Rich Chocolate Drambuie Fruitcake Food

RICH CHOCOLATE DRAMBUIE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine fruit and 1 cup(250 ml)of Drambuie,honey and lemon rind,mix well,cover and stand overnight(I left it for ten days!).
• Grease a 6 hole Texas muffin pan(3/4 cup capacity)AND line base and sides of a deep 25cm round OR 19 cm square pan with 2 layers of baking paper and bring the paper 5 cm above edges of pan.
• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until just combined,add eggs one at a time,beating until just combined.
• Stir in fruit mixture,chocolate,nuts,then sifted flours and cocoa in halves,mix well.
• Place level 3/4 cups of mixture into each hole of the pan.spread remainder into other pan,decorate tops with extra pecans or cherries if desired.
• Muffins take 1+1/2 hours in a very slow oven,cake slow oven 3 hours.
• Brush hot cakes with remainder of Drambuie and cover tightly with foil.

RICH CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Line a 8-inch round, or 7-inch square tin with 3 layers of paper.
• Having said that, I find it easier to line it with one, then wrap the OUTSIDE of the tin in several layers of newspaper, tied with kitchen string.
• Weigh and measure ingredients.
• Sift flour salt and spices.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Gradually add the eggs to the creamed mixture.
• Mix well.
• It may look a bit curdled at this stage, but that's OK.
• Add the fruit, nuts, then the flour and liquid.
• Stir gently and thoroughly. I do this with my (clean) hands.
• Place in the prepared tin, hollowing out the centre a little to allow for rising.
• You can decorate the top with blanched whole almonds now if you wish.
• Bake in a 325°F oven (decreasing the temp gradually as the cake cook) for 3- 3 1/2 hours.
• When baked, leave in the tin for at least 10 minutes before turning out-until completely cold is better though.
• This is good made in about October, and stored wrapped in foil in an airtight container until Christmas.

CHOCOLATE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Line the sides and bottom of an 8 by 3 1/2-inch deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of reusable silicon baking parchment. When lining the tin with the parchment, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.
• Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange zest and juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
• Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.
• Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.
• To decorate, place the chocolate-covered coffee beans in the centre of the cake and arrange edible gold stars around the perimeter of the top of the cake (if you can find them- not listed in ingredients as Zaar will not accept). Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole cake and sprinkle the top with edible glitter.

FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Sample the wine to check for quality.
• Take a large bowl.
• Check the wine again to make sure it's of the highest quality.
• Pour 1 level cup and drink.
• Repeat if your're not sure.
• Turn on the electric mixer and beat butter in a large fluffy bowl.
• Add sugar and beat again.
• Make sure wine is still okay. Cry another cup.
• Turn off the mixer.
• Break two legs and add the bowl along with the vanilla extract and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
• Mix on the turner.
• If the fruit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a screwdriver.
• Sample the wine again to check for tonsisticity.
• Next, Sift 2 cups of salt or something. Who cares.
• Check the wine.
• Now sift the lemon juice and strain the nuts.
• Add 1 table. Spoon. Of sugar or flour or something. Whatever you can find.
• Grease the oven.
• Turn the cake pan to 350 degrees.
• Throw one bowl outside the window.
• Check the wine again.
• Go to bed.
• Who the heck likes fruitcake anyway?

CHOCOLATE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Put the butter, sugar, chocolate, brandy, vanilla and dried fruits into a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until everything has melted together. Remove from the heat.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep cake tin, 20cm round or 18cm square, with a double layer of baking parchment. Wrap a few layers of newspaper around the outside and secure with string.
• Mix the flour, almonds, cocoa and spice together. Stir the eggs into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture in the saucepan, followed by the flour mixture. Scrape into your prepared tin and bake for 1½ hrs- 1 hr 45 mins or until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin, then decorate (see 'Goes well with', right, for decoration ideas). Greaseproof-wrapped cake will keep for 2 months in an airtight container.

RICH FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• The night before, pour 75ml of the brandy over the fruit, cover and leave to sit, letting the fruit soak up the alcohol.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line a deep, 25cm square cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside, so that it comes about 2.5cm above the sides of the tin, and secure with string.
• Sift the flour, spices, cocoa powder and ½ tsp salt together. Mix a third of this mixture into the soaked fruit. Cream the butter, zests and sugar until light and fluffy, stir in the treacle, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in half the remaining flour mixture. Once mixed, fold in the fruit mixture followed by the remaining flour mixture.
• Spoon into the prepared tin, smoothing the top with a palette knife. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs 30 mins, checking the cake with 15 mins to go. When a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, it's ready.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 30 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. To store, peel off the baking parchment, poke holes into the cake and feed with the remaining brandy. Wrap well in cling film. Will keep for three months.