Classic Winter Fruitcake Recipes

DARK FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Prepare fruit mixture a day in advance. Combine fruits and nuts in a large bowl with brandy, vanilla, and molasses. Cover tightly and let stand overnight or up to 48 hours.
• Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in apple jelly; blend well.
• Add the fruit and nut mixture alternately with the sifted dry ingredients, using a heavy wooden spoon and/or hands for stirring. Stir until well blended.
• Generously grease 2 tube cake pans (10-inch), then line with waxed paper or parchment and grease again.
• Fill pans about 3/4 full. Bake at 250 F for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
• After 3 hours, begin testing cakes with toothpick or cake tester. The pick should come out clean when inserted in center of cake.
• Cool in pans on racks then turn out of pans and carefully peel off paper.
• Wrap cakes in cheesecloth and sprinkle generously with more of the brandy.
• Seal cakes in food storage bags or plastic wrap.
• Brush cakes once a week with more brandy and reseal. These fruitcakes should be mellowed for at least 4 weeks and they can be frozen after that amount of time.

CLASSIC WINTER FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Lightly beat the egg white in a shallow bowl and spread out the caster sugar on a baking sheet or tray. Dip the grapes and the holly or bay leaves into the egg white, or use a paintbrush. Shake off the excess, then coat in the sugar. Set aside to dry for at least 10 mins, ideally about 30 mins.
• When you're ready to decorate, make the frosting. Put a large bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Put the egg whites and icing sugar into the bowl and whisk for 5-7 mins until you have a thick, very glossy frosting. Use a spatula to clean around the edges of the bowl every so often as you whisk. Scoop the frosting onto the top of the cake and spread it around with a flat-edged knife, swirling as you go to create a snowy effect (see Knowhow, below).
• Halve the clementines, figs and kumquats, then arrange on top of the frosted cake with the physalis, frosted grapes and leaves. Fix a ribbon around the base and leave the cake somewhere cool - but not the fridge - until your guests arrive.

THE ULTIMATE CLASSIC FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Place raisins in a bowl. Add enough grand Marnier/Cointreau to cover them. Cover bowl and leave for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 150°C.
• In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time. If mixture looks a bit like splitting, add a little flour.
• Add sifted flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and Grand Marnier. Mix together.
• Gently fold in soaked raisins, dried chopped apricots, sultanas, chopped peel, cherries, walnuts and hazelnuts.
• Spoon the cake mix into 2 greased and lined 22cm spring form tins.
• Bake cakes for 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours.
• Remove and cool on wire rack. Once cool spray with more alcohol and wrap in cling film. Keep cakes in cool dry place until you ice/decorate them.
• ICING: Gently heat jam until spreadable. Spread over top and edges of cake.
• Roll out marzipan very thinly to the circumference of cake, also a strip around width of cake.
• Place marzipan on cake-gently pinch strip around top and side to stick them together. Repeat this with the icing. Mix together icing sugar, egg white and a few drops of food colouring into a smooth paste. Put into icing bag and decorate as desired.