Not Your Mothers Fruitcake Food

GRANMAMA'S UNCOOKED (NO BAKE, NO COOK) FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs.
• Granmama's recipe calls for "puffed" raisins. To puff them, soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
• Chop the nuts; drain and cut cherries in half (if they are whole).
• Melt marshmallows in milk.
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Pack into regular sized loaf pan.
• Refrigerated overnight and cut with a hot knife.
• Coconut is an optional ingredient.
• Cook time is refrigeration time.

NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE:.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium pot, cook the dried fruits, bourbon and orange juice just until the fruits are plump - about four to five minutes. There will be some liquid left.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the orange juice bourbon and fruit mixture. Stir to combine.
• Pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool.
• When cake is completely cooled, seal in an airtight container. Every two to three days, feel the cake and if dry, brush with more bourbon. Continue to baste for two weeks for maximum flavor, or eat whenever you want.
• FOR THE GLAZE:.
• Mix all glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top of the cake.
• OPTIONAL:.
• Feel Free to use any and all dried fruits in this: chopped dried peaches, dried apples, dried pears, dates - if it's dried, it will work!
• For a chocolatey twist, add ¾ cup chopped semisweet chocolate to the batter.
• Get nutty: add pecans or hazelnuts to the batter or the top of the cake for a nutty, crunchy variation.
• Garnish the top of the cake in festive holiday style. Dried fruit slices, cinnamon sticks, red and green cherries are all seasonally appropriate.
• Traditionally, fruitcake is boozy, but feel free to use apple cider in place of the bourbon.
• I like to use a bundt pan for this but you can use a loaf pan, a 9-inch cake pan or even make fruit cake cupcakes!

NOT YOUR MAMA'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Cut in half. Drain prunes, reserving 6 tablespoons syrup. Pit prunes.
• Cream sugar, shortening and eggs or egg substitute at medium speed of a mixer for two minutes. Stir in cherries, reserved cherry and prune juice, prunes, walnuts, whiskey, pineapple and raisins. Combine flour and dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture and stir well.
• Spoon batter into a 10 inch tube or bundt pan coated with cooking oil spray. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan and let cool completely. Store in tightly wrapped plastic wrap. Slice and enjoy.

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.

LORRIE'S MOTHER'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325° F. Butter and flour 10-inch-diameter angel food or tube pan. Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add dates, pecans, walnuts and all raisins and toss to coat. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in another large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add extracts. Add dry ingredients; fold until just combined (batter will resemble cookie dough). Spoon batter into prepared pan. Smooth top. Bake until cake is golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edges of cake to loosen. Turn out cake onto rack; cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic.)

NOT YOUR MOMMA'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 300 f. Grease an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; line pan with parchment paper; grease paper. Set aside.
• 2. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• 3. In a bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar; beat until mixture is combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (batter may appear curdled).
• 4. Combine orange peel, juice, corn syrup, and vanilla in small bowl or cup. Add flour mixture and juice mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Add the fruits and nuts and fold into batter then spread into prepared pan.
• 5. Bake in a 300 degree F oven about 1-1/2 hours or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. If necessary, cover cake with foil the last 15 to 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
• 6. Thoroughly cool the cake in on wire rack; remove from pan. Wrap cake in 100-percent cotton cheesecloth. Slowly pour 1/4 cup orange juice over the cake. Overwrap in foil. Store in refrigerator 2 to 8 weeks; remoisten cheesecloth about once a week or as needed. If desired, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and garnish with orange-peel curls before slicing.

NOT YOUR MOTHER'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the fruits and nuts in a large bowl. Beat on low for 1 minute to combine the ingredients. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into greased floured loaf pans (3).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool in pans for 20-30 minutes, then turn out on a wir rack and cool completely.