Fruit Cake Recipes

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup
# 2 cups granulated sugar
# 2 cups water
# Strips of zest of 2 lemons (about 3 tablespoons)
# Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)

For the Cake
# 1 pound of a combination of dried fruits, such as blueberries, cranberries, cherries, raisins, and chopped apricots.
# 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
# 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
# 4 ounces almond paste
# 8 large eggs
# 1 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
# 4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
# 2 teaspoons baking powder
# 1/4 teaspoon salt
# 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
# 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
# 1 cup slivered blanched almonds
# 1 cup pecan pieces
# 1 cup walnut pieces
# 1/2 cup bourbon

Directions

1. Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.

2. Combine the dried fruits together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the simply syrup over them, toss to coat, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the syrup.

3. Cream the butter, sugar, and almond paste together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle at low speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add 1/2 cup of the Grand Marnier and mix to incorporate.

4. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-size mixing bowl and blend well. Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the butter mixture with the mixer on low speed, each time mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The batter will be thick.

5. Add the warm fruit and all the nuts a little at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Lightly grease twelve 1-pound loaf pans. Spoon about 1 cup of batter into each pan. Bake until golden and the tops spring back when touched, about 45 minutes (rearranging them after 25 minutes if necessary to brown evenly).

8. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.

9. Wrap each cake in a layer of cheesecloth. Store in plastic storage bags until they are slightly stale, 3 to 4 days.

10. Combine the reserved simple syrup with the remaining 1/2 cup Grand Marnier and the bourbon. Without removing the cheesecloth, make tiny holes with a toothpick randomly on the top of each cake. Pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup over the top of each cake once every 2 to 3 days until all of the syrup is used. Let the cakes age for up to 3 weeks before eating.

Serving Warm Whiskey Sauce and serve with slices of fruitcake. Yields: 12 cakes

Whiskey Sauce

Ingredients
# 3 cups heavy cream
# 1/2 cup bourbon
# 1/2 cup granulated sugar
# 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Combine 2 3/4 cups of the cream with the bourbon and sugar in a medium-size nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

2. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup cream. Add this to the cream-and-bourbon mixture and simmer stirring often, until he mixture thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm with the fruitcake.

3. The sauce may be stored, after it has cooled, in an airtight container for 24 hours. When ready to serve, warm over low heat.

Yields: 3 Cups

You need:

1 1/2 cups sultanas
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons brandy
1-tablespoon water
1 cup sieved pumpkin (no lumps)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup apple concentrate
1/2 cup skim or low fat milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 cup white self-raising flour
1-cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Mix sultanas, raisins, brandy and water, soak overnight

2. Mix pumpkin, eggs, apple concentrate and milk.

3. Add soaked fruit, nuts and spices, then sifted flour and bicarbonate of soda. Return bran left in sieve to flour mixture. Mix well with wooden spoon.

4. Spoon into a lightly greased 20cm cake tin.

5. Bake 10 minutes at 200C, then turn down the heat and bake at 180C until cooked through and browned. (approx. 1-1 ¼ hours).

The apple concentrate gives sweetness to this cake and the dried fruit and pumpkin gives fibre.

Description:
1/2 c golden raisins, seedless, and puffed seeded raisins
4 c white flour
1 ts baking soda
1/2 c dried currants
1 ts salt
1 c blackberry cordial wine, or other wine
1 ts cinnamon
1 ts cloves
1 ts allspice
1 c alaskan sourdough starter
2 ts mace
6 tb butter
3 c candied fruit, green and red pineapple, citron, oragne and ginger
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 ea eggs, well beaten
1 c nuts, chopped
2 tb lemon rind, grated

Directions:

Soak raisins and currants in 1 cup wine overnight. Remove starter from refrigerator and set, tightly covered, in warm place overnight. It should be in at least a two cup container as it will just about double its volume overnight.

In the morning, cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs and lemon rind. Drain wine from raisins into creamed mixture. Stir in starter and 3 cups of the flour sifted with the soda, salt and spices. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of flour over the fruit and nuts in a large bowl. Toss and shake until well-coated. Add to batter and mix thoroughly.

Turn into loaf pans which have been generously buttered. Let stand in warm place for 30 minutes. Bake in oven preheated to 300 with a pan of water on floor of oven and rack as near as possible in middle of oven.

Bake about 2-1/2 hours for medium-sized loaves watching carefully to see that they do not brown to quickly. Test with toothpick. Remove from oven, turn pans on sides and allow to set for a few minutes before taking from pans.

When cold drip 2 tbsp. of wine over each cake. As soon as it is absorbed, wrap tightly in cellophane freezer paper and store in refrigerator or freezer. They improve with age.