Fruitcake seems to perpetually have a bad rap. Not entirely sure why. I mention the words "fruit cake" to someone and they are often met with "ehwww....I hate fruit cake. So gross.". Why? What did fruit cake ever do to them?
Many find fruit cake too dense and heavy. True, a number of fruitcakes are made this way. I have discovered that most commercially made fruitcakes contain too much fruit to batter ratio and this is what makes them so heavy. Added to this is a thick layer of overly sweet marzipan (personally, I'm not a fan of the stuff in any season).
I've been making our family fruitcakes for years. I like to make two types. One with the traditional candied cherries and peel and nuts and dark raisins. The other I make with only the light fruit. Golden raisins, dried citrus peel, dried cranberries and slivered almonds. This mixture gives the cakes a more blonde appearance with the red dried cranberries giving just a bit of colour.
I also separate the egg yolks from the egg whites (trivia question - what is the egg white called . . . besides "egg white"). The yolks get blended into the cream mixture while the egg whites are beaten stiff and then folded in at the end. This makes for a lighter, airier cake.
Another problem with fruitcake is that it can be dry. Good fruitcake remains moist. This comes from properly curing the fruitcake. And this takes time. And brandy. And a dark closet. So I usually start the fruitcakes in mid October.
So here is the recipe our family has used as far back as I can remember.
Blonde Fruitcake
Fruit Mixture
2 cup golden raisins
1 cup diced candied citron
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup candied pineapple, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup brandy, orange brandy, asbach or spiced
rum
Batter
¾ cup milk
¼ cup brandy, orange brandy, asbach or spiced
rum
1 tsp almond extract
1 ½ cup butter, softened
2 cup granulated sugar
6 eggs,
separated
3 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
Cheesecloth for wrapping cakes
2 cup brandy, orange brandy, asbach or spiced
rum
In a large bowl, combine the raisins, candied citron,
cranberries, pineapple and slivered almonds with the 1 cup liquor and toss to
coat. Cover and allow to sit for two days. Toss, and allow to sit for another
two days. Repeat until all liquid has been absorbed by the fruit mixture (about
a week).
Butter 4 standard sized loaf pans (8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ “). Line
bottoms with brown paper. Butter brown paper. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Combine the milk, ¼ cup liquor and almond extract and set
aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter at medium speed until creamy.
Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg
yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the flour alternately with the milk mixture, beating
well after each addition. Pour over fruit mixture. Mic well and set aside.
In a clean mixer bowl and with clean beaters, whip the egg
whites on high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until still
peaks form. Fold into batter. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans. Pack evenly
by pressing down batter with the back of a wooden spoon.
Bake at 275 degrees F for 1 ¾ hours until skewer inserted
into center of each cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and cool in
pans on wire racks for 30 minutes. Run knife around edge of cakes to loosen.
Remove cakes from pans. Peel off paper and allow cakes to cool completely.
Wrap each cake with a double layer of cheesecloth. Using
extra liquor, brush each cake with enough liquid to dampen cheesecloth. Wrap
cakes in aluminum foil and store in a dark closet for 2 to 3 weeks, brushing
occasionally with more liquor.
Cured cakes can be frozen for up to a year.
In a large bowl, combine the flour. baking powder, baking soda and salt. If you are going to use nuts in this recipe, add those in now and coat with dry ingredients. Form into a well and set aside.
