| Status Approved |
| Name |  Magical Fruit Cake |
| Category | Holidays, Cakes & Pastries, American, European |
| Serves/Yields | 2 standard size loaves or 6-8 mini loaves or 1 large ring |
| Source | Kate's own |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Prep. Time | About 2 hours |
| Cook Time | See recipe |
| Introduction |
| I call this magical fruitcake because people actually like it! I've even reformed former fruit cake haters. This cake doesn't have the traditional glace fruits,except for the cherries and no citron. I think most people don't like citron, though I love it. Fruitcake is a wonderful treat to take backpacking as it's calorie dense and satisfies the craving for something sweet. A couple of slices with hot coffee make a great hiking breakfast.
|
| Ingredients |
| For the fruits:
4 1/4 cups diced or cut up dried mixed fruit (Bags of diced mixed fruit can be found in most groceries.I use Mariani)
1 cup raisins
2/3 cups candied cherries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brandy or dark rum
For the batter:
1 1/4 cups all_purpose_flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp baking_soda
1/8 tsp ground_cloves
1/8 tsp ground_cardamom
1/4 pound unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
1/2 cup packed brown_sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla_extract
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
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| Directions |
| Step: 1 | For the fruit preperation: In a heavy sauce pan, combine fruits with juice and brandy. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove pan from heat and let sit for 3 hours.This can sit overnight if you cover the pan. |
| Step: 2 | Spray pans ( loaf or ring) with cooking spray with flour.
Pre heat oven to 325 F
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| Step: 3 | Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and spices. In a large mixing bowl cream butter on high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.Add brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.Add vanilla and beat well. Mixture should be smooth, light and fluffy. |
| Step: 4 | Add flour mixture to butter/ egg mixture with a heavy wooden spoon until well blended. Batter will be quite thick and stiff. Add soaked fruits and nuts to batter, stirring well. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, packing well to remove any air holes. Smooth top. These cakes don't rise much so you can fill the pans within 1/4 inch of the top. |
| Step: 5 | .Bake cakes on center rack of pre heated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.2 1/2 to 3 hours for large cakes, 1 1/2 to 2 hours for smaller cakes (mini loaves).
Let baked cakes sit in pans on cooling racks for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack and allow to cool completely.If desired, pierce cakes with a wooden pick all over and brush or sprinkle on brandy or dark rum.
Wrap cakes in cheesecloth, then plastic and finally aluminum foil.
Store in a cool place but do not refrigerate the cakes.Over the next 2 weeks to a month, sprinkle cakes with brandy or rum every so often. Decorate tops of cakes with pecan halves and candied cherries if desired.makes 2 standard size loaves or 6-8 mini loaves or 1 large ring cake.
Hint: Wait a few days after adding the spirits to the cake before serving.It has a mellower flavor that way |
| Menu suggestion |
| Fruitcake is nice when served with tea or coffee. |
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