Fantastic Fruitcake!
This is my own recipe and one that I can actually eat and enjoy. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a fan of fruitcake but in the interests of tradition, I decided to experiment 'way back when' and this delicious little cake is the result. It's made of naturally dried fruit and nuts, nothing dyed or chemically treated. Even the flour is organic. Back in the day, it was demerara sugar that was used as the sweetener.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. chopped dried papaya
- 1/2 lb. chopped dried peaches and pears soaked in 1/2 cup brandy
- 1 generous cup homemade candied mixed peel (lemon and orange)
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup currants
- 1 cup (generous) chopped dried honey dipped pineapple
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp Cointreau or other orange liqueur
- 1/2 lb. butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- grated zest of one lemon and one orange
- 3 eggs
- 2-3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup flour for fruit
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method:
Cream butter until very light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat. Add eggs, one at a time and beat very well. Mixture should not be grainy. If you prefer a lighter cake, separate the eggs and add the yolks only at this time. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Add flavour extracts and orange and lemon zest.
Mix the chopped fruit in a separate bowl and dredge with the 1/2 cup flour. Set aside.
Sift together 2-3/4 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture and fold in gently. If using separate egg whites, add them alternately with the dry ingredients.
Fold in fruit mixture. Put in a 9 x 5 loaf pan or another of your choice and decorate top with pecans. Bake at 300˚F until done. This may take as little as 1-1/2 hours or up to 3 hours depending on pan used. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick in centre of cake. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Cool on a rack. Wrap in cheesecloth soaked in liqueur or brandy if desired. Cover tightly and store in a cool place. Cake tastes best when aged for a month or so.
Feel free to use the liqueur of your choice. Orange is mine. You may prefer Amaretto (almond) or go for the gusto with brandy or rum.
This cake has a delightful flavour!
If you have trouble finding some of the ingredients locally, they are available though Amazon and are listed below.
 | Candied Pineapple Wedges, 1 lb. Amazon Price: $5.50 |
 | Candied Orange Peel, Diced, 8 oz. Amazon Price: $2.25 |
 | Candied Diced Lemon Peel, 8 oz. Amazon Price: $2.25 |
 | Bakto Flavors Natural Extract Collection, 12 1FL OZ These are pure, natural extracts. Certified kosher, pareve. Gluten-free, no added color or sugar and not genetically modified. Amazon Price: $34.99 |
 | Dried Papaya Spears, 8 oz. Low sugar and unsulphured fruit Amazon Price: $2.50 |
 | Dried Peaches, 8 oz. These peaches are unsulphured and dried naturally so they will be darker and drier than sulphured fruit. They taste amazing! Amazon Price: $3.75 |
 | Zante Currants, 8 oz. Unsulphured. Amazon Price: $2.75 |
 | Pears, 1lb Sun-dried, high in fiber, and Kosher! Amazon Price: $7.50 |
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