- 9 cups raisins
- 6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 3 pounds gum drops (no black licorice gum drops)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves (optional)
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice (optional)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease 2 loaf pans.
- Place raisins into a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium; boil until raisins are plump, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Stir 1 cup flour into raisins and add gum drops and walnuts; mix to coat ingredients with flour. Beat butter, brown sugar, and eggs together in a separate bowl until creamy; mix in applesauce. Stir remaining 5 cups flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice into batter. Dissolve baking soda and hot water in a small bowl and stir into batter. Fold floured raisin mixture into batter. Divide batter between the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 2 1/2 hours.