Loved by some. Despised by many. Fruitcake means the holiday season!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces of dried prunes
- 4 ounces of dried dates
- 4 ounces of dried figs
- 4 ounces of dark raisins
- 4 ounces of golden raisins
- 4 ounces of dried currants
- 3 ounces of dried cranberries
- 3 ounces of dried apricots
- 3 ounces of dried pineapple
- 3/4 cups of butter
- 1 cup of dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cups of molasses
- 1/2 cup of strong black coffee
- 2 oranges, zested and juiced
- 8 ounces of red and green glace cherries
- 8 ounces of candied orange peel
- 1 1/2 cups of roughly chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup of ground almonds
- 2 teaspoons of allspice
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of ginger
- 1 teaspoon of cloves
- 2 teaspoons of nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups of white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 8 ounces of rum, plus extra
Directions
- Dice the dried fruit.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar, molasses, spices, prunes, dates, figs, raisins, currants, cranberries, apricots, pineapple, coffee, orange zest, and orange juice to the melted butter.
- Bring the fruit mixture to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Remove the fruit mixture from the heat and allow to cool for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 300°.
- Line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Beat the eggs.
- Add the beaten eggs to the cooled fruit mixture. Stir thoroughly.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the pecans and almonds to the fruit mixture. Stir thoroughly.
- Fold in the cherries and candied citrus peel.
- Pour the batter into the parchment-lined springform pan.
- Decorate the fruitcake with additional pecans and cherries as desired.
- Bake the fruitcake for roughly 2 hours or until the center of the cake feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the fruitcake to cool completely.
- Remove the fruitcake from the springform pan.
- Poke holes into the top and bottom of the cake.
- Pour 4 ounces of rum over the top of the cake.
- Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes. Flip the cake over.
- Pour 4 ounces of rum over the bottom of the cake.
- Allow the cake to rest for another 10 minutes.
- Wrap the fruitcake in a rum-soaked cloth and additional layers of parchment paper and plastic wrap.
- Store the fruitcake in a cool place for at least 2 weeks before serving.
Image Credits
Fruitcake Recipe © 2020 Heather Johnson
Butter for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Spices and Brown Sugar for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Raisins and Currants for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Dried Fruit for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Coffee for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Orange Juice for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Boiled Fruit for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Eggs for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Dry Ingredients for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Nuts, Cherries, and Orange Peel for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Batter for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Unbaked Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Baked Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Bottom of Baked Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Rum for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
More Rum for Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
Wrapping the Fruitcake © 2020 Heather Johnson
