This Christmas Fruitcake is a dense but moist cake chockful of dried fruits and nuts laced with liquor. It is a festive baked deal with that is scrumptious as a dessert and ideal for vacation gift-giving!

I used to go to my mother within the Philippines not less than twice a 12 months, however I used to be not at all times in a position to take the journey across the holidays. Christmastime is a busy season for us meals bloggers, and I normally spend the final quarter of the 12 months cooped up at dwelling, testing and growing new Noche Buena recipes for the weblog, similar to oven-roasted pig head, pasta fruit salad, and bibingka.

One 12 months, although, I got here ready and adequately armed for work. I introduced alongside my digital camera, tripod, and laptop computer. I additionally made a background board and acquired a couple of plates, bowls, and props to make use of for images. I used to be staying for 3 months, so I believed I would as effectively mix enterprise with pleasure and make some recipes.

As if on cue, a highschool classmate messaged me on Fb asking if I would be considering taking some baking courses. She runs a home-based bakeshop, so I used to be excited to study from her. I’ve a number of tasty baked goodies I would love so that you can strive, like ube pandesal and coconut macaroons, and I am keen so as to add this fruitcake she taught me to the checklist!

What’s fruitcake

A fruitcake is a kind of bread made with dried fruits, nuts, and spices.  It is historically served for wedding ceremony celebrations and in the course of the Christmas season.

Relying on the regional variation, texture can vary from mild and ethereal crumbs to wealthy and dense. Some are topped with nuts and glazed fruits; others are coated in buttercream or ganache fondant, whereas the extra conventional ones are brushed with orange marmalade after which wrapped in Marzipan and Royal Icing.

Though some variations are alcohol-free, fruitcakes are normally laced with spirits similar to bourbon, rum, brandy, whiskey, or flavored liqueurs, which, together with the spices, give them their distinct taste. The nuts and dried fruits are soaked in alcohol, ideally in a single day, to melt and moisten the cake.

Christmas fruitcake baking steps

1. Soak the dried fruits and nuts in liquor in a single day or for 2 to 3 days in a non-reactive bowl to rehydrate and forestall them from drawing moisture from the cake batter.
2. In one other bowl, mix margarine, sugar, syrup, eggs, orange focus, molasses, and two tablespoons of brandy. Beat with an electrical mixer till effectively blended.
3. Add flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Beat till well-blended.
4. Add ½ of the fruit and nut combination and stir to mix. Calmly grease the perimeters and backside of the loaf pans with shortening and line with parchment paper.
5. Pour the batter into the ready loaf pans as much as ⅔ full, spooning half the fruit and nut combination over the batter. Adorn with glazed cherries. Bake in a preheated 300 F oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear.
6. Take away from oven, place on a wire rack, and let cool for about 5 minutes. Fastidiously elevate the fruitcakes from the baking pans and allow them to cool utterly. Brush all sides with brandy or rum.

Getting older the fruitcake

After baking, the muffins are wrapped in liquor-soaked cheesecloth/muslin or brushed liberally with the alcohol and wrapped tightly. This step of the ageing course of acts as a preservative therapy that forestalls yeast and mould development and hinders spoilage. Do not contact the fruitcake with naked fingers, and use clear gloves to forestall the introduction of micro organism.

Non-alcoholic fruitcake

You should utilize fruit juices like apple, grape, cranberry, or orange for fruitcakes with out alcohol. Please be aware that these muffins lack the bacteria-inhibiting properties of excessive alcohol content material. To delay shelf life, you may add ½ teaspoon potassium sorbate.

Tips on how to serve

Give this Christmas fruitcake a strive. It is a festive addition to your vacation dessert menu and ideal for gift-giving. Take pleasure in a slice or two with espresso, tea, or tsokolate for a scrumptious deal with any time of the day!

Tips on how to retailer

• Between servings, wrap the fruitcake in plastic movie and put it in an hermetic container to retain moisture and forestall the cake from drying. Retailer in a cool, dry place for as much as one week. For longer storage, refrigerate for as much as 2 months.
• You too can freeze the fruitcake for as much as 4 months. Wrap it in plastic movie and aluminum foil, guaranteeing the cake and foil don’t are available in contact.

Did you make this? Be sure you depart a assessment under and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Fb and Instagram!

Simple Vacation Fruitcake loaded with glazed fruit and nuts. A dense but moist cake laced with liquor, it is an ideal vacation deal with good for dessert or gift-giving.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes minutes

Soaking: 8 hours hrs

Course: Baked Items, Dessert

16 Servings

Components

• ¼ cup margarine, melted
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup mild syrup
• 2 eggs medium eggs (about ⅓ cup)
• ¼ cup orange focus
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1 ⅛ cup flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon allspice
• 3 teaspoons glazed cherries

Fruit and Nuts Combination

• 2 cups glazed fruits
• 1 cup raisins or sultanas
• ½ cup pitted dates
• 1 cup toasted almonds or cashews
• 1 cup pili nuts
• ½ cup brandy

Directions

• In a non-reactive bowl, mix dried fruits, nuts, and the ½ cup brandy. Soak in a single day.

• Preheat oven to 300 F to 325 F.

• Calmly grease sides and backside of three 6 x 3 x 2 loaf pans with shortening and line with parchment paper or brown baking paper. Put aside.

• In one other bowl, mix margarine, sugar, syrup, eggs, orange focus, molasses, and a couple of tablespoons brandy. With an electrical mixer, beat till effectively blended.

• Add flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Beat till well-blended.

• Add ½ the fruit and nut combination and stir to mix.

• Pour batter into ready loaf pans till they’re ⅔ full. Spoon the remaining half of the fruit and nut combination over the batter. Adorn with glazed cherries.

• Place the pans within the preheated oven. Place a separate pan of water within the oven on a rack beneath the fruitcake.

• Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear.

• Take away from oven, place on a wire rack, and permit to chill for about 5 minutes.

• Fastidiously elevate the fruitcakes from baking pans and let cool utterly.

• Brush all sides with brandy or rum.

• Wrap with muslin or cheesecloth and retailer at room temperature in a styrofoam field or tin can.

• Brush fruitcake with brandy each week for 4 weeks, then each two weeks.

Notes

• If unable to search out pili nuts, substitute pecans or walnuts. 
• Line the baking pans with parchment paper on all sides to forestall the batter from drying out and the outer edges from burning as a result of lengthy baking time.
• To forestall extreme browning, use shortening as a substitute of butter to grease the pans flippantly.
• Bake low and sluggish at 300 F to 325 F. Place a pan of sizzling water on the oven ground to maintain the cake good and moist.
• Use clear gloves to deal with the fruitcake to forestall contamination and introduction of micro organism.

Video

Vitamin Info

Energy: 384kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 9g, Fats: 14g, Saturated Fats: 3g, Ldl cholesterol: 113mg, Sodium: 179mg, Potassium: 424mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 311IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 83mg, Iron: 2mg

“This web site gives approximate diet info for comfort and as a courtesy solely. Vitamin knowledge is gathered primarily from the USDA Meals Composition Database, each time accessible, or in any other case different on-line calculators.”