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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