Fruit Cake Food

FREE RANGE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine dried fruits, candied ginger and both zests. Add rum and macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit.
• Place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices. Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.)
• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, then fold in nuts. Spoon into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check again.
• Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet. Baste or spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan.
• When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, spritz with brandy. The cake's flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks. If you decide to give the cake as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient that they are very lucky indeed.

QUICK AND EASY FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the over to 350F (180C). Butter an 8x8 baking dish.
• In a big bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar just until it all comes together, about 30 seconds, no more.
• Add the flour (and baking powder if using) and wisk together just until the flour disappears and there are no more lumps, about 45 seconds, no more. The batter will be quite thick and there won't be a lot of it.
• Spread the fruit over the bottom of the dish and spread the batter over. It will barely cover the fruit and it'll look like it's not enough, but it will be great. Alternatively you can mix the fruit with the batter.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes depending on your oven. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean when the cake is ready.

FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, with a paddle attachment cream the butter and lard together. Add the sugar and continue creaming. Add the eggs gradually and mix until well incorporated.
• Then, add each ingredient one at a time and blend in. Turn batter out into a loaf pan (best for doorstops) lined with parchment paper. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan. Wrap in plastic and let mature a few days. If you like, you can dip it or baste it with brandy, wrap it in cheesecloth, and store in a cool place for months (maybe even decades).

EASY FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275ºF.
• Mix eggs, cake mix and applesauce in large bowl until blended. Combine fruit and flour; stir into cake mixture. Pour into 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 1 hour 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire rack. Remove cakes from pans.
• Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar in bowl with mixer until blended. Spread over tops of loaves. Sprinkle with nuts.

FRESH FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• PREHEAT the oven to 180°C.
• Butter a 23cm cake tin, preferably one with a removable base, and sprinkle with the dried breadcrumbs.
• Dust off excess crumbs and set tin aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to incorporate the ingredients.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder together and with a wooden spoon mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture with the milk and vanilla paste (and almond extract if using), stirring only enough to incorporate.
• Spoon half the batter into the tin and carefully spoon in the fresh fruit on top of the batter. Then spoon the second half of the batter over the fruit. Don't worry if the batter does not completely cover the fruit. During the cooking process, it will spread and the fruit will be encased in the cake.
• Bake in a pre-heated 180C oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and stand for 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the cake tin.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar.

BEST EVER FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Put the sugar, sultanas, currants, raisins, water, cherries, butter or margarine, salt into a saucepan, bringing it to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
• Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees / Gas Mark 3
• Grease and line with grease proof paper a 20 cm round cake tin
• Add the egg to the cooled fruit mixture and stir in well. Add the flour and mix well
• Turn into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top and arrange optional almonds on the top.
• Bake for 1.25 - 1.50 hours until risen and golden brown. Cool slightly before turning out. The cake improves with keeping.

FRESH FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 10 inch round cake pan.
• Combine the egg whites and water in a large glass or metal bowl. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks in a large bowl. Continue to whip, while gradually adding sugar until egg whites can stand in stiff peaks. Continue to whip on medium speed while adding one egg yolk at a time. Combine the flour and baking powder; fold gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Stir the cornstarch with the water in a small bowl to dissolve and set aside. In a medium saucepan, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and the egg yolks. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. When the filling thickens, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Mix together the strawberries, peaches, and blueberries in a medium bowl. Using a thread or a bread knife, slice the cooled cake in half horizontally. Spread the mixed fruit across the bottom half of the cake, pour any fruit juice over the berries to moisten the cake. Spread the cream filling over the top of the fruit. Top with the other half of the cake. Frost the cake with whipped cream or your favorite white frosting.