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Holiday Sweet Treats - Fruit Cake

A few years back I took over the holiday baking in my family. But with that comes some requirements, must haves on the sweet treat list. One being our families fruitcake or as my mom always called it ‘White Fruitcake’. I have no idea where the name came from, I just assumed it’s because it used white flour instead of whole wheat… I guess I should ask what that’s all about. But more importantly it’s a recipe that has been made in my family, now for 4 generations. And though it’s a pain to make, mainly due to the long bake time, I’m grateful it’s apart of my holiday traditions. I hope you enjoy it as well!



Aunt Margaret & Nana’s White Fruit Cake


Ingredients: Makes 3 10" loaves or 9 small loaves


4 ½ C Flour

3 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

½ C Butter

½ C Shortening

2 C Sugar

6 eggs

1 C Orange Juice

1 C Blanched Almond halves/slivers

1 C Chopped Dried Apricots, citron, orange peel, lemon peel (1/3 C of each)

1 C Sliced Candied Cherries & Pineapple (1/2 C of each)

1 tsp Lemon Extract

Butter (for greasing the loaf pan)

Flour (for dusting the loaf pan)



Tools:

Oven

Electric Mixer

10” Loaf Pans (3) OR 9 Small Loaf Pans

Sifter

2 -3 Mixing bowls

Dry Measuring Cup

Liquid Measuring Cup

Measuring Spoons

Spatula

Knife

Cutting Board

Tooth Pick

Parchment Paper

Cooling Rack

2 Gallon Plastic Bag


Instructions:


16 oz Deluxe Fruit Cake Mix - Includes all your dried fruit except the dried apricots

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees

2. Slice & Chop dried fruits and almonds

  • Short Cut - Buy pre-cut dried fruit and nuts

  • If you use a 16 oz Deluxe Fruit Cake Mix, you'll still need 1/3 C Dried Apricots

  • Yes, you can use regular dried fruit, it does not have be candied

3. In a gallon plastic bag or a mixing bowl - combine dried fruit (apricot, citron, orange peel, lemon peel, cherries, & pineapple) and almond with a couple tablespoons of extra flour. Shake to coat and set aside.

4. Prep Loaf Pans - coat with butter (base and edges) and dust with flour (base and edges)



5. Sift Dry Ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt & ground cardamom) into a bow

6. In a separate bowl cream together: butter, shortening, sugar & lemon extract

7. Turn off mixer, scrape down bowl with a spatula

8. Once creamed add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each egg

9. Turn off mixer, scrape down bowl with spatula

10. Add flour mixture to the egg batter, alternating with orange juice

  • I add the flour mixture in ¼ C increments and juice a couple tablespoons at a time.

11. Once fully mixed, turn off mixer, scrape down bowl with spatula

12. Add dried fruit and almonds, mix to the batter

13. Split batter equally between 3 - 10” loaf pans or 9 Small loaf pans

14. Place pans in order and cover tops with parchment paper

15. Bake for 2 hours at 275 degrees

  • Original recