Conference turris::cooks

12-DEC-1984 is a bit late to be making fruitcake unless you're making it for
the 1985 holiday season, as fruitcake improves with age (and liquor). Whatever
recipe you use: make it a few months ahead of time, pour brandy over it, wrap
it in plastic, then foil, and unwrap it every few weeks to add a little more
brandy. 

Here's the recipe I've used, clipped from the Washington Post a few years ago.
It is intended to be a natural food fruitcake, hence the dried fruit, but you
could use regular glaceed fruit. You can leave out the nuts if you don't like
them. If you decide to try the dried fruit, check a health food store for 
fruits the supermarkets might not carry (like dried cherries or pineapples),
and soak fruit in boiling water for a few minutes if you think it's too dry
to put in a cake (especially unsulfured peaches or apricots).

					Val

7 to 8 cups mixed pitted, dried fruit (about 3 pounds)
1 to 2 cups chopped nuts (shredded unsweetened coconut is a nice addition)
2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or use white if you're not a whole wheat
	person)
1 tsp baking powder		
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon		
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves			
1 tsp allspice
1/2 cup honey			
1/2 cup softened butter
4 eggs				
1 tbsp molasses
1/4 cup brandy

Chop fruit and dredge with a few tbsp of flour (to prevent sticking). Stir
together the rest of the flour, the baking powder, salt, & spices. Cream
honey, butter, eggs & molasses, then stir in dry ingredients. Fold  in fruit,
nuts & brandy. Spoon into 2 greased 8-inch springform pans. Bake at 325 degrees
for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool 20 minutes before removing from pans.

Here's a really delicious moist fruit cake recipe that Mum makes every
Christmas instead of the traditional Christmas fruit cake.


TROPICAL BOILED FRUIT CAKE
--------------------------

450g crushed pineapple			Boil the first ingredients in a pan for
125g (1/4 lb) butter			10 minutes, then leave to cool.
375g (12oz) mixed fruit			Add sifted flour and eggs.
1 Cup sugar				Place in 7inch cake tin greased and
1 teaspoon mixed spices			lined with greaseproof paper.
1 teaspoon baking soda			Cook 1 hour at 160 C/320 F.
pinch salt				Test with skewer for doneness.
1 Cup Self Raising flour		Leave in tin for 5 minutes before
1 Cup plain flour			before turning out on rack to cool.
2 beaten eggs 				Store in an airtight tin.


Voila!  Simple....

Julie

		FRUIT CAKE - DRIED FRUIT ONLY

     325 degree F. pre-heated oven

INGREDIENTS:

     1 pound butter, softened
     2 and 1/2 cups sugar
     2 teaspoons vanilla extract
     10 eggs
     3 and 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
     2 Tablespoons grated orange peel
     1 teaspoon baking powder
     1 teaspoon salt
     1 teaspoon mace
     1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
     1 teaspoon cinnamon
     chopped pecans
     raisins, dried papaya, dried pineapple, dried apricots,
     dried peaches, dried apples, dried any other kind of fruit
     you like.
     cognac or dark rum

Grease cake pans of choice (loaf or bundt), line with aluminum foil
or brown butcher paper, and grease thoroughly again.
Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light
and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one by one, beating well after each
addition.  Set aside.

Sift the flour, measure 3 and 1/2 cups of the sifted flour.  Sift
the flour again with the baking powder, salt, and spices.

Beat the peel, vanilla and 6 tablespoons of the liquor of choice into
the butter, sugar, and eggs mixture.

Chop enough DRIED fruit of your choice, in the mixture of your
choice to make up approx. 4 cups fruit.  Mix with 2 cups chopped pecans
and a handful of the flour mixture to keep the fruit from clumping. 

Mix in the fruit and nuts mixture, in batches, and the flour mixture,
in batches into the butter and eggs until everything is mixed.
There should be just enough batter to coat the fruit and nuts..
if you have too much batter, add more DRIED fruit....NO CANDIED
FRUIT ALLOWED, and no CITRON.

Turn the batter into the prepared pans, and level the top with a
spatula.  Cover each pan with aluminum foil or brown butcher paper
well buttered, and tied to pan.  Bake covered for approx 1 hour,
remove cover and bake until cake tester inserted in the center
comes out clean, approx. 1/2 to 1 hour longer for large pans.
This is a heavy fruit cake, and will not rise so you can fill
pans very full.  

Suggested pans:  4 - 5 mini loaf pans
		 1 large bundt pan and a couple of mini loaf
		   pans.

cool cake in pan 15 minutes, turn out on rack and cool completely,
peel off foil or paper.

     	Rinse triple layer of cheesecloth in water and squeeze
     	dry.  Dip in cognac and wrap the cake in the soaked
     	cheesecloth.  SEAL this whole thing in foil or a tin and store
     	at room temperature for at least 3 days...or in fridge or
	some cool place up to six weeks, resoaking the cheesecloth
	by pouring a 1/4 cup dose of booze over the cake and resealing.
	once a week.  Before you eat cake, unwrap and "air" out the
	booze smell for 3 hours, then serve.


I make this cake pretty much by the eyeball method (looks about right
to me) so the amount of fruit and nuts may be off... I also make
double and triple recipes, so I can't say for sure how many of what
size cake pan to use BUT the basic cake
is right, it is simply a very rich pound cake.  People love these
cakes and ask for them every year.  I start baking them this weekend.
HINT:: Spiced Rum sounds like it would work with this REAL good, I'm
going to whip up a batch....I always use good booze for these, after
all it is for CHRISTMAS.

    The following is a fruitcake recipe i have had since 1968.  I make
    it every year and everyone loves it.  Until this recipe I would
    never eat fuitcake.
    
    Combine the following:
    
    1 lb each pecans, brazil nuts, pitted dates, 3/4 to 1 lb. candied
    cherries,  candied pineapple, 1/4 lb. citron.  Use a large bowl
    
    Sift together:
    
    3/4 c sifted flour                    1/2 tsp. salt
    3/4 c sugar                           1/2 tsp baking powder
    
    Add to the fruit and nuts mixture.
    
    Beat 3 eggs until foamy, add to the mixture and mix very well. 
    Pack into well greased and wax paper lined 9" springform tube pan
    or 2 1 qt. molds.  Bake at 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Tuen
    out and cool.
    
    Freeze nuts before cracking for easier shelling.
    
    Enjoy.
              

    An ex-friend of mine used to soak her cake for months in liquer,
    replenishing it every now and then. Not only did the booze add terrific
    flavor, it acted as a preservative and lasted, and lasted, and lasted.
    
    	Does anyone know of this recipe ?

>    An ex-friend of mine used to soak her cake for months in liquer,
>    replenishing it every now and then. Not only did the booze add terrific
>    flavor, it acted as a preservative and lasted, and lasted, and lasted.
>    
>    	Does anyone know of this recipe ?

Simple...make fruitcake of your choice, making sure the batter has
oil or butter in it (according to baking wizards, this helps the cake
store better).  Cool cake completely after baking, wrap in cheese cloth
dipped in brandy or rum.  wrap well, sealed in some manner (in a tin or
double wrapped in heavy aluminum foil) and store in a cool place.
Once a week or so, open and pour on 1/4 to 1/2 cup booze of choice, reseal.

After a few weeks/months....unwrap cake and let it air for a few
hours before serving it....If you wish to serve people who do not
use alcohol, let cake air, uncut, for at least 8 hours and the alcohol
will evaporate.

    
    
    			CHERRY FRUITCAKE
    
    1 1/2 cups sifted allpurpose flour
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    1 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt
    2 (7 oz) pkg pitted dates
    1 lb diced candied pinapple
    4 cups red maraschino cherries, drained
    5 1/2 cups pecan halves
    6 eggs
    1/3 cup dark rum
    1/2 cup light corn syrup
    
        
    Grease two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.  Line with foil, allowing 2 inch
    overhang and grease again.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and
    salt into large mixing bowl and add fruits and pecans.  Toss until
    well coated.  Beat eggs and rum and pour over fruit mixture.  Toss.
    Turn into prepared pans, pressing to pack tightly.  Bake in 300
    degree oven 1 3/4 hours or until cake tester comes out clean.  cool
    in pans for 15 min, then remove from pans and peel off foil.  Brush
    loaves with corn syrup while still warm . Cool thoroughly. Makes
    2 loaves.

    
    
    			VANILLA WHITE FRUITCAKE
    
    
    1 lb candied cherries
    1 lb candied pineapple
    1 lb nuts (any combination of walnuts, pecans,almonds)
    1 lb butter or margarine, softened
    1 lb confectioners' sugar
    12 eggs, separated
    3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
    1 tsp baking soda
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/2 cup vanilla extract
    1/2 cup orange juice
    
    Dice fruit and coarsely chop nuts.  Set aside.  In large mixing
    bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg yolks and mix
    well.  Sift together flour, baking soda and salt and add to fruit
    and nut mixture.  Toss to coat fruit.  Add to butter mixture.  Stir
    in vanilla extract and orange juice.  Beat egg whites until stiff
    but not dry and fold into batter.  Turn into two well greased 8
    inch tube pans, lined on the bottom with waxed paper.  Bake in
    preheated  275 degree oven 2 hours and 15 minutes or until cake
    tester comes out clean.  Cool cakes in pan for 30 minutes.  Remove
    from pans and peel off paper. Makes two 8 inch cakes.
    
    These can also be baked in loaf pans.