Ra3chel was in on that one? (Or maybe it was becca?)
Anyway, my recipe uses applesauce for some of the fat / moisture. The fruit is raisins (could sub currants), which you would soak at least in water to plump before adding to cake. The fat was lard.
(Use solid Criso now. Well, OK, sometimes I make it with lard.) And lots of spice -- cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. Cocoa powder too. Back then, cake was served unfrosted unless there was wealth of butter (summer) from cows -- then a buttercream frosting -- either vanilla or cocoa.
My mom still prefers it unfrosted.
It keeps and is a great cake to take to something (pot lucks, camping, etc.) as it travels and keeps well.
We always baked in an aluminum 9 x 13" that had a slide on lid.
Having to go from memory on the recipe as I cannot put my fingers on my copy today -- must be mis-filed in the recipe box.
And a piece (square) of this cake for breakfast with coffee is fabulosity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
As to maraschino cherries -- for "red" ones I now use Tillen Farms cherries. They are from Sunnyside, WA and I'm able to find them in Whole Foods, Wegman's, and now Giant on the east coast. No Red dye!! No corn syrup!
Forget about green ones . . . and I quit buying those more than 15 years ago with the LTFA diagnosis for son as I only would buy them to make Xmas fruitcakes . . . which are loaded with nuts and not worth making if cannot use nuts, IMHO. Gosh, I crave a piece of that homemade fruitcake, but that's a topic for another thread.