I never liked fruitcake until we tried this recipe. This has been the recipe that I have been using for many years. Including the “Year of the Ugly Fruitcake”
Yummy Fruitcake
Ingredients
4 cups cut up dried fruit of your choice
zest of one lemon
zest of one orange
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
1 cup rum
1 cup sugar
1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup unfiltered apple juice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
brandy for spritzing
Directions
- Day One
- cut up dried fruit
- combine dried fruits, candied ginger and both zests
- add rum & let sit overnight
- Day Two
- place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices
- bring mixture to a boil, stirring often
- then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes
- remove from heat and cool for, at least, 15 minutes
- (batter can be completed to this pint, then covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temp before completing cake.)
- heat oven to 325 degrees
- combine dry ingredients
- sift into fruit mixture and quickly bring batter together
- stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated
- spoon into your fruitcake pan of choice (Alton recommends 10″ non-stick loaf pan)
- Bake for one hour
- check for doneness by inserting toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. If not, bake another 10 minutes and check again.
- remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack.
- spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan
- when cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container.
- Every 2-3 days, spritz with brandy if the cake feels dry.
Recipe Video
Notes
- My large size fruitcakes are 3″ x 6″. They are made in a stoneware pan that makes 4 at a time. One batch of batter makes 4 large cakes.
- My small size fruitcakes are 2-1/2″ x 3-5/8″. They are made in an aluminum pan that make 9 at a time. One batch of batter makes 9 small cakes.
- Link to Alton Brown’s fruitcake recipe
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