jj (06/01/82)
Dry Ingredients: 3 C flour 1 tsp DA bkg powder 1tsp soda ,5 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnimon 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp allspice Mix well, sift 3 times. Reserve half. To other half add (cutting into the dry mixture to prevent clumping) 1.5 lb. Glace cherries 1.5 lb dates (in .25 cubes, sort of)(cherries in halves) .5 lb glace pinapple 1lb glace fruitcake mix (has citron, pineapple, etc. in it) 2.5 C. chopped walnuts Set aside Prepare 12-13 1 lb foil loaf pans by liberally greasing with Crisco, etc, and then flouring. Preheat to 275 F In large (10 qt.) kettle combine 3 C. cold water 2 C. sugar ~3 lb. raisins ~1 lb. dried chopped apricots (raisins, apricots, and other soft dried fruit may be traded, but keep about 2 lb raisins as a minimum, and about 4 lb total. Dried apples have proven undesirable) Heat until steaming. Cook steaming, but NOT boiling, for 10 minutes. Stir until sugar is completely disolved. DO NOT BOIL!!!!!!!!!! Add butter and remove from heat. (AHEM! that's .5 lb butter!) When cooled to about 130 F, add 3 slightly beaten eggs (just frothy, not stiff) Add dry ingredients, stirring well, and with a strong spoon. Add fruit in parts. Stir well. This dough is mostly fruit, and will resemble a load of wet cement that has far too much gravel mixed in. If the mixture will not cover all the fruit (by sticking to it, not flowing over it!) add no more than .5 C. warm water, in parts. Add .25 C. Brandy (I use Christian Bros, or Old Mr. Boston, but others are obviously ok) Stir well. turn into 2/3 full loaf pans. Bake at 275 for 2.5 (yes! 2.5) hours or until they pass the toothpick test. The dough is a VERy dark brown and will look done sooner than it really is. If anything besides the fruit sticks to the toothpick, let it bake. When done baking: Let cool 15 min. Then CAREFULLY turn out (it has little mechanical adhesion) into cellophane backed with foil. You may add a splash of rum at this sime. Let the whole mess age for about 2 weeks before eating. Makes 12-14 1 lb loaves. (Most of the time, it is variable depending on the dryness of raisins and dried fruit.)
kjg@harpo.UUCP (K. J. Glass) (10/07/83)
- 1 -
Last year there were several recipes for fruit cakes, none
of which appealled to me because I can't stand the candied
fruit in them. The Inspiration hit me and off I went, the
result being my version:
HOLIDAY FRUIT CAKE
(one 3 lb. ring cake)
Ingredients: 3 C Pecans
1/2 C Brazil nuts
1/2 C Hazel nuts
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C currants
1/2 C snipped dates
1 small jar marachino cherries
1/2 t allspice
1/4 t mace
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/2 t baking powder
1 C flour
3/8 C (1.5 sticks) butter
1 C dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 C brandy
Algorithm:
1. Sift flour, baking powder and spices together.
2. Mix nuts and fruit, dust with 1/4 C of flour mixture
and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter until soft, add brown
sugar and mix until smooth.
4. Mix eggs, vanilla, and brandy into butter/sugar
mixture.
5. Gradually mix flour mixture (1) into wet stuff (4).
6. Mix fruit/nut mixture into (5).
7. Pour into 8" ring pan (see note), well greased and
lined with foil.
8. Bake at 300 F for ~1&1/2 hours, until pick comes
clean. (Might want to leave a shallow pan of water in
oven for first 45 minutes of baking)
9. Let cake cool a bit before removing from pan, and wrap
(leave foil on) in cheesecloth lightly soaked in
brandy (don't go overboard here - save some to sip by
the fire). Place in large food storage bag and store
in one of those decorated round cans (see JCPenny
around Thanksgiving, they'll have thousands). It gets
better with age; last year I made several about a
month before christmas and they turned out great! If
you make them earlier, the cookbooks recommend packing
in powdered sugar before storage.
Pan: If you want to buy, or have a high sided, spring form
pan, use it. What I did was took a high sided cake pan
(2.5" sides) and used a small (8 oz.), empty tomato sauce
can covered with foil to make the center hole.
