Friday, December 11, 2015

Flashback Friday - Minx Fruitcake

Fruitcake is one of those things that one either loves or hates. The majority of people proclaim to hate it, but judging from the quantity of fruitcake one sees in the shops this time of year, *somebody* likes it. Other than my Dad, that is. He'll even eat the cheap-o square fruitcake logs full of plastic-looking dyed "fruit" they sell in drug stores.

I've never been a fan of the stuff myself. Until I made my own. Years back, I made a couple of fruitcakes that I soaked in booze. The idea was to allow them to mellow in the fridge for a few weeks until Christmas came around. Unfortunately, the fridge I used had humidity control issues. By Christmas day, the cakes were both green and fuzzy, and I had to throw all that work away. Now I tend to make my fruitcakes closer to Christmas, and I don't worry about boozing them up too much

--Kathy


This post was originally published on December 23, 2011.
------------------
Minx Fruitcake

Believe it or not, people have been asking for my fruitcake recipe. I usually just give guidelines but have finally put the whole thing in one place. Please to enjoy - it really is good! (And I normally hate fruitcake.)


Minx Fruitcake

1 1/2 cups of assorted dried fruits (chopped apricots, chopped figs, cherries, pineapple, blueberries, raisins, currants, candied ginger, cranberries)
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup candied orange rind
1/4 cup chopped neon green or red cherries for fruitcake (optional)
1 cup assorted roasted unsalted nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, filberts)
booze

Put dried fruit in a microwave-safe bowl and pour over the rum. Stir well, cover with plastic wrap, and nuke on high for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a loaf pan with release spray and set aside. Combine the first five ingredients in the bowl of a mixer (or use a hand mixer) and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and spices. Add the macerated fruit (plus the rum) and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

With the fruitcake still in the loaf pan, poke holes in it with a toothpick. Pour over about 1/4 cup booze of your choice (rum is nice). Allow to soak in. Add another 1/4 cup or so after the cake has cooled a bit. When cake is completely cool, remove from loaf pans and wrap tightly in foil.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Follow on Bloglovin

Posted on Minxeats.com.