Old Fashioned Moist Fruit Cake Recipes

RICH DARK FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Wash and dry the raisins and the currants. Wash, dry, pit, and chop the dates. Chop the raisins and the citrus peel. Slice the cherries. Blanch the almonds, and slice them lengthwise. Combine fruits and nuts in large bowl.
• Grease and line 3 standard Christmas cake pans (these round pans are at least 3 inches deep and come in a set of three sizes- 5, 7, and 9 inch across) with 4 layers of heavy waxed paper, or 3 layers of brown paper. Grease again. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices onto a piece of waxed paper. Remove 1 cup of this flour mixture, and combine with fruit and nuts. Mix until fruit is well coated.
• Cream the butter until fluffy. Add extracts. Gradually add sugar, mixing until creamy. Beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored, and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the molasses, and beat together well. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, and blend thoroughly.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into batter. Stir in lightly the remaining flour mixture alternately with grape juice and coffee. Add floured fruit and nuts, blending in until fruit is well distributed.
• Turn batter into prepared cake tins, filling each about 2/3 full and spreading batter evenly. Bake in center of oven. Bake small cake 2 1/2 hours, medium cake 3 1/2 hours, and large cake 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to cool.

SUPER MOIST FRUIT CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Step 1.Boil the dry fruits In a medium saucepan, combine the butter with the raisins, cranberries, brown sugar,molasses and water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let stand for 45 minutes or until it is cool.Step 2.Add all the rest of ingredientsAdd the eggs (lightly beaten) and vanilla extract(optional) and the nuts.Add in the flour mix which is Flour+Baking powder+Salt+Ground spices+Zest of orange and lemon.I didn't add the spices and the zest of lemon and orange into the boil mix because we need to preserve the fresh smell of those spices and that of lemon and orange.The taste of a fruit cake is mostly the aroma of that cake :)Mix everything together, just until everything is well incorporated.Step 3.Bake the fruit cakeTransfer the batter into the prepared pan.7 inch pan / 8 inch pan will work. Bake in the center of the oven @ 320F for about 75-90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Large baking tray (8 inch) will take slightly less baking time. Let the cake cool completely.Unmold the cake and transfer to a serving platter. This fruit cake is best to serve the next day.The flavor and texture of cake improves a lot with that time.The cake may seem buttery and crumbly and less flavorful if we cut it immediately it is cooled.

WORLD'S BEST FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• The Day Before Baking: Combine the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl. Add the dark rum, cover, and allow the mixture to soak at room temperature for a minimum of 12 hours, or ideally 24 hours prior to preparing the fruit cake batter.
• Prepare the Fruitcake: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) with a rack in the center position. Set aside two 8x4-inch All Clad Pro-Release Bakeware Loaf Pans. If using these pans, you do not need to line or grease the pans prior to adding the batter. Equipment Note: This fruitcake can also be prepared using 9x5-inch loaf pans. If using other types of pans, lightly grease and line with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and light brown sugar together over medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating just until each egg is incorporated. The mixture will look slightly broken, that's ok.
• Over low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just absorbed. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the lemon zest, orange zest, fresh orange juice, grated apple, slivered almonds, diced candied ginger, soaked dried fruit mixture (along with any liquid if it hasn't already been absorbed), and chocoate (if using). Stir mixture with a large spatula, scraping the edges and bottom of the bowl several times, until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. It is a very thick, fruit heavy mixture.
• Transfer and divide the batter evenly among the loaf pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth the batter into an even layer. Set the loaf pans on the center rack, several inches apart from one another. Bake - rotating the pans halfway - for 75 to 90 minutes or until the batter is set and the tops are golden brown. The edges of the cake may also start to pull away slightly from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely before removing from the pans.
• Storing and Aging: Once the cake has cooled, carefully remove the cakes from the loaf pans and set upright. Soak two large pieces of cheesecloth in medium sherry or triple sec (*they should be lightly damp, not soaking wet when you wrap the cakes, so you may need to squeeze out any excess liquor). Wrap each cake tightly. Cover loafs with wax paper and foil before transferring to a large Ziploc bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 to 8 weeks (it can often last even longer). You can serve this cake right after it has cooled, but the flavors improve greatly with time (I recommend several days or up to a week, at minimum). Unwrap and re-soak the cheesecloth once a week.
• For Garnishing: If desired, you can top the fruitcake with a light apricot glaze and whole pecans before serving. Note: I don't recommend glazing the cake if you wish to continue to wrap and age the fruitcake. To Prepare the Glaze: Combine the apricot preserves and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a light simmer, stirring until the glaze is shiny and thin. If it is too thin for glazing, reduce to desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, add a teaspoon of water. Brush the tops of the fruitcakes with apricot glaze and garnish with whole pecans.
• Serving Notes: Slice fruit cake with a serrated knife. Serve on its own or spread with a small amount of salted butter.

GRANDMA'S MOLASSES FRUITCAKE

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.

OLD-FASHIONED FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine chopped candied cherries, pineapple, raisins/dates, and pecans in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the flour; mix well to coat. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium speed until well combined, light, and creamy.
• By hand, stir in fruit mixture, remaining flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Drop approximately one tablespoon of dough 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350℉ for 10-12 minutes until the edges and centers look cooked through.
• Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
• For the candied cherries, you can use red, green, or a combination of 1/2 cup of each. We always use a combination of both colors.
• We do not recommend substituting fruit cake mix for the candied cherries and candied pineapple. Though it's already chopped (which is nice), fruit cake mix also contains lemon peel/citron, which is strong flavored and overpowering in these cookies.
• If you're like me and like to under-bake your cookies, note that these fruitcake cookies do not lend themselves well to under-baking. Fruitcake cookies get more moist as they sit, and will turn too gooey if under-baked.

WHITE FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F and line loaf pans with parchment paper.
• Blend eggs, vanilla, sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.
• Add salt, baking powder, and flour and mix.
• Mix in pineapple and juice, cherries, raisins, dried cherries, and pecans.
• Fill the tins with fruit cake batter and spread to even the surface.
• Bake at 300° for 1 1⁄2 hours. Start testing for doneness with 20 minutes left, to prevent over-cooking.