Last December I baked this rich fruit cake in a loaf tin. This year I adjusted the recipe slightly and baked it as a traditional Christmas cake. You have lee way as to the size of cake tin you use – any spring form pan between eight and ten inches. Using a cake tin allows the cake to bake more evenly. You simply adjust the oven baking time.
The ingredients are simply guidelines. The recipe calls for candied mixed peel, cherries and dried apricots. You could use dried figs or dates. Pecans, slivered almonds could replace the chopped walnuts. The brandy decanter is empty – substitute sherry or perhaps an exotic liqueur. The recipe is so forgiving.
There is so much pressure surrounding the holiday season. We need to be calm and take a step back. Enjoy our family. Glory in the season. This fruitcake is more than the sum total of its parts. Its very simplicity gives one a chance to take a breath and enjoy preparing food for those we love.
This cake also freezes well.
| LIFE IS A FRUITFUL SLICE! MAKE THIS QUICK FRUITCAKE LOAF TODAY. ENJOY IT TODAY. | Print |
- 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.
