It's here. Fruitcake making weather. Chilly. Crisp. Damp. Frost on the houses. Snow on Mt. Washington Range.
Line small loaf pans with greased parchment paper.
You can find loaf pans in the section of the grocery store where they sell foil
and cling wrap.
WHITE FRUITCAKE ( 1997 from Shirley
Moore, Fredericton, New Brunswick. This is a
lovely, light , pretty cake. Updated in 2012 )
Time to make fruitcakes. Light and Dark. Soak the fruit with wine. Soak it well.
(Do
not double recipe)
COMBINE
FRUIT in BOWL: BATTER:
3 cups raisins
combined with dried cranberries
1 pound butter
2 cups glazed
/dried fruit ( your choice) 2 cups white sugar
6 candied / dried
pineapple rings, cut up 10
large eggs
1/3 cups orange
peel/fresh or candied
¾ cup chopped
dried apricots
1
tsp. almond extract
½ cup candied
ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups chopped
almonds
3 cups flour
1 ½ cups pecan
halves
pinch
of coarse salt
1 cup flour for
dusting fruit
1
tsp baking powder
1 cup of Napoleon
or Grand Marnier Brandy
½ cup orange juice
to go with brandy
Put all ingredients
for “Combine
Fruit in Bowl” into large bowl, mix together. Let sit for a day to
let the flavours mellow. Alcohol will
burn out in the baking. Do not brush finished cake with booze. It will be way
too strong and smell wicked. Especially if you mail it through US customs….
From BATTER List,
cream butter with sugar, add eggs 1 at a time. Add the remaining ingredients. When the batter is ready, pour in the fruit that
has been standing. Mix with hands ( clean hands).
Divide batter
between pans. The small loaf tins work so well as they freeze great and are the
perfect size for gift giving.
Bake
at 300 degrees for about 1 ½ hours (
give or take. Sometimes it takes an hour). I kind of guesstimate the time, and
check after 40 minutes by testing the centre.
You do not want to
over bake the little loaf pans , so check often. The batch this year made 13 small loaf pans.
Wrap when cool and freeze until ready to mail, or eat.
Don't be afraid to use your hands...
Smooth the tops as best you can.
Then bake.
They should turn out golden and light. Fragrant.
Then get ready to do Dark fruitcake ( My favourite). This recipe is rich and tangy.
OLD ENGLISH
DARK FRUIT CAKE (2015)
Fill LARGE
pyrex bowl with the following:
Dates, dark
raisins, golden raisins, glace cherries, citrus peel, pecans, walnuts, almonds,
cranberries, candied ginger.
POUR over a
½ bottle of wine. Let fruit sit for a day or two.
BEAT
TOGETHER: 1 ½ cups butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 ½ cups molasses, 1 cup strong
coffee, Zest and juice of 3 oranges, 2 tsp allspice, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp
ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 2 tsp nutmeg and ( very important) 3 tbsp COCOA, 6 eggs,
4cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda.
ADD
ALL the FRUIT in BOW, PLUS the wine. Add extra flour if batter is too thin
DIVIDE
between 10 mini pans and 1 loaf tin, lined with, or whatever pans you like, as
long as they are greased and lined with parchment paper.
BAKE: 300
degrees for about an hour….be sure to
test as time goes along. Add time as needed till a toothpick or sharp knife,
inserted into the cake, comes out clean. I just guesstimate the time and add on
as I go.
LET COOL.
WRAP and FREEZE**This is so
good. Dark and tangy and rich.
Then turn off all the lights, set the candles and taste test both. Which is your favourite?
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