Trevor M
Well-Known Member
I'm not a baker by any stretch of anyone's imagination. (I really don't like baking but I can do it when I feel so inclined, which is rare) but I got bored today since we weren't doing anything, so I decided to tackle making fruit cake again. Last time I made it, we didn't like it, so I tried a different recipe and this one WE LIKE IT. Turned out really well.
I doubled the recipe and also added to the fruit mix some walnuts, hazel nuts, currants, and dried cranberries all of which I chopped in the food processor before soaking in some brandy, apple cider, and maraschino cherry juice that I'd drained out of the bottle before chopping up the cherries. I have lots of the fruit/nut mix left for another time all soaking in the brandy/apple cider/maraschino cherry juice I had left over. Eventually I'll freeze it for future use. Some of it also made it into a salad that I made for supper tonight. The dressing for that salad was mayo, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, ground clove, a shot of lemon juice and a shot of balsamic vinagrette salad dressing.
Ingredients
Fruit
1 1/2 cups (213g) dried pineapple, diced ( I used a can of crushed that I drained)
1 1/2 cups (255g) raisins, golden or regular
1 cup (128g) dried apricots, diced
1 1/2 cups (223g) dates, chopped
heaping 1 cup (170g) candied red & green cherries, plus additional for decoration, if desired
3/4 cup (170g) rum, brandy, apple juice, or cranberry juice
Batter
16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F (this is half a brick of butter, since I doubled it, I used the whole brick)
2 cups (425g) brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (360g) All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (85g) boiled cider, golden syrup, or dark corn syrup
1/2 cup (113g) apple juice, cranberry juice or water
2 cups (227g) chopped, toasted nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
Topping/glaze (optional)
rum, brandy, simple syrup, vanilla syrup, or ginger syrup ( I used a simple maple syrup to glaze it, then topped with icing sugar before serving.)
Instructions
To prepare the fruit: Combine the fruit with the liquid of your choice in a non-reactive bowl; cover and let rest overnight. Too impatient to wait until tomorrow? Microwave everything for 1 minute (or until it's very hot), cover, and let rest 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. This recipe makes enough batter for ONE (not all!) of the following: 3 dozen individual (muffin pan) cakes; 16 mini loaves (about 3 3/4" x 2 1/2"); 6 to 8 medium loaves (about 3" x 5"); or 2 standard 9" x 5" loaves. Choose your pans (or combinations), and lightly grease them. If you're making muffin-size cakes in a standard muffin pan, line the pan with muffin papers, and lightly grease the papers.
To make the batter: Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl (at least 6-quart), and beat together until well combined.
Beat in the salt, spices, and baking powder.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
Add the flour mixture and the syrup (or boiled cider) to the mixture in the bowl, beating gently to combine.
Stir in the juice or water, then the fruit (including any additional liquid that has collected in the bowl), and the nuts. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir until everything is well combined.
Spoon the batter into the pans, filling them about 3/4 full.
Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven, as follows: about 60 minutes for the individual cakes; 65 to 70 minutes for the small loaves; 75 minutes for the medium loaves, and 2 hours + 10 to 15 minutes for the 9" x 5" loaves. The cakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven. Fruitcake can remain in its pan for storage, if desired. Or carefully remove cake from the pan after about 5 minutes, loosening its edges first.
Brush the warm cake with rum, brandy, simple syrup, or flavored simple syrup (vanilla, rum-flavored, etc.). If you like just a hint of rum or brandy flavor, add 1 tablespoon of liquor to 3/4 cup vanilla syrup or simple syrup, and brush this mixture on the cakes. (This keeps them moist for weeks; you can skip this step, but they won't stay moist long-term.)
When the cakes are completely cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature for up to 6 to 8 weeks.
I doubled the recipe and also added to the fruit mix some walnuts, hazel nuts, currants, and dried cranberries all of which I chopped in the food processor before soaking in some brandy, apple cider, and maraschino cherry juice that I'd drained out of the bottle before chopping up the cherries. I have lots of the fruit/nut mix left for another time all soaking in the brandy/apple cider/maraschino cherry juice I had left over. Eventually I'll freeze it for future use. Some of it also made it into a salad that I made for supper tonight. The dressing for that salad was mayo, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, ground clove, a shot of lemon juice and a shot of balsamic vinagrette salad dressing.
Ingredients
Fruit
1 1/2 cups (213g) dried pineapple, diced ( I used a can of crushed that I drained)
1 1/2 cups (255g) raisins, golden or regular
1 cup (128g) dried apricots, diced
1 1/2 cups (223g) dates, chopped
heaping 1 cup (170g) candied red & green cherries, plus additional for decoration, if desired
3/4 cup (170g) rum, brandy, apple juice, or cranberry juice
Batter
16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F (this is half a brick of butter, since I doubled it, I used the whole brick)
2 cups (425g) brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (360g) All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (85g) boiled cider, golden syrup, or dark corn syrup
1/2 cup (113g) apple juice, cranberry juice or water
2 cups (227g) chopped, toasted nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
Topping/glaze (optional)
rum, brandy, simple syrup, vanilla syrup, or ginger syrup ( I used a simple maple syrup to glaze it, then topped with icing sugar before serving.)
Instructions
To prepare the fruit: Combine the fruit with the liquid of your choice in a non-reactive bowl; cover and let rest overnight. Too impatient to wait until tomorrow? Microwave everything for 1 minute (or until it's very hot), cover, and let rest 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. This recipe makes enough batter for ONE (not all!) of the following: 3 dozen individual (muffin pan) cakes; 16 mini loaves (about 3 3/4" x 2 1/2"); 6 to 8 medium loaves (about 3" x 5"); or 2 standard 9" x 5" loaves. Choose your pans (or combinations), and lightly grease them. If you're making muffin-size cakes in a standard muffin pan, line the pan with muffin papers, and lightly grease the papers.
To make the batter: Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl (at least 6-quart), and beat together until well combined.
Beat in the salt, spices, and baking powder.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
Add the flour mixture and the syrup (or boiled cider) to the mixture in the bowl, beating gently to combine.
Stir in the juice or water, then the fruit (including any additional liquid that has collected in the bowl), and the nuts. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir until everything is well combined.
Spoon the batter into the pans, filling them about 3/4 full.
Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven, as follows: about 60 minutes for the individual cakes; 65 to 70 minutes for the small loaves; 75 minutes for the medium loaves, and 2 hours + 10 to 15 minutes for the 9" x 5" loaves. The cakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven. Fruitcake can remain in its pan for storage, if desired. Or carefully remove cake from the pan after about 5 minutes, loosening its edges first.
Brush the warm cake with rum, brandy, simple syrup, or flavored simple syrup (vanilla, rum-flavored, etc.). If you like just a hint of rum or brandy flavor, add 1 tablespoon of liquor to 3/4 cup vanilla syrup or simple syrup, and brush this mixture on the cakes. (This keeps them moist for weeks; you can skip this step, but they won't stay moist long-term.)
When the cakes are completely cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature for up to 6 to 8 weeks.
