Not Your Mommas Fruitcake Recipes

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:

• Drain cherries, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Cut in half. Drain prunes, reserving 6 tablespoons syrup. Pit prunes.
• Cream sugar, shortening and eggs or egg substitute at medium speed of a mixer for two minutes. Stir in cherries, reserved cherry and prune juice, prunes, walnuts, whiskey, pineapple and raisins. Combine flour and dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture and stir well.
• Spoon batter into a 10 inch tube or bundt pan coated with cooking oil spray. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan and let cool completely. Store in tightly wrapped plastic wrap. Slice and enjoy.

Steps:

• The day before: chop dates into small pieces and put in a glass bowl. Add rum. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 8 hours, or overnight, to absorb the rum. You can leave this step out if you want but I find it makes the dates more delicious and the cookies have more flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Dice candied cherries and pineapple into small pieces and place in a very large bowl; I use the top of my cake carrier. Add pecans, followed by dates. Add 1 cup flour. Toss well to coat all of the pieces and break them up so they are not sticking together.
• Whisk baking soda into the milk and let it dissolve.
• Mix shortening into the fruit. Add remaining flour, sugar, eggs, orange juice, nutmeg, salt, and milk-baking soda mixture. Mix together with your hands just until you no longer see the flour. Try not to overmix. The batter will be very dense.
• Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to drop the cookies onto the prepared pans, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire cooling racks.

Steps:

• 1. Sift all dry ingredients together. Coat fruit and nuts with just enough of flour mixture (about 1 cup) to ensure that the fruit does not stick together; set aside.
• 2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• 3. Add remaining dry mixture to egg, sugar and butter mixture; add liquor and vanilla; mix well.
• 4. Pour the creamed mixture over the fruit and nuts. Hand stir until mixed well.
• 5. Pour into 2 10-inch waxed paper lined tube pans, garnish top of cake with cherries, pineapple slices and pecan halves; place in cold oven, set oven at 275 degrees; bake 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. MY MOHTERS RECIPE STATES BAKE IN SLOW OVEN FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 HOURS. IT TOOK MUCH LONGER IN MY OVEN.
• 6. Once cakes are done, cool and wrap in wine soaked cheesecloth, then in Reynolds Wrap and then wrap in towels.
• 7. NOTE: The secret to these wonderful cakes is in the aging process. Mama would age her cakes from 2 to 3 weeks. Once a week she would un-wrap the cakes and pour enough liquor over the cakes to keep them moist until Christmas.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the fruits and nuts in a large bowl. Beat on low for 1 minute to combine the ingredients. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into greased floured loaf pans (3).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool in pans for 20-30 minutes, then turn out on a wir rack and cool completely.