Grandmas Fruit Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch tube pan and one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves into a large bowl. Stir in the applesauce and oil, then mix in the raisins, dates, mixed fruit and 2 cups of walnuts. Pour into the prepared pans. Pans should be about 3/4 full if using mini pans, or an assortment.
• Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8x8-inch baking pans.
• Bring water and raisins to a boil in a saucepan; cook until raisins are plump, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool raisins; reserve raisin water.
• Mix 3 cups flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Place pecans and 2 tablespoons flour in a resealable plastic bag; close and shake bag until pecans are coated. Pour pecans into a colander and shake off excess flour.
• Whisk sugar, oil, eggs, and cooled raisin water together in a bowl; fold in candied fruit. Stir flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, into sugar mixture until fully incorporated; fold in raisins and pecans. Fill the prepared pans a little over half full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C); bake until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 more hour.

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE:.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium pot, cook the dried fruits, bourbon and orange juice just until the fruits are plump - about four to five minutes. There will be some liquid left.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the orange juice bourbon and fruit mixture. Stir to combine.
• Pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool.
• When cake is completely cooled, seal in an airtight container. Every two to three days, feel the cake and if dry, brush with more bourbon. Continue to baste for two weeks for maximum flavor, or eat whenever you want.
• FOR THE GLAZE:.
• Mix all glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top of the cake.
• OPTIONAL:.
• Feel Free to use any and all dried fruits in this: chopped dried peaches, dried apples, dried pears, dates - if it's dried, it will work!
• For a chocolatey twist, add ¾ cup chopped semisweet chocolate to the batter.
• Get nutty: add pecans or hazelnuts to the batter or the top of the cake for a nutty, crunchy variation.
• Garnish the top of the cake in festive holiday style. Dried fruit slices, cinnamon sticks, red and green cherries are all seasonally appropriate.
• Traditionally, fruitcake is boozy, but feel free to use apple cider in place of the bourbon.
• I like to use a bundt pan for this but you can use a loaf pan, a 9-inch cake pan or even make fruit cake cupcakes!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Grease and flour three 9x5-in. loaf pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper; grease and flour the paper. Combine currants, raisins, walnuts, candied citron and 1/4 cup flour. Toss to coat; set aside., Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. In another bowl, whisk baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and remaining flour; add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee. Stir into currant mixture and mix well., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 days to blend flavors. Slice and bring to room temperature before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Pecans chopped roughly, almonds slivered and soak overnight in orange juice.
• Pineapple to be cut in tidbit size, cherries cut in quarters, citron peel cut fine, be sure to wash raisins, soak overnight in grape juice and rum.
• Set aside one cup of flour from recipe to sprinkle over the fruit before adding to batter.
• Cream butter at room temperature like whipped cream.
• Add sugar gradually until no sugar grains remain (about 15 minutes).
• Beat in egg yolks throughly.
• Stir in jelly and melted chocolate.
• Blend in flour and baking powder.
• Add fruit with hands small amounts at a time mixing well.
• Add almonds and pecans (juice as well if still leftover).
• Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
• Line pans with thin cardboard bottom and sides.
• Line pans with tin foil over the cardboard.
• Fill pans 3/4 full with batter (5-6 loaf pans).
• Bake at 275°F for 2 1/2 hours.
• If you use mini-pans you will have to watch the baking.
• You will know they are done when the tops are slightly dark.
• Possible cracking of the loaf--little bit springy, but not too springy.
• Cool on racks before removing.
• Peel off tin foil gently wrap in Saran Wrap (or cheesecloth if you are planning to soak in rum afterwards).
• Then wrap in tin foil store in a cool place tin container.

Steps:

• Day one.
• Mix the first 11 ingredients into a large heavy based pot, place over a medium heat. Stir and bring to the boil (don't leave it alone in case it burns at the base).
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, you can leave it alone for this part.
• Turn the heat off and add the orange juice, stir until well combined and leave overnight to soak. Place a lid over the top to stop moisture evaporating through the night.
• Day 2.
• In the cold pot with the pre-soaked fruit mixture add the remaining ingredients and stir well, be warned - you will need some serious elbow grease as the mixture will be very thick!
• In either 2 large and deep loaf tins or a deep 20x20cm grease and line the sides and base 4 times with brown paper (I use brown paper bags that I have sliced open). Have the paper create a rim that goes up and above the tin. For a square tin you will need around 8 paper bags.
• Place the cake mix into the prepared tin/s. Bang the cake tin on the floor about 10 times to get all the air bubbles out.
• Using a wet hand, smooth the cake to make it flat. At this stage you can choose to decorate the top with blanched almonds or not.
• Place into a cold oven, turn the oven up to 250 degrees F/150 degrees C for 3 1/2 - 4 hours for 1 large cake or 2 1/2 - 3 hours for 2 loaves. Rotate the cakes at least once during cooking - even it you have a fan forced oven. Cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin, cake is best eaten the day after baking.
• Store in an airtight container for upto 5-7 days depending on your humidity.