It's that time of year again. I'll try to make a batch of this in
early November. It's become an RFC favorite over the years.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Fruitcake

Recipe By amsel
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : cakes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
----BATTER----
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons sherry
2 1/2 cups flour
----FRUIT MIXTURE----
1/2 pound candied cherries
1 pound golden raisins
1/2 pound seedless raisins
1/2 pound currants
1/2 pound chopped pecans
1 pound mixed fruitcake fruit
flour -- to coat fruit

In a large bowl, combine batter ingredients in the order given, beating
in one egg at a time. In a huge bowl, combine fruits and nuts. Add
enough flour to the fruit mixture to coat lightly. Pour batter over
fruit mixture; combine well.

Line baking pans with at least two layers of heavy brown paper, such as
postal wrapping paper, or grocery bags. (Instructions at end of post,
if needed) Spoon batter into pans, filling no more than 2/3 full..
Place shallow pan of water in bottom of 300 degree oven and bake cakes
until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean (1-1/2
hours for 1 pound cake, 2-1/2 to 3 hours for larger cakes) Remove from
oven and pour rum over cakes while still hot. When cooled just enough
to handle, remove paper from cakes and cool on a wire rack.

When thoroughly cooled, saturate with more rum (optional). Decorate
tops with candied fruits, attached to cake with corn syrup.
Examples:
*One-half red cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of green
pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
*One-half green cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of
yellow pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
*Pecan half in center, with pineapple on each end (rectangular cakes)
*One-half cherry with thin wedge-shaped slices of pineapple forming a
starburst around cherry center (round cakes)

Wrap neatly with plastic wrap, using tape to secure wrap at the bottom
of each loaf.

Baking containers:
*Any size loaf pan. I like to make tiny, individual-sized cakes for
gift-giving.
*Short coffee or sweet potato (yam) cans.

Lining baking pans:
*Cut paper to size. Be sure to allow enough to cover bottom of pan, and
up the sides.
*Mark the paper (on the side that will be away from the cake) to the
size and shape of the pan bottom.
*For a rectangular pan, cut the paper from the outside corner to the
marked corner, and stop there. Do this with all four corners. Place
paper into pan, covering bottoms and sides of pan, and wrap excess
paper around corners, inside the pan.
*For a round pan, follow the same procedure, but cut the paper from the
outside edges to the marked base of pan, cutting several times, in a
starburst-type pattern.

Source:
"Pat and Carol Zastera"
Yield:
"4 1/2 pounds"

what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
for our tastes. any ideas?

Floor Model wrote:
> what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
> used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
> for our tastes. any ideas?

Yeah, my recipe has just enough cake batter to hold the fruit together.
I'm positive that someone will wind up posting something more to your
liking.

Carol

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> On Thu 13 Oct 2005 10:06:53a, Damsel wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
> > Yeah, my recipe has just enough cake batter to hold the fruit together.
> > I'm positive that someone will wind up posting something more to your
> > liking.
> >
> > Carol
>
> That's the best kind - "maximum fruit - minimal cake" :-) After all, they do
> call it fruitcake.

Come to think of it, I've never heard of cake fruit. I think you're on
to something here.

Carol

On Thu 13 Oct 2005 10:06:53a, Damsel wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> Floor Model wrote:
>> what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
>> used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
>> for our tastes. any ideas?
>
> Yeah, my recipe has just enough cake batter to hold the fruit together.
> I'm positive that someone will wind up posting something more to your
> liking.
>
> Carol

That's the best kind - "maximum fruit - minimal cake" :-) After all, they do
call it fruitcake.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Floor Model wrote:
> what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
> used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
> for our tastes. any ideas?
>

I'll take them. Lots of fruit is the usual goal of "fruitcake". I feel
like I have been cheated if it turns out to be a "cake with fruit".

