Posted by Karen on November 07, 2000 at 12:30:21:
In Reply to: NO CITRUS fruitcake posted by copykatt on November 07, 2000 at 11:39:40:
Mom's Brazil Nut Fruit Cake
Makes 1 - 9 x 5 inch loaf
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Brazil nuts
1 pound pitted dates
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Sift the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Mix in the nuts, dates,
and cherries.
Beat the eggs until foamy, add the vanilla and the flour mixture. Stir until just
combined and pour into the prepared pan.
Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Store in the
refrigerator, wrapped in foil.
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Mom's Fruit Cake
Makes 3 - 8 x 4 inch loaf pans
1 cup currants
2 cups raisins
1 cup candied cherries
1 ounce small gum drops, no licorice ones
2 cups pitted dates, cut in half
1 1/4 cups walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup apple jelly
3 cups boiling water to cover
1 1/4 cups butter
3 cups white sugar
7 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pour boiling water over raisins and currants to cover. Let steam for 5 minutes, then
drain. In a very large bowl combine currants, raisins, gum drops, candied cherries,
pitted dates, jelly, spices, and brandy. Stir to blend. Cover and let stand overnight.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease three 8x4 inch loaf pans.
Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a
time, mixing well after each one. Stir in the vanilla.
Sift the flour and baking soda together.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the fruit mixture to the creamed mixture. Pour
evenly into three loaf pans.
Bake at 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) for 2-1/4 to 3 hours or until a toothpick
inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean.
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Fabulous Holiday Fruitcake
Yield: Makes 14 cups of batter; 8 small loaves (5 1/2 x 3 x 2 1/8), 8
servings each or 4 average loaves (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4), 16 servings
each.
Advance preparation: If you have the time, the fruit benefits from
macerating for 24 hours in rum or brandy; otherwise mix up the fruit before
you make the cakes. Cakes can be wrapped in cloths soaked in brandy or
dark rum and stored in tins for (theoretically) several months. I have
only kept them soaking up to 1 month because I prefer to freeze the cakes
after aging them in spirit-soaked clothes for 1 week. At holiday time, I
am usually rushed, so I often forget the soaking and aging and just bake
the cakes, glaze them, wrap airtight in several layers of plastic wrap and
a heavy duty plastic zip-lock bag, and freeze. Then you can remove from
the freezer, add a ribbon and a recipe card (and if you are feeling
expensive, a new loaf pan) and give as gifts.
Special equipment:
*8 small loaf pans (5 1/2 x 3 x 2 1/8 inches; 2 1/4 cup capacity) or 4
average loaf pans (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches; 5 1/4 cup capacity)
*Wax paper or baking parchment
*Extra large bowl
*Muslin, cotton fabric, or cheesecloth (optional)
*Metal or plastic boxes for storing cakes (optional)
Temperature and Time: 350F for 60-65 minutes for small loaves; 1 hour and
15-20 minutes for average loaves.
Fruit:
1 cup (6 oz) cut-up dried pears, packed
1 cup (6 oz) cut-up dried peaches, packed
1 cup (6 oz) cut-up dried apricots, packed
1 cup (6 oz) cut-up dried pitted prunes, packed
1 cup (6 oz) cut-up dried pitted dates, packed
1 3/4 cup (6 oz) cut-up dried apple slices, packed
1 cup (5 oz) seedless raisins, packed
1 cup (5 oz) golden raisins, packed
1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) dried currants, packed
1 cup dark rum or brandy
Cake:
Butter-flavor nonstick cooking spray
4 large egg whites
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup apple juice
2 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure orange oil or orange extract
2 1/4 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 cup unsifted whole wheat pastry flour (or use a total of 3 1/4 cups all
purpose white flour)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 cup wheat germ
Dark rum or brandy for soaking cakes (optional)
2 recipes Vanilla Icing Glaze (recipe follows)
Twenty-four hours before baking the cakes (or as early on the baking
day as possible), assemble all the fruit in a large bowl. Stir in the dark
rum or brandy, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
Position 2 racks to divide the oven in thirds, and preheat the oven to
350 F. Lightly grease the pans with the nonstick spray. Cut wax paper or
parchment liners or fit inside, and press the papers against the greased
pan bottom and sides. Lightly coat the paper with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, brown sugar, honey, juice,
applesauce, vanilla, and orange oil or orange extract. Whisk, or
beat with an electric mixer on low, to blend well. Set a large strainer
over the bowl and ad both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt and
spices. Stir and sift the dry ingredients onto the wet. Add the wheat
germ. With the whisk, or the mixer at low speed, mix until just blended.
Do not over beat.
Stir the spirit-soaked fruit into the batter and blend well. Divide
the batter among the prepared pans, filling them about three quarters full.
(The batter is very heavy, and while it does rise, it will not overflow the
pans.) Bake small loaves for about 60-65 minutes and regular loaves for
about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, or until the cakes are risen and golden
brown on top, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Then
tip them gently from the pans, peel off the paper, and set them right side
up on wire racks to cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cool, if you like, wrap them in rum- or
brandy-soaked cloths, place in heavy-duty zip lock bags or plastic boxes,
and set in a cool, dark location to age for about 1 month. Renew the
sprits when they dry out. (Do not attempt to substitute fruit juice for
spirits; only alcohol will preserve the cakes.)
To glaze the cakes, set them on racks over wax paper. Drizzle some of
the glaze on top of each cake, letting it run down the sides. Let sit until
the glaze is dried and set, about 30 minutes. When the glaze is hard, you
can wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and freeze them, or give them as gifts,
or slice and serve.
Vanilla Icing Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. apple juice or dark rum or brandy
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Whisk together the sugar, liquid and the extract. Add a few more drops of
liquid if needed to make a glaze soft enough to drip from a spoon.
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Texas Brazil Nut Fruit Cake
Makes 3 - 9x5 inch loaves
1 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pound Brazil nuts
1 pound chopped walnuts
1 pound pecan halves
1 pound red candied cherries
1 pound green candied cherries
2 pounds pitted dates
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease three 9x5 inch loaf pans,
line them with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
Beat eggs, salt and vanilla together until very light and lemon colored. Add sugar, 1
cup of the flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Put brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans,
red and green cherries into a large bowl. Dust with the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Then
add the egg and sugar mixture. This is a very stiff mixture. Mix with hands.
Press into 3 - 9x5 inch loaf pans which you have lined with parchment paper and
have greased both pan and paper. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees
C).