Closet Cooking

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Christmas Fruit Cake

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Christmas Fruit Cake

Though I am sure that I have had Christmas fruit cake before I did not really remember it. Given that and the controversy around fruit cake when I saw some posts about Christmas cake I knew that I would have to try making one to find out. All of the recipes that I saw called for making the cake a few weeks ahead of time to let it mature. Many of the recipes called for "feeding" the cake brandy on a regular basis while it matured. I did not want my cake to end up being too heavy with brandy so I decided to just soak the fruits in some brandy and then I wrapped the cake in cheese cloth that was soaked in brandy while it matured. Some of the recipes that I came across called for adding a layer of marzipan and a layer of icing but I wanted to keep my fruit cake nice and simple so I skipped the frosting layers. After waiting for over a month I finally unwrapped the fruit cake to try today. I am not really sure why fruit cakes have such a bad wrap as this fruit cake was really good. It was nice and moist and full flavour! The cake had a hint of booze without being overwhelmed by it. I think that I will be making a Christmas fruit cake again next year.

Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake

ingredients
  • 1 cup currants
  • 1 cup mixed candied peel
  • 3/4 cup candied pineapple (chopped)
  • 3/4 cup red candied cherries (halved)
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter (softened)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cups walnuts (chopped)
directions
  1. Mix the currants, mixed peel, pineapple, cherries, raisins and the brandy in a bowl, cover and let sit for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
  2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.
  3. Mix 1/4 cup of the dry mixture into the wet mixture.
  4. Mix the butter, sugar, jam and molasses in a bowl.
  5. Mix the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time.
  6. Mix the remaining flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture.
  7. Mix in the fruit mixture along with the nuts.
  8. Pour the mixture into baking pans lined with double parchment paper.
  9. Place a baking pan with water on the lower rack of the oven.
  10. Cover the cake pans with foil and bake on the middle racks of a preheated 300F/150C oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 45-60 minutes.
  11. Let cool.
  12. Soak some cheese cloth in some brandy and wrap it around the cake.
  13. Wrap the cake in foil and refrigerate for 30 days.
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Comments

  1. Nice work! I often find fruit cake too “boozy” for me, although my dearly beloved does love it. It is very heavy, and I’ve never seen it frosted, because it’s moist enough, and I guess you wouldn’t want it heavier. Yours is beautiful, Kevin!

    Reply

  2. Just catching up on my blog reading after several days away – hopefully my life will go back to normal soon!

    Anyway, my parents had friends that exchanged the SAME fruit cake for over 30 years back and forth – I may have to try your recipe though!

    Reply

  8. MERRY CHRISTMAS, KEVIN!

    I just made my fruit cake today with lots of marzipan inside the cake.
    Yours look so nice and moist. Delicious as always.
    Elra

    Reply

  11. I love homemade fruit cake but not the store bought kind. I think the store bought kind are way too sweet. I just love your fruitcake. It look prefectly moist and just the right amount of fruits in it. Merry Christams to you Kevin.

    Reply

  14. That looks so pretty! I never knew fruit cakes could keep so long. Btw.. Sears at Eaton centre does not have Chicago Metallic, but they do at Winners, although I hate searching through the madness there.

    Reply

  15. I have actually had a few friut cakes that I really enjoyed. I think a lot of it depends on the quality of the ingredients. I want to make one with dried fruits instead one day, then I think a glaze would be appropriate. Yours sounds very nice.

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  22. I admit, I am kind of a fruitcake hater. They just don’t seem appetizing. Making it yourself? That sounds a little better. I think I really liked the fruits you used in this version. Maybe next year I will have to give it a go. Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  35. Kevin – Merry Christmas to you! Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my blog.
    And yes, this would be a fruitcake I would eat with a bit of cream cheese on it.

    Reply

  42. What a beautiful fruitcake ! I’ve tried a couple of other recipes but they didn’t slice well, whereas yours sliced very neatly. BTW Kevin – what size baking pan did you use for this recipe ?
    thanks

    Reply

  43. Hello,

    Thanks for your food blog. Your fruit cake looks lovely. Thanks again….I want to try making your other dishes like beef stragonoff…the photos are so great too….Sam

    Reply

  44. Love your fruit cake receipe and what a beautiful photo of it. Want to try your other receipes like the beef strogonoff. Thanks good job! Sam

    Reply

  47. Kevin,
    My English friend came over with fruit cake, it was super moist like your. The recipe called for 12 cups of flour. That’s a lot of fruit cake. I was thankful that she shared.

    -Tien

    Reply

  49. Kevin,

    That is very interesting recipe. I never liked fruit cakes… especially those sold here around Christmas… but yours sounds really good… If not this 30 day waiting time, I would try it just now. I admire your patience…

    Happy New Year to You 🙂

    Margot

    Reply

  50. I just don’t like candied fruit, so I make fruitcake with dried fruit only. But no objection to fruitcake in and of itself, and lurid red cherries aside, yours looks pretty darn good.

    Reply

  57. Anonymous: Tea would work for keeping the cake moist and tender and infuse it with flavour. Keep in mind though that the alcohol also acts as a preservative and this allows Christmas cakes to last for long periods of time. Without the alcohol I am not sure how long the cake would last. Juices like apple juice would also work.

    Reply

  58. Kevin, my mother made fruit cakes for years and never put any alcohol in them and they would stay for months if she hid them!!!! She used a recipe from Wesson Oil called of all the Wesson Oil fruit cake from way back when. She usually made them in a tube cake pan and made 8-10 every year. I think you would like this one!!!!

    Reply

  60. My mum made that cake every birthday while I was still young enough for Christmas parties and when my son was born she made one and brought it over. In Israel they have what is called 'English cake'!!! What a laugh. Half an ounce of raisins makes an English cake.

    Reply

  61. Next year I'll try your's since it is to late for this year. I have already started on my baking. Every year I use to try new recipes of fruit cakes to give for Christmas and than I got to busy to bake. I am now retired and have plenty of time to cook.

    Reply

  62. This was the best recipe I have ever made for fruit cake, so moist. I replaced the brandy with spiced rum and we all loved it. Forever in my favourites. thank you!

    June

    Reply

  63. Very similar to the cake my Mom used to make, except she used Burgundy wine for the liquid. When it was cooling, she poured more wine over the cake, wrapped it in waxed paper and foil and stored it in the coolness of the jam room in our basement. She would make about a dozen a year.

    Reply

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