Fruitcake

Today at the apex of the holiday season, I bring you a controversial dessert.  Most people will happily accept a box of cookies, a slice of pie, or a loaf of bread, but a gift of a fruitcake may earn you a different reaction.  I am a firm believer in the delciousness of fruitcake, when it is done right.  A moist cake with dried fruit and nuts?  Yes, please.  This version really does prove that homemade is better.  If you don’t like those store-bought cakes, you may be won over with this recipe.  The smell alone may be enough to convert some alleged fruitcake haters.  This is not a quick recipe, and it may have the longest list of ingredients of any recipe so far on my blog.

I hope you all are having a great Christmas holiday break and will continue to do so.  Tonight we will have our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of ham, Singapore noodles, and dumplings. I ready for some merriment, and I am excited to bring over some new recipes.  Perhaps the gift I should have gotten all my family (and myself) is a pair of pants one size larger.  I love the gluttony of the holidays, don’t you?

If you are still wary and cannot make the full fruitcake plunge, feel free to try Fruitcake Cookies I posted for last Christmas (told you I like holiday fruitcake).  But I warn you, once you eat one fruitcake cookie, you are going to want another.

Merry Christmas!

 

FRUITCAKE

Adapted from Alton Brown

INGREDIENTS

1 cup golden raisins
1 cup currants
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dried candied cherries
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
1 cup golden rum
1 cup sugar
5 ounces butter
1 cup unfiltered apple juice
4 whole cloves
6 all spice berries
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl combine raisins, currants, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, apricots, lemon zest, orange zest, and golden rum.  Stir together and let macerate overnight, covered.

Transfer fruit mixture to a large stock pot.  Add sugar, butter, and apple juice.  Grind the whole cloves and all spice berries.  Stir in ground cloves, ground all spice, cinnamon, and ginger.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool, at least 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Grease a bundt pan.

In a large bowl stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Stir into cooled mixture.  Stir in eggs one at a time.  Fold in chopped pecans.  Pour mixture into bundt pan.  Bake for 55-65 minutes. A cake tester or toothpick should come out clean in the center of the cake.  Run a sharp knife around the sides.  Cool completely.  Remove cake from cake pan.

*This recipe is easily doubled.  You can freeze a second bundt cake so that you can have fruitcake even when it’s not Christmas!

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