Old Fashioned Fruit Cake

 Since Nicole made an English Christmas Cake, I decided to make Doug an old fashioned fruit cake. We will also see Ben, Alex, Joanne, and my Mom in December, so we will share some cake with them as well.

  

Ingredients:

Fruit (About 36 ounces or 1100 grams dried fruit - maybe  the quantities below):

• 1 1/2 cups (213g) diced dried pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups (255g) raisins, golden or regular
• 1 cup (128g) diced dried apricots
• 1 1/2 cups (223g) chopped dates
• heaping 1 cup (170g) candied red cherries
• 1/3 cup (64g) crystallized ginger, diced, optional
  (I used 20 ounces Baker's Fruit Medly from Costco, 10 ounces sweetened dried cherries, and extra dried apricots and raisins to bring it up to about 36 ounces of fruit)
  
• 3/4 cup (170g) rum, brandy, apple juice, or cranberry juice

Batter:

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks - 227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F
• 2 cups (425g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons (11g) cocoa, optional, for more color
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (85g) boiled cider, golden syrup, or dark corn syrup (I used corn syrup)
  
• 1/2 cup (113g) apple juice, cranberry juice or water (I used hard cider, and drank the extra)
  
• 2 cups (227g) chopped, toasted nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)

Basting:

• 1 cup of  rum or other spirits, 1/2 cup or so applied after baking, and the rest spritzed on over the next few days
  

 

Instructions:

1. Prep the fruit: Combine about 2 pounds of dried diced fruit with the liquid of your choice in a non-reactive bowl. Either cover and let rest overnight, or microwave for 1 minute or 2 until the fruit mix is very hot, cover, and let rest 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
3. Pick your pan! 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. 
4. Lightly grease your pan(s) with cooking spray.
   If making in a standard muffin pan, line the pan with muffin papers, and lightly grease the papers.
5. Make the batter: Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl (at least 6-quart), and beat together until well combined.
6. Mix together the salt, spices, baking powder, and cocoa powder, Beat into the batter.
   
7. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg.
8. Add the syrup/boiled cider to the batter, beating to combine.
   
9. Add the flour to the batter, beating gently to combine.
10. Stir in the juice or water, then the fruit (including any additional liquid that has collected in the bowl), and the nuts. It will be very thick, and nearly fill the bowl.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir until everything is well combined. Have a sip of an adult beverage, you are almost done.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Spoon the batter into the pans, filling them about 3/4 full.
    
    
    
    
13. Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven. For my channel pan, about 60 minutes worked for me.
    Suggested times for other pan sizes : 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. 
14. The cakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
15. Remove the cakes from the oven.
16. Brush the warm cake with 1/2 cup of rum, brandy, simple syrup, or flavored simple syrup (vanilla, rum-flavored, etc.).
    (Or add 1 tablespoon of vanilla  to a simple syrup, and brush this mixture on the cakes.)
17. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from pan. 
18. When cake is completely cooled, wrap in cheesecloth.
    (If you used a lasagna pan, cut into 7 or 8 chunks before wrapping.)
19. Seal each cake in saran wrap, and place in an air tight container 
20. Every 2 to 3 days for a week or so, brush cheese cloth with whiskey/rum.
21. The flavor will enhance as cake 'steeps'  over the next few weeks.

 

Carole's Notes:

I think we will like this - we have only tasted the batter so far.

The recipe is very lightly adapted from https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/everyones-favorite-fruitcake-recipe with some parts of https://carolelikesroundfood.blogspot.com/2015/09/fruitcake-king-arthur-mix-goes-free.html