LIFE IS A FRUITFUL SLICE! MAKE THIS QUICK FRUITCAKE LOAF TODAY. ENJOY IT TODAY. |
Cuisine: desserts
Author: Mrs Butterfingers
Prep time: 2 hours 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins
Total time: 3 hours 30 mins
An easy to make to glazed fruitcake loaf that slices beautiful. Enjoy it the same day you bake it.
- 1 generous cup halved red or green glace cherries
- 1½ cups of a mixture of candied mixed peel, dried currants and golden or dark raisins. Your choice.
- ⅔ cup dried apricots, chopped (about 6-8)
- ½ cup brandy or sherry
- ⅔ cups (5.3 oz) soft, unsalted butter
- ½ cup each granulated sugar and packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda and salt
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp each ground allspice, ground cloves and freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or a combination of pecans and slivered almonds your choice
- Brandy or Sherry Glaze
- 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 7-8 tsp tsp brandy or sherry (approx)
- Two hours before you plan on baking this loaf combine glace cherries, mixed peel, currants, raisins, apricots and brandy (or sherry) in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat. Cover and let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325F. Generously butter a spring form pan - eight, nine or ten inch pan. The smaller sized pan will give you a higher cake, but all are exceptable. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in Vanilla.
- In separate bowel whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg until combined.
- Stir into the butter mixture just until combined.
- Stir the nuts into the fruit mixture and mix well.
- Stir the nuts/fruit mixture into the butter mixture in two additions - JUST UNTIL COMBINED.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
- Bake until cake tested inserted in centre comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.Start checking your cake about 15 minutes or so before the end of baking time. The smaller springform pan may take a little longer to bake. Don't overbake your fruit cake.
- BRANDY (SHERRY) GLAZE
- In a small bowl whisk icing sugar with brandy or sherry. Add additional brandy ¼ tsp at a time, if needed, until consistency of very cold thick molasses.
- Brush half of the icing over hot loaf and let cool completely in pan. This helps even out the cakes bubbly surface.
- Remove the cake from the pan and spread the remaining glaze over the cooled loaf.
- Spread remaining glaze over cooled loaf.
Recipe by Mrs. Butterfingers at http://mrsbutterfingers.com/?p=3483
3.5.3251