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Christmas Fruitcake

Christmas Fruitcake
Yields
1 serving

This recipe is a family favourite that goes back one hundred years!

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ingredients

The Fruit

2
lb(s) red cherries
2
lb(s) green cherries
2
lb(s) seeded raisins, separated
2
lb(s) pitted dates
2
lb(s) mixed fruit
1
lb(s) pecans
½
(750 mL) bottle inexpensive Port

The Cake Batter

4
cups all-purpose flour
1
tsp salt
1
tsp baking powder
1
tsp ground ginger
1
tsp ground cloves
2
tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½
cups brown sugar
cup butter (the original recipe calls for vegetable shortening)
8
eggs
1
cup fancy molasses
1
cup cold tea
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directions

Notes

Make sure the bowl you’re using to mix the fruit with the cake batter is big enough. You don’t want it slopping all over your counter!

Step 1

Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss well.

Step 2

Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak over night.

Step 3

Grease your pans then line them with paper [waxed or parchment] then grease the paper – set aside. I used 2 – 6″ and 2 – 8″ round pans. The cook time stays the same because all of the pans were 2″ deep.

Step 4

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cloves and cinnamon – set aside.

Step 5

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until combined.

Step 6

Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.

Step 7

Beat in molasses and cold tea.

Step 8

Fold in flour mixture until completely blended.

Step 9

Add soaked fruit including any Port sitting in the bottom of the bowl. I use my hands because the batter is too heavy for a spoon to handle.

Step 10

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, full to the top, cover and steam for 2 hours. If you don’t have a fruitcake steamer, place a rack, brick or upside down cake pan on the bottom of a deep stock pot. Fill the stock pot with enough water to reach ¼ of the way up the fruitcake pan.

Step 11

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

Step 12

Place steamed fruitcake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Step 13

Remove fruitcake from oven to a cooling rack for 12 hours [TWELVE].

Step 14

Wrap them in cheesecloth. Sprinkle liberally with Port and seal the cakes in plastic wrap or in plastic storage bags. Once a week, brush the cakes with more Port.

Rate Recipe

My rating for Christmas Fruitcake
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