Ever So Easy Fruitcake Recipes

FRUITCAKE - EVER SO EASY!

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 300°. Grease and flour a 10" Bundt pan, or spray with PAM that has flour already in it, like Baker's Joy.
• 2. Combine the flour and baking soda; set aside.
• 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Stir well.
• 4. Blend the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring well. The batter will be VERY stiff. Just continue to work it in, until all is moistened and well-blended.
• 5. Turn the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
• 6. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Test doneness with a wooden pick or a strand of spaghetti. Don't overbake! ... it will dry out your cake.
• 7. Allow to cool in the Bundt pan for a good 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
• 8. Glaze and garnish cake as desired. I sometimes pour an orange juice glaze over it; it gives it a nice glossy sheen and helps seal in the cake's moisture. For Orange Juice Glaze: In a small saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir well to dissolve sugar, while bringing to a boil. Allow mixture to stay at a soft boil for about a minute or more. Remove from heat and set aside. Mixture will thicken a bit as it cools. Use a pastry brush to paint the glaze onto the cake, thereby sealing in the cake's moisture.
• 9. When completely cooled, store fruitcake in a cake storer that has a nice, tight seal, so cake will stay moist.

EVER-SO-EASY FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
• Combin flour and baking soda; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; blend in dry ingredients.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool 15 minutes. Turn out of pan. Garnish as desired.

THE BEST FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine the raisins, currants, apricots, figs, prunes, dates, walnuts, pecans, orange zest, lemon zest, candied ginger, pumpkin pie spice and cloves in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add 1 cup of the brandy, orange liqueur and molasses and stir to coat. Cover and set aside to macerate overnight. (Alternatively, cover the bowl and microwave 2 minutes, or until very hot. Leave covered and let sit until almost all the liquid has been absorbed into the fruit and nuts, about 2 hours.)
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and line each with 2 pieces of parchment, one lengthwise and one crosswise, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour over the soaked fruit mixture and toss to coat. Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the flour mixture until the batter is blended and smooth. Pour the batter over the fruit mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until all the fruit is coated in batter.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, the tops spring back slightly when pressed and a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove each cake from its pan using the parchment overhang and place on the rack to cool completely.
• To store, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic and then foil. The wrapped fruitcakes can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.