Floor Model wrote:
> what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
> used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
> for our tastes. any ideas?
>


Here's one that I saved but haven't tried yet. It looks a lot "cakier"
than my usual fruitcake the bracketed notes are Margaret's:


From: Margaret Suran >
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Subject: Recipe Request (non tradional fruitcake)
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 21:00:56 -0400
Message-ID: >

Bishop's Bread (Bischofsbrot)

l cup boiling water [I use orange juice for extra flavor]
l cup raisins
l ounce butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar [I use less, because the fruits are sweet]
3 large eggs
l cup chopped dried California apricots [Turkish apricots do not have
the same flavor or tartness]
l cup fruitcake fruit or chopped dried fruit (apples, prunes, peaches,
pineapple, cherries, cranberries, etc)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Place raisins and butter into bowl and pour boiling water over it. Put
aside to soak.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and sugar. Stir to
combine. Beat the eggs slightly and add to the flour mixture. It will
be very dry. Add the raisins with the water. Stir until well combined.
Add all the other ingredients.

Grease two 8" x 4" loaf pans with butter and dust with flour. Divide
the batter between the two pans and bake in preheated 325 degree oven
for about 1 hour, or until wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes
out clean.

zxcvbob wrote:
>
> Floor Model wrote:
> > what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
> > used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
> > for our tastes. any ideas?
>
> Here's one that I saved but haven't tried yet. It looks a lot "cakier"
> than my usual fruitcake the bracketed notes are Margaret's:
>
> From: Margaret Suran >
> Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
> Subject: Recipe Request (non tradional fruitcake)
> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 21:00:56 -0400
> Message-ID: >
>
> Bishop's Bread (Bischofsbrot)
>
> l cup boiling water [I use orange juice for extra flavor]
> l cup raisins
> l ounce butter
> 2 cups flour
> 1 tsp baking soda
> 1 cup sugar [I use less, because the fruits are sweet]
> 3 large eggs
> l cup chopped dried California apricots [Turkish apricots do not have
> the same flavor or tartness]
> l cup fruitcake fruit or chopped dried fruit (apples, prunes, peaches,
> pineapple, cherries, cranberries, etc)
> 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
> 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
>
> Place raisins and butter into bowl and pour boiling water over it. Put
> aside to soak.
>
> In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and sugar. Stir to
> combine. Beat the eggs slightly and add to the flour mixture. It will
> be very dry. Add the raisins with the water. Stir until well combined.
> Add all the other ingredients.
>
> Grease two 8" x 4" loaf pans with butter and dust with flour. Divide
> the batter between the two pans and bake in preheated 325 degree oven
> for about 1 hour, or until wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes
> out clean.

I can vouch for this recipe. The Dear Lady Herself sent me some once.
Here's photographic evidence
http://tinypic.com/ejvb7n.jpg

The chocolate chips are an interesting addition. This is good stuff,
boys and girls!

Carol

I haven't made one in a few years, but I make them like the recipe
Wayne posted a year or so ago. It's a 'white' fruitcake and not dark
like most you see. Good gracious, it certainly is delicious! If I
remember correctly the fruit mixture and raisins are soaked in about a
cup or so of Triple Sec. I usually let mine soak overnight.

On 13 Oct 2005 07:37:02 -0700, Damsel wrote:

> It's that time of year again. I'll try to make a batch of this in
> early November. It's become an RFC favorite over the years.

Hey, you're supposed to make fruitcake in August... all the better to
ripen it, m'dear.

On 13 Oct 2005 09:49:21 -0700, Floor Model wrote:

> what I need is a recipe that's less on fruit, more on cake. My neighbor
> used to make one for us and the ones I've tried since are too fruity
> for our tastes. any ideas?


Use less fruit.

On 13 Oct 2005 19:26:30 +0200, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> That's the best kind - "maximum fruit - minimal cake" :-) After all, they do
> call it fruitcake.

I'm like "Floor Model", preferring more batter and less fruit - but I
can figure it out using a standard recipe. There is no such thing as
a failed fruitcake, especially when it's drenched in rum (my
preference) for a few months.

sf wrote:
>
> I'm like "Floor Model", preferring more batter and less fruit - but I
> can figure it out using a standard recipe. There is no such thing as
> a failed fruitcake, especially when it's drenched in rum (my
> preference) for a few months.

I always use rum, too. :-)

Carol