Christmas or Wedding Fruit Cake

     
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    A tried & true 3rd generation recipe, makes a dark fruitcake!
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    1 lb. seedless raisins
    1 lb. sultana raisins
    1 lb. currants
    1 1/2 lb. seeded raisins
    3/4 lb. cherries (candied- mixed red & green)
    3/4 lb. dates - chopped
    1/2 lb. candied citron orange peel ( or mixed if need be)
    1/3 lb. blanched almonds
    2 tsp. ea. cinnamon and nutmeg
    1/2 tsp allspice
    1/3 lb. pecans
    3 3/4 c. flour
    1 lb. butter
    2 cups white sugar
    12 eggs
    1/2 cup fruit juice (I use grape juice) or rum
    2 tsp. vanilla
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp ground cloves
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    Reserve 1/2 c. flour- use to flour all fruit & nuts except the cherries
    Mix basic cake ingredients (except fruit, nuts, citron & cherries) as per normal batter.
    Then add batter to the floured fruit, mix well.
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    Using 3 tiered pans (I use square stacking ones with removable bottoms), grease
    parchment paper (or in a pinch brown paper -either wrapping or grocery bags),
    place in pans- getting corners as straight as possible. Place a layer of batter, then
    place the cherries- alternating colors across the pan- add a layer of batter, repeat ending with batter. Fill all pans evenly.
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    Bake @ 275F for 3-4 hours. I place a pan of water in the over to add moisture
    while they are baking. The test for doneness is when the top springs back when indented with a light touch. Tops will be browned and some slight cracking may occur.
    Let cool- remove from pans still in paper.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in
    plastic bags. Age in refrigerator. They may be brushed with brandy or rum occasionally.
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    The longer they age, the richer they become. Use icing for wedding cakes found in any good
    cookbook,  or when ready to make the wedding cake, take it to a baker to have them professionally assemble and decorate the cake.
    For a large wedding, you can also make more cakes and these can be cut and packaged
    ahead of time for the bride and groom to give away.
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    Note: In Canada, this is our version of a Wedding Cake, very traditional, frosted
    with a layer of almond paste icing then the hard royal ornamental frosting, usually in white often with colored ornamental frosting roses, with the cake layers supported by columns. Figures of a bride and groom or fresh flowers are on top of the cake.  At the wedding the
    cake is cut by the Bride and Groom and they feed each other a small piece of cake.
    Later the Bride and Groom will wander through the reception with a pretty basket, passing out small pieces of  wrapped wedding cake. (a 1 x 1 x 3 in. piece)
    The cake is wrapped in colored foil, to match the wedding theme, and usually rolled in a small paper doily and tied with a piece of curling ribbon.
    Tradition says that if you take the piece of cake home and sleep with it under your
    pillow, you will dream about the one you are to marry.
    The top tier of the wedding cake is saved (frozen - fruitcake keeps 'forever') and
    it is served at the christening of the first born.
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