Fruit Cake Recipe

[eaglei]

Each year I make dh a couple fruit cakes using a very simple recipe and whose cake part is a lighter color - he loves them - requests them every year.

 

This year, he is remembering his grandmother's fruit cakes and has asked if I could find a recipe that has a dark cake color (using molasses?), and that does not use any *spirits*. Unfortunately and sadly his grandmother's cookbook is long gone.

 

Anybody able to help me out here?

 

Thank you so much!!! :)

[jenangelcat]

 

This is the recipe I use. It has alcohol but I'm sure you could omit it. At this point you don't need the alcohol for preservation anyway. Although IMO it's not fruitcake without the rum.

[Pippen]

I make this recipe--it does have a darker color due to the brown sugar abd spices. I cut back on the raisons/currants and have substituted in a mix for the individual fruits before. I would use a fruit juice to soak the fruits in initially and skip the brandy.

Christmas Cake

 

From Cooking from the British Isles cookbook

 

1 pound citron

½ pound combined candied orange and lemon peel

½ pound dates

½ pound candied cherries

3 ¾ cups raisons

2 ¾ cups currants

1 pound combined almonds, pecan, walnuts, coarsely chopped

¾ cups brandy

1 pound brown sugar

1 pound butter, softened

15 egg yolks, beaten until thick

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs ground cloves

1 tbs allspice

1 tbs nutmeg

½ tsp mace

16 egg whites, beaten until stiff

 

Chop the citron, orange and lemon peel, dates, and cherries. Add the raisons and currents and chopped nuts. Pour on the brandy and let the fruits marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

 

Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs yolks gradually, beating constantly.

 

Reserve 1 cup of the flour and combine the remaining 3 cups with the spices. Add the sifted ingredients to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in the whites carefully.

 

Sprinkle the fruits with the reserved 1 cup of flour and mix well.

 

Fold fruits into batter.

 

Oil and line pans (I used 4 bread pans, but you can use 12 small pans or 2 large round pans) with wax paper. Place batter in pans and bake in a 300 degree oven with pans of hot water on the bottom of the oven for 1.5 hours for the small pans or 2.5 hours for the large pans. Cool the cakes and wrap them in cheesecloth that has been soaked in brandy. Place in airtight containers and store until ready to use. Every 3 weeks, redip the cheesecloth wrappers in brandy.

 

(I wrap in cheesecloth, then waxpaper, then foil)

 

[Momling]

I love historical foods and have baked a few fruitcakes. This recipe is from the Victorian period (Mrs. Beeton). I substituted dried cranberries, blueberries and cherries for the raisins and made a custard sauce to go with it. Even non-fruitcake-lovers thought it was pretty good.

 

http://historicalfoods.com/christmas-cake-1861-recipe

[eaglei]

Thank you! Now to decide which one to try!