ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAKE 2016

 ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAKE 2016. 
   Yes, I know, scary title. But after all it's just a Christmas Cake. It's what's in it that makes it a great mix. Molasses, Cocoa, Vanilla Whiskey,prunes, and  a bunch of other things to make it mesh together. I combined two recipes, having become bored with just the same old thing, and created something else. It is dark, dense, tangy and has a bite. I feel like Mary Shelley......

 "Christmas is not a date,it is a state of mind." -Mary Ellen Chase

 SOAK in IN LARGE BOWL:                                

6 cups dark raisins                                                                                                          

1 ½ cups chopped dates                                                  

1 pound mixed peel                                                          

½ pound candied cherries                                                

2 cups almonds                                                                      

1 cup walnuts                                                                       

1 cup pecans                                                                         

2 cups prunes                                                                                                                   

2 ½ cups Whiskey ( almond flavoured)You can buy this in small- small bottles

 *You can use orange juice, but it is so blah. The whiskey pumps up the taste and bakes out.One year I made fruitcake with  nothing. Double Blah.

 Prepare 14-16 small foil loaf tins. Spray with Pam. Then slide in a piece of parchment paper. Spray again.
 When you plop in the batter, smooth the tops. I put the batter right to the top. Makes a pudgy little loaf.

 SET OVEN to 275 degrees. (On a convection oven ,if using top and bottom tier, I put it to 300)

COMBINE SOAKED FRUIT with BATTER in BOWL. Use  hands if you wish, since it is a lot to handle.

 BEAT BATTER in LARGER BOWL:  
2 cups butter

2 cups sugar                            ½ tsp b powder                 1 tablesp vanilla ext                      

  ½ tsp b soda                      2 tbsp almond extract

½ cup molasses               ½ cup cocoa powder

2 tsp allspice                 ½ cup apple juice                                                                     

4 tsp cinnamon               1 cup strong coffee

½  tsp cloves                   12 eggs beaten in two at a time

3 ½ cups flour

 Make sure you beat in eggs one at a time. Some recipes separate them. I never do. Turns out fine. And a lot faster.

 Beat the batter  well before adding the fruit. Do not drain the fruit.

 My mother always used to mix fruitcakes by  hand. I can still see her in the kitchen, turning over the batter.

 "I wish we could put some of the Christmas spirit in jars, and open it up all year. " - Harlan Miller

 "From home to home, and heart to heart..." -Emily Matthews

 Stuff in the fruit/batter into the foil pans. Place pans on cookie sheets.

 If you have a convection oven this works really well, and you can bake them all at once. Doesn’t need a pan of hot water in the centre.

 Bake at 275  about 45 minutes, then add more time as you need, testing the centres with a sharp knife. I think in the end it took about an hour.

 But each time you bake  these the time differs, so add ten minutes after the initial 45, and then add less as it counts down. Should be a dry edge you pull out of the cakes. Just be sure to watch them and test till you are satisfied they are done.

 You can brush with a little whiskey when done baking , if you wish.( I really dislike the taste of raw alcohol on xmas cakes , so bitter tasting), but that’s just my preference

 So the whiskey you smother the fruit with, should be enough, as it bakes right in. But if you are so inclined, you can swish a bit on top. I freeze them in little bags, with the ingredient list slipped under the plastic.They are great for gifts, alongside another little light fruitcake. And maybe a bottle of wine or cider or shortbread…..

 "Love was born at Christmas...." -Christina Rossetti