Christmas Special Fruitcake Food

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, combine the nuts, dates and cherries. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add to nut mixture, stirring until nuts and fruit are well coated. , In a small bowl, beat eggs until foamy; stir in vanilla. Fold into nut mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased parchment-lined 9x5-in. loaf pan. , Bake at 300° for 1-3/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine nuts, dates and cherries.
• In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir into nut mixture until nuts and fruit are well coated.
• Beat eggs until foamy; stir in vanilla.
• Fold into nut mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased and waxed paper lined 9 inch by 5 inch by 3 inch loaf pan.
• Bake at 300°F for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 24 servings. Cake will get softer overnight.
• Country Cooking.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss well.
• Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak over night.
• Grease your pans then line them with paper [waxed or parchment] then grease the paper - set aside. I used 2 - 6″ and 2 - 8″ round pans. The cook time stays the same because all of the pans were 2″ deep.
• Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cloves and cinnamon - set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until combined.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.
• Beat in molasses and cold tea.
• Fold in flour mixture until completely blended.
• Add soaked fruit including any Port sitting in the bottom of the bowl. I use my hands because the batter is too heavy for a spoon to handle.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans, full to the top, cover and steam for 2 hours. If you don't have a fruitcake steamer, place a rack, brick or upside down cake pan on the bottom of a deep stock pot. Fill the stock pot with enough water to reach ¼ of the way up the fruitcake pan.
• Preheat oven to 300ºF.
• Place steamed fruitcake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Remove fruitcake from oven to a cooling rack for 12 hours [TWELVE].
• Wrap them in cheesecloth. Sprinkle liberally with Port and seal the cakes in plastic wrap or in plastic storage bags. Once a week, brush the cakes with more Port.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine well the glacéed fruits, the raisins, the currants, 1/2 cup of the cherries, 1/2 cup of the angelica, and 3/4 cup of the rum and let the fruits macerate, covered, overnight.
• Line the bottom of a well-buttered 9 1/2-inch springform pan with a round of wax paper and butter the paper. Into a small bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, the nutmeg, and the ginger. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in 4 of the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Drain the fruit mixture in a sieve set over the batter and beat the juices into the batter. Pat the fruits dry between several thicknesses of paper towels and in a bowl toss them with 1/3 cup of the flour mixture. Stir in the remaining flour mixture into the batter, one fourth at a time, stir in the fruit mixture, the ground almonds, and the walnuts, stirring until the mixture is just combined, and turn the batter out into the prepared pan.
• Put 2 loaf pans, each filled with hot water, in a preheated 300°F. oven and put the springform pan between them. Bake the cake for 1 hour, brush the top with the remaining egg, beaten lightly, and bake the cake for 1 hour more. While the cake is baking, in a saucepan melt the apricot jam with the remaining 1 tablespoon rum over moderate heat, bring the mixture to a boil, and strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids.
• Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes, remove the side of the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the pan bottom and the wax paper very carefully, invert the cake onto another rack, and let it cool completely. Arrange the additional cherries and angelica decoratively on the cake, brush the top of the cake with some of the apricot glaze, reserving the remaining glaze for another use, and store the cake, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. The cake keeps, covered, for 6 months.

MRS. MACKINNON'S CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Mix first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Add 1/2 cup rum; bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat. Mix in grated orange and lemon peels, syrup, and baking soda. Let stand until fruit mixture absorbs liquid, stirring often, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan, then line bottom and sides of pan with parchment; butter parchment. Sift both flours and salt into medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture; beat until just blended. Stir in fruit mixture. Transfer batter to pan. Cover pan with foil.
• Bake cake 2 hours. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F; continue to bake covered until tester inserted into center comes out clean but slightly moist, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer to rack; remove foil. Pierce top of cake all over with skewer. Drizzle 6 tablespoons rum very gradually over cake. Cool completely in pan. Cut around pan sides to loosen; remove pan sides. (Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Wrap in foil; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Soak cherries, mango, cranberries, currants, and citron in 1/4 cup rum for at least 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 6x3-inch round pan or loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix into butter and sugar in three batches, alternating with molasses and milk. Stir in soaked fruit and chopped nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum.
• Cut out one piece parchment paper and one piece cheesecloth, each large enough to wrap around the cake. Moisten cheesecloth with 1 tablespoon rum. Arrange cheesecloth on top of parchment paper, and unmold cake onto it. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with remaining rum. Wrap the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake, then wrap with paper. Place in an airtight tin, and age for at least 10 weeks. If storing longer, douse with additional rum for every 10 weeks of storage.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Grease well and flour two 8x4-in. loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine dates, pineapple, cherries and nuts. In a small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir into fruit mixture until well coated., In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks until slightly thickened. In another bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the egg whites into egg yolk mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined. Add to fruit mixture; gently fold until blended. Pour into prepared pans. , Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 20 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool, dry place. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices.