Christmas Fruitcake Recipes Southern Living Food

REALLY GOOD FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Place pineapple, figs, apples, persimmons, peaches, golden raisins, cinnamon stick, bourbon, and brandy in a large bowl; stir to coat fruit in liquid. Cover and let stand at room temperature 24 hours, stirring once every 8 hours. Discard cinnamon stick.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray 2 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pans with baking spray; line pans with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on the two long sides. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar to butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just incorporated. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to mixer bowl; beat on low until just combined, about 30 seconds.
• Remove mixer bowl from mixer. Fold in zests, juice, cherries, pecans, and soaked fruit mixture. Batter will be very thick. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each fruitcake comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Place pans on a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Remove fruitcakes from pans. Slice to serve, or if storing, dampen cheesecloth with bourbon and wrap fruitcake tightly with cheesecloth, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 month, changing cheesecloth once a week. To store for a short period of time (less than 1 week), wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

RICH BRANDY CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• The night before you cook this place all the fruit fruit peel and nuts into a bowl and soak for 12 hours in the brandy and orange juice; Stir every time you go into the kitchen!
• pre-heat oven to 275ºF/140ºC.
• Grease and line with greaseproof paper an 8 inch/20cm round cake tin.
• Sift the flour salt and spices into a large mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together until the mixtures fluffy.
• Beat the eggs and add them a little at a time.
• Fold in the flour and spices.
• Stir in the fruit that has been soaking along with any excess liquid.
• Mix in the treacle.
• Spoon into the cake tin and spread out evenly.
• Cover the cake with a double square of greaseproof paper with a small hole in the top.
• Bake the cake on the lower shelf for 4& 1/4- 3/4 hours.
• When the cake is cold wrap in double greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.
• Feed the cake every two days for the first 2 weeks with a spoonful of brandy and/or orange juice and/or glacè cherry syrup.
• First poke little holes in the cake with a knitting needle or a skewer.
• Come Christmas you will have a very very rich fruit cake.
• Use royal icing to ice it or almond paste and royal icing, I don't like almond paste!

SOUTHERN FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Grease and flour two 9x5-in. loaf pans. Line the bottoms with waxed paper; grease and flour the paper. Set aside., Combine the pecans, pineapple, peaches, raisins and 1/2 cup flour; set aside. , In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar; add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1/2 cup peach nectar, honey and milk; beat well (mixture will appear curdled). Combine cinnamon, baking powder, salt, allspice and remaining flour; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Add pecan mixture; stir well., Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 325° for 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. , With a skewer, poke holes in the loaves. Spoon remaining nectar over loaves. Let stand for 10 minutes; remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool place. Slice and bring to room temperature before serving.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
• Combine the dried fruits together in a large mixing bowl.
• Pour the simple syrup over them, toss to coat, and let steep for 5 minutes.
• Strain and reserve the syrup.
• Cream the butter, sugar, and almond paste together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle at low speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Beat about 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
• Add ½ cup of the Grand Marnier and mix to incorporate.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,nutmeg, ginger& cloves in a medium-size mixing bowl and blend well.
• Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the butter mixture with the mixer on low speed, each time mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• The batter will be thick.
• Add the warm fruit and all the nuts a little at a time, mixing well.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Lightly grease twelve 1-pound loaf pans or 6-2 pound pans or cans.
• Spoon about 1 cup of the batter into each 1 pound pan, 2 cups into the 2 pound pans or cans.
• Bake until golden and the tops spring back when touched, about 45 minutes for the 1 pound pans 60 or longer for the larger pans (rearranging them after 25 minutes if necessary to brown evenly).
• Test with toothpick for doneness.
• Cool for 10 minutes in the pans.
• Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.
• Wrap each cake in a layer of cheesecloth.
• Store in plastic storage bags until they are slightly stale, 3 to 4 days.
• Combine the reserved simple syrup with the remaining ½ cup Grand Marnier and the bourbon.
• Without removing the cheesecloth, make tiny holes with a toothpick randomly on the top of each cake.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup over the top of each cake once every 2 to 3 days until all of the syrup is used.
• Let the cakes age for up to 3 weeks before eating.
• Makes 12 (1-pound) or 6 (2-pound) cakes.

WHITE CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE WITH ORANGE-BOURBON GLAZE

Steps:

• To prepare the orange-bourbon glaze (do this firstly) in a small saucepan over medium heat cook the orange juice with sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 2 minutes).
• Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon until combined; set aside to brush on fruitcakes.
• For the fruitcake; butter two (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans.
• In a medium bowl combine both raisins, pineapple tidbits, currants and orange juice; let stand for 35 minutes at room temperature.
• In a large bowl beat butter until creamy (about 2 minutes).
• Add in sugar and vanilla and beat for about 6 minutes (there should be no sugar granules remaining at all).
• Add in eggs and beat just until no yellow remains in the bowl.
• In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt; remove 1/2 cup of the flour mixture to a bowl; set aside.
• Add in the flour mixture (not the 1/2-cup) to the butter mixture beating on low speed just until completely blended.
• Add in the orange zest and lemon extract (or lemon zest if using) beat until combined.
• Drain the raisin mixture and return back to their bowl; stir in the cherries and mix to combine.
• Toss the cherry/raisin mixture with the reserved 1/2 cup flour mixture, then using a spatula fold the mixture into the batter until combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
• Bake (second-lowest oven rack) at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until the cakes test done.
• Brush the warm cakes liberally with some of the orange bourbon glaze until dissolved in the cakes.
• Cool for about 10 minutes in pans, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
• Glaze liberally again with the bourbon glaze, then wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2 days before serving, brushing with remaining glaze over the 2-day period (you might not use the complete amount of glaze, you can drizzle the remainder on the cake slices when serving!).
• Serve or freeze until ready to use.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine all fruits, preserves, vanilla and liquor in a large bowl. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and store in a cool place overnight.
• Add hazelnuts, coconut and pecans to the fruits, mix well and set aside. Butter and flour four loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Make batter in two batches for greater ease of working. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup of butter until it is light and fluffy. Beat in 1 cup of brown sugar, a little at a time. Beating continuously, add 6 eggs, one at a time.
• Mix flour and spices together and sift half the mixture over batter. Fold together well.
• Mix half the fruits and nuts into batter and turn into two loaf pans. For second batch, repeat the last three steps with remaining ingredients.
• Cover loaf pans with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 hours. Remove foil and bake 40 minutes longer.
• Remove cakes from oven, run a knife around edges of the pans and turn upside down on a cake rack. Leave to cool. When cakes are thoroughly cool, wrap well in cheesecloth and pour liquor on top, bottom and sides until cheesecloth is soaked. Wrap each cake in several layers of aluminum foil to protect them from the air. They are ready to eat in two to three weeks, although the longer they're kept the better they are. Open every few weeks and add more liquor if cheesecloth seems dry.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter, add sugar, then beaten egg yolks. Sprinkle some of the flour over the fruit and pecans. Add spices and salt to remaining flour.
• Combine butter, fruit and flour mixtures. Add vanilla extract and baking soda.
• Beat egg whites until stiff and fold together butter/flour mixture. Drop scant teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 - 15 minutes. Batter may be prepared several weeks ahead. Freezes well before and after baking.