These also work out well when sent to relatives, friends,
enemies (Christmas spirit, remember?), etc. Make sure the
can you buy JUST fits the cake, and stick a little cardboard
cylinder in the hole.
Enjoy!
Kevin J Glass
harpo!kjgjbf@druky.UUCP (10/13/83)
BRANDIED FRUITCAKE
The ingredients:
1.5 c. golden raisins .75 t. nutmeg
2 c. chopped dried apricots .5 t. cinnamon
2 c. chopped pecans .5 t. ground cloves
2 c. chopped dried figs .5 t. ground cardamon
1.5 c. chopped dates 6 eggs
1 c. chopped dried pineapple .c. honey
1.5 c. w.w. pastry flour 1 c. dry white wine
1.5 c. unbleached white flour .5 t. baking soda
1.5 t. baking powder 2 T. water
1 c. butter, chilled
The process:
1. In a large bowl combine dried fruits and pecans.
2. In another bowl, sift together flours, baking powder
and spices; work in butter with a pastry blender or
two knives to the consistency of coarse cornmeal.
3. Add flour mixture to fruit mixture and toss together
until the fruit bits are coated and separated.
4. Beat eggs and honey until creamy, stir in wine.
Dissolve the baking soda in water and stir that in
also.
5. Combine fruit with egg mixture and stir together
thoroughly.
6. Butter 6 small loaf pans (7.5" x 3.5") or fewer larger
pans; line with waxed paper.
7. Divide batter in pans, smooth down. You may decorate
with pecan halves in a design on the top if you like.
8. Bake at 275 F. for 2 hours or slightly longer until
browned and toothpick inserted near the center comes
out clean.
9. Allow to cool, remove from pans and peel off paper.
10. Wrap each cake in several layers of cheesecloth and
soak the cloth with as much brandy as it will absorb.
Wrap again securely with foil or plastic to keep
moisture in.
11. Put away in a cool place for 2 weeks, then check. If
the cheesecloth is dry, drizzle with brandy. Replace
with foil and wait another 2 weeks or as long as you
like. The longer stored, the better the flavor.
Credit where credit is due: Recipe by Kathleen Bellicchi.
Printed in the November, 1982 newsletter of the Terrasini
Market, Boulder, Colorado.bub@ames.UUCP (Bubbette McLeod) (11/09/84)
Okay, Christmas is coming in less than 2 months and it's time to
make fruitcake. I'd appreciate hearing people's favorite family
fruitcake recipes. I have one for gumdrop fruitcake (it uses gumdrops
instead of part of the dried/candied fruit and has a lovely stained glass
window look when sliced) if anyone cares. I'd really like to hear
about recipes that have been in the family for years.
Bubbette
{allegra,dual,hao,hplabs,ihnp4,vortex}!ames!bubwalker@noscvax.UUCP (Janet M. Walker) (11/12/84)
Oh, yummy! I'm sure a lot of us are interested in your fruitcake. Please post the recipe. It sounds especially good for those of us only lukewarmly intested in traditional fruitcakes. -- Janet M. Walker, Code 722 MILNET/ARPANET: walker@nosc Naval Ocean Systems Center UUCP: [ihnp4,akgua,decvax,dcdwest,ucbvax]! San Diego, California 92152 || (619) 225-2316 (AV) 933-2316 sdcsvax!noscvax!walker 79:83:83:4:y:y:4.2bsd,Sys III, Version VII:networking,systems,tools
thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (11/14/84)
Here is the recipe my mother used to make, and which I have been making for several years now. It's one of those mostly-fruit-little-batter types, and makes a dark fruitcake. I will give two versions - first the "original" with candied fruits, and then the way I did it last year with plain dried fruits (so it isn't quite such a tooth-rotter). I usually make a double recipe. 3 oz (candied) lemon peel 1 c shortening (Crisco works fine) 3 oz orange peel 1/2 c sugar 1/2 to 1 lb candied cherries 1/2 c honey 6 oz walnuts 5 eggs, well beaten 6 oz pecans 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 lb candied pineapple 1 t salt 1/4 lb citron 1 t baking powder 1/2 lb seedless raisins (white kind) 1 t allspice 1/4 c flour 1/2 t nutmeg 1/2 t cloves 1/4 c sherry or orange juice Halve nuts, dates, and (if you wish) cherries. Cut pineapple in pieces. Dredge fruits in 1/4 c flour. Cream shortening and sugar, add honey, then eggs, beat well. (The mix of eggs and honey always curdles the mix - don't worry.) Add flour sifted with dry ingredients alternately with sherry. Pour batter over floured fruits and nuts and mix well. Line greased pans with waxed paper (this is important!), allowing 1/2 inch to extend above all sides of pan. Pour batter into pans, spread slightly, but don't press down. Bake in 250 deg oven 3 to 4 hours. Place pan of water on bottom shelf during baking. Decorate tops of cakes after 2 hours (cut pieces of pineapple and cherries make nice decoration). Note - for all but large cakes, 4 hours is too long, start testing with toothpick after 3 hours. After cakes have cooled, remove from pans, carefully peel off waxed paper, and wrap in bourbon or brandy soaked cloths. Wrap in plastic, then foil and hide for a couple of months. "Natural" fruitcake Substitute for the fruits and nuts above: 3/4 lb dried apricots, diced 1/2 lb figs, diced 3/4 lb dried papaya, diced 1/2 lb almonds, cut in half 1 lb dried pineapple, diced 3/4 lb pecans, halved 1 lb raisins 3/4 lb walnuts, halved Double the batter (2nd column above). Makes 3 large and 8 small loaf pans or equivalent. (This is what I had on hand last year, this year's will probably be slightly different. Use your imagination.) Happy eating. =Spencer
hania@rabbit.UUCP (Hania Gajewska) (11/16/84)
Here is a great fruitcake recipe. Make it now and wrap it in
a rum-soaked piece of cheese cloth till Christmas. Then you
can decorate it with dried fruit and nuts, and glaze it with
a strained apricot preserves type of glaze, to make it beautiful.
It can also be eaten immediately, of course.
I hate the commercial glazed fruit, so this recipe uses none.
It is a modification Julia Child's recipe -- all the credit to her.
I once made it as a birthday cake which I shipped to a friend
accross the continent; hence I call it
GREG'S BIRTHDAY FRUITCAKE
2 quarts (4 lbs) mixed diced dried fruit: apricots, prunes, figs,
dates, raisins
2 cups (1 lb) store bought mincemeat (or mock meatless mincemeat)
1 quart (1 lbs) mixed UNSALTED nuts: walnuts, almonds, cashews, filberts
2/3 cup dark rum
1/3 cup brandy
1 Tb instant coffe (instant espresso is best)
1/4 cup dark unsulphured molasses
1 t cardamom
1/2 t each: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, mace
1 1/2 t salt
Combine above ingredients, mix well, let stand AT LEAST overnight
(a couple of days is better).
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 c white sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar
2 T vanilla
6 eggs
Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla; add eggs one by one.
3 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 T double-acting baking pwder
Sift flour and baking powder into fruit. Add egg/sugar/butter
mixture. Stir to blend well.
Turn into well buttered and floured pans (I used ring-type spring
pans. This recipe makes 2 or 3 of those, depending on size of pans).
Bake 2 to 2 3/4 hours at 275. This depends on the size of pans:
it is done when it shrinks a bit from the edge of the pan. Remove,
let cool 25 minutes, unmold. Pour more brandy (or rum) over it
while it cools. Store refridgerated in a rum-soaked cheese-cloth
(then wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil). Keeps forever.hania@rabbit.UUCP (Hania Gajewska) (11/16/84)
I also have a recipe for a Polish fruitcake. This type of cake is unknown here, though is very popular in Poland. I will post it if there is enough interest -- so send me mail if you're interested. It, too, uses on standard American glazed fruit, and is not quite different from your standard fruitcake. It's almost like a poundcake with fruit and nuts. Hania
hania@rabbit.UUCP (Hania Gajewska) (11/16/84)
OOps, sorry, typo -- in the article advertising my Polish fruitcake, I meant to say it uses NO store-bought glazed fruit. Hania
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) (11/24/85)
This is a recipe for "Old-Fashioned Light Fruit Cake" which was given to me by my associate, Ted Estes (of Phantasia fame--watch net.sources.games for a while to see what I mean). I made several of these last year and they were all quite good. There is no citrus peel in this recipe, which makes it especially nice. I have reformatted and rephrased the recipe in an attempt to make it as clear as possible; my own comments are bracketed in []'s. I am submitting this recipe now because for optimum flavor, this cake needs to mellow for a period (3 weeks is a good minimum, but shorter periods may do). It is a good holiday season cake. Old-Fashioned Light Fruit Cake ------------------------------ 2 1/4 cups (1 lb.) granulated white sugar 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) softened butter [or margarine] 6 eggs [medium or large] 1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) brandy flavoring [or sherry flavoring] 4 cups (1 lb.) sifted all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 1/2 lb. whole pecan meats [or large pieces; walnuts are OK too] 3/4 lb. chopped candied pineapple [if you get it in rings, it works pretty well to use the front edge of a wide flat metal spatula on a flat plate to chop it up; the wider the chopping edge the better since being sticky, it is hard to deal with] 3/4 lb. whole candied cherries [not maraschino] 1 lb. white seedless raisins [as best as I can tell, there is no visible difference if dark are used as they darken during baking anyway. Some brands of raisins come in 15 oz. boxes; this is fine] about 1/4 cup honey or light corn syrup [this is used to paint the cake top 1/2 hour before baking has finished; honey makes it a lot easier to clean the pan afterward than corn syrup] about 1 1/4 cups wine [light sherry wine is good for this; it is used on cloths to wrap the cake with during the mellowing period] Pans: two 9" x 5" x 3" loaf, or four 1-lb. coffee cans, or one 10" x 4" angel-food tube pan Aluminum foil sufficient to line pans Clean cheesecloth sufficient to wrap cake [the food-contact-safe microwave paper towels also are very good for this] Plastic wrap or other airtight wrap Airtight cake container(s) or plastic bags Oven: 275 degrees Fahrenheit (not a typo--two seventy five) Line the inside of the pans with the foil. Do NOT grease. Mix the sugar, butter [or margarine], eggs, and flavoring together. Use a huge bowl if you have one [the standard large mixer bowl is just barely adequate if you are very careful when adding the fruits and nuts later]. Add the flour, spices, and salt to this. Mix thoroughly into a uniform batter. [Original said to sift them together; this is unnecessary. In fact, if you measured the flour by weight, or equivalent means, even sifting the flour is unnecessary.] Now work the nuts and fruits into this batter. Save aside some of the fruits and nuts if desired for later decoration. Use a sturdy spoon or the hands; the mixture will be very stiff. The mixture should be fairly even. Pour this mixture into the pans; pans should be about 2/3 full. [Actually, split it up evenly among the pans chosen and that should be OK. Pack it down with the back of a spoon.] Bake: about three hours for the tube pan, or two hours for the smaller pans. One-half hour before the end of the allotted baking time, brush or spread the honey or corn syrup onto the top of the cake(s). At that time, also press on any saved fruits or nuts for decoration. Cool to room temperature (overnight). Lift [or dump] out of the pans [this is easier if you used honey to glaze with]. Peel off the foil. Soak clean cheesecloth [or food-safe paper toweling] in the wine and wrap the cake(s) with it. Then wrap the cake(s) with plastic wrap, and let stand in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag for a period (3 weeks or more is best) in a cool [but not cold--not the refrigerator] place. [Note--if you do not like the idea of using an alcoholic beverage for this, then you might use grape juice and/or orange juice instead. In this case, it might be wise to refrigerate the cake while it is mellowing since otherwise it would be mold-prone. The amount of alcohol in a single piece of this cake is very little, and even though, for example, I do not imbibe alcohol at all, I still like sherry for mellowing these cakes since it imparts a marvelous aroma and flavor.] -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | yvel nad | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer or the administrator of any computer | at&t computer systems division | upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | -------------------------------- Path: ..!ihnp4!ttrdc!levy