Fruitcake With Tropical Fruit Food

FRUITCAKE WITH TROPICAL FRUIT

Steps:

• 1. 1. Cut up any large pieces of dried fruit, they should all be no larger than one inch cubes. Put all the dried fruit (not apple or lemon) in a large bowl, add half the rum or other spirit, cover with a clean cloth and leave overnight.
• 2. 2. Grease then line an 8in cake tin (pan) with a double layer of greaseproof (wax) paper, grease the paper. Preheat oven to 150 deg C (300 deg F).
• 3. 3. Mix the lemon rind and juice with the grated apple then stir it and the chopped almonds into the dried fruit mixture. Sieve (strain) the flour and spices together.
• 4. 4. Cream the butter, brown sugar and molasses together - it's easiest to do this with an electric mixer until relatively lighter in colour and fluffier.
• 5. 5. Gradually beat in the eggs then fold in the sieved flour and spices. Again do this gradually, a bit at a time.
• 6. 6. Stir the dried fruit, nuts and apple into the cake mixture.
• 7. 7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin (pan) and bake for about 2 hours 30 minutes. A skewer or fine bladed knife should come out clean when it is done. If the top of the cake is browning too fast, cover it with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes. When it's cooked, leave to cool in the cake tin.
• 8. 8. When it's cold, make holes in the cake with a skewer or fine bladed knife and use the remaining rum to pour into the cake.
• 9. 9. Wrap it in greaseproof paper then store in an airtight container. In a cool, dry place, it should keep for at least 6 weeks.
• 10. 10. You can cover with marzipan and then icing in the traditional way.
• 11. NOTE: The baking time says about 2 1/2 hours in the original recipe. Mine was done in 2 hours and that was a convection oven. Good thing I checked when I did as it had already was starting to overcook around the edges. So just be careful of the time is the only thing.

TROPICAL FRUIT CAKES

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour eight 1-cup fluted tube pans or six 4-1/2x2-1/2x1-1/2-inch individual loaf pans and set pans aside.
• In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, add brown sugar; beat until combined.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (The batter may appear curdled).
• Combine 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, the corn syrup, ginger, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and rum mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
• Fold in fruit bits and nuts.
• Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes for fluted tube pans or 30 to 35 minutes for loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool at least 1 hour on racks.
• Poke holes in cakes using a wooden toothpick or bamboo skewer.
• Soak eight or six 8-inch-square pieces of double thickness 100-percent cotton cheesecloth with the 1/3 cup rum or pineapple juice and wrap each cake in rum- or juice-soaked cheesecloth.
• Wrap each cake tightly in foil or seal in a plastic bag.
• Chill in refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Remove foil or remove cakes from bags; drizzle with 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice. Rewrap with foil or return to plastic bags and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
• Remove cheesecloth before serving.
• If desired, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. Makes 6 or 8 cakes (24 servings).
• Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare Tropical Fruit Cake as directed through until the 24 hr chill, except refrigerate up to 5 days. (Or prepare Tropical Fruit Cakes as directed through up to 24 hr chill, except do not sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place in self-sealing freezer bags. Seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months.)
• To serve, thaw frozen cakes in freezer bags in the refrigerator overnight. Serve as directed.

THE BEST FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine the raisins, currants, apricots, figs, prunes, dates, walnuts, pecans, orange zest, lemon zest, candied ginger, pumpkin pie spice and cloves in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add 1 cup of the brandy, orange liqueur and molasses and stir to coat. Cover and set aside to macerate overnight. (Alternatively, cover the bowl and microwave 2 minutes, or until very hot. Leave covered and let sit until almost all the liquid has been absorbed into the fruit and nuts, about 2 hours.)
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and line each with 2 pieces of parchment, one lengthwise and one crosswise, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour over the soaked fruit mixture and toss to coat. Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the flour mixture until the batter is blended and smooth. Pour the batter over the fruit mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until all the fruit is coated in batter.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, the tops spring back slightly when pressed and a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove each cake from its pan using the parchment overhang and place on the rack to cool completely.
• To store, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic and then foil. The wrapped fruitcakes can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

TROPICAL FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix cake mix, oranges with juice and eggs.
• Beat till well mix around 2 minutes.
• Pour into prepared pan 13 by 9 and spread.
• Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Let cool completely.
• Mix cool whip, pudding and pineapple.
• Spread on cooled cake and refridgerate till ready to serve and any leftovers.
• Can use sugar free coolwhip and sugar free pudding. You might try to mix a ripe banana in with the oranges in the cake and about 1/2 cup coconut in with the frosting. Sounds yummy to me.

FANTASTIC BANANA FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 300 degrees Prepare two (9" x 5") loaf pans, or 8 mini loaf pans.
• In a large bowl combine the fruit, dates and walnuts, then dredge them with 1/4 cup flour.
• Sift the remaining flour together with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.
• In another bowl, cream butter, add sugar, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Beat in the orange rind, orange juice, orange extract and drained pineapple.
• Mash the bananas with a fork (do not use a food processor, as it will liquefy and the bananas, and will change the texture of the cake).
• Alternately, stir in the banana puree with the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the floured fruit and nuts.
• Turn into prepared pans.
• Bake for about 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until loosley with foil if the cakes are browning too much on top.
• Cool in pans for 20 minutes, then turn onto racks Note: If baking in mini loaf pans, then cut down the baking time.

TROPICAL FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Cover brazil nuts with water and boil for 3 minutes; drain and crack.
• Put the nuts, dates, and both cherries into a bowl.
• Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt over the fruit mixture.
• Mix well with hands till all the ingredients are coated.
• Beat the eggs in a separate bowl till frothy and add the vanilla and almond.
• Mix this with the batter.
• Line a bread pan with foil very neatly and grease and flour it.
• Dump the batter into the pan and bake 300 degree oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
• Cover with foil the last part of baking.
• Leave in pan to cool and then the foil should come out easily.
• Make 3-4 days ahead before serving.
• Wrap in plastic wrap .

TROPICAL FRUIT (NO-ALCOHOL) FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Mix all of the butter, sweeteners, oil, juice and extracts in a large enough bowl to fold in the fruit, and add the fruit and pumpkin seeds.
• Stir well and let sit while you sift the flour with the soda and spices, and oil your pans.
• Line pans with parchment paper.
• Add the flour mixture and stir enough to be sure no flour remains dry. Distribute into the pans.
• Cook at 325°F for approximately 35 minutes, check with a toothpick at 30 minutes.
• When the toothpick comes out just barely moist, remove the pans to a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then decant them and let cool in the paper another 15 minutes. Peel and wrap tightly and store in refrigerator or tin, if you wish to add alcohol. I would suggest light rum if you must :)This will remain moist for several days if kept refrigerated.