Jeweltone Brandied Fruitcake Food

FRIENDSHIP BRANDY FRUIT STARTER

Steps:

• TO START: Combine all ingredients in a clean, large glass jar.
• Stir gently with wooden spoon.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature for three weeks, stirring at least twice a week.
• Fruit is fermented when it is translucent.
• CARE AND FEEDING: Stir mixture daily.
• Every two weeks add one cup sugar and one cup of fruit and stir gently. Alternate fruits each time.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature at least three days before using.
• Do not add fruit more often than once every two weeks.
• Do not delay adding fruit for more than one or two days past schedule.
• IMPORTANT: To keep the starter going, retain at least three cups at all times.
• SHARING: Whenever you have more than six cups of fermented fruit, you may divide it into two portions, being sure there are at least three cups in each portion.
• Do this just before you would do a normal feeding.
• Feed each portion.
• Give one portion to a friend (with Care and Feeding directions) and keep one for yourself.
• Search on "friendship fruit" to find recipes that use this.
• There is also a Friendship Sourdough Starter (Recipe #647936) - yum!

FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Grease and flour a tube pan.
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, soda, spices, eggs, lemon rind, vanilla, 1/2 cup brandy, fruit, nuts, and melted butter or margarine. Mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
• Wrap cooled cake in foil. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brandy over the cake everyday for 2 weeks.

GOLDEN BRANDY BUNDT FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300D F.
• Mix together almonds and fruit: Set aside.
• Mix together flour, baking powder and salt: Set aside.
• Grease Bundt pan well and lightly flour it.
• Cream shortening (or butter) and sugar well.
• Beat in eggs.
• Add vanilla.
• Blend flour mixture alternately with brandy into creamed shortening and sugar.
• Add almond and fruit mixture and mix well.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Keep a pan of hot water on lowest shelf of oven while cake is baking.
• Bake for about 2 hours until cake tests done.
• Cool in pan 10-15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on wire rack.
• Wrap cake in brandy soaked cloth and store in airtight container in fridge for several weeks.

BRANDIED CHOCOLATE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine candied pineapple, cherries, raisins, and 1/2 cup brandy in a small bowl. Cover and let stand overnight.
• Drain the fruit, reserving 1/3 cup brandy. (If the fruit has absorbed most of the brandy, reserve what you can and add more to make 1/3 cup.) Set fruit and brandy aside.
• Spray two 9"x5" loaf pans liberally with baking spray.
• Melt baking chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Set aside to cool.
• Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Gradually add one cup sugar and blend well.
• Beat in the egg yolks two at a time, scraping down after each addition. Beat in cooled chocolate.
• Resift the flour with baking powder and add to the batter alternately with the reserved brandy. Stir in the fruit and nuts.
• Beat egg whites until they just begin to hold their shape. Then add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Fold about 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter, then gently (but thoroughly) fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Turn batter into prepared pans and place loaf pans in a roasting pan (or other baking pan). Pour enough boiling water in the outer pans to come about halfway up the sides of the loaf pans.
• Bake at 250 for 2.5 hours, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool fruitcakes for 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Pour a few tablespoonfuls of brandy over each cake. Cool thoroughly.
• Wrap each loaf individually in plastic wrap or cheesecloth, then wrap in foil. Store for 2-8 weeks in the refrigerator before serving. Sprinkle the cakes with brandy 2-4 times during the waiting period.
• If you want to top the cake with a glaze (I never did), combine 1.5 cups powdered sugar, 3-4 tablespoons of whipping cream, and 1/4 teaspoons almond extract; blend until smooth, then spread evenly over cake.

JEWELED FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Line four greased and floured 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pans with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside., In a large bowl, combine dates, nuts, cherries and coconut. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir into fruit mixture until well coated., In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla until foamy. Fold into fruit mixture and mix well. Pour into prepared pans., Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool, dry place. Cut with a serrated knife.

RICH BRANDIED FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In large glass bowl, stir candied peel, raisins, currants, cherries, brandy and pineapple. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 12 hours or microwave at high for 3 mintues or until steaming, stir.
• In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beat in vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves, stir into batter, one-third at a time. Scrape fruit mixture over batter, sprinkle with pecans and almonds. Stir just enough to coat fruit and nuts evenly.
• Spoon into two 9x5 inch and one 5-3/4 by 3-1/4 inch parchment paper lined loaf pans, packing with back of spoon. Tap lightly on counter. Bake in center of 300 degree oven for about 1 1/4 hours for small loaf and 2 hours for large loaves or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on rack for 30 mintues. Turn out, right side up, onto rack. Let cool completely.
• Note: After one hour of baking place a piece of foil loosely over cakes. I assume this is to prevent the cake from browning too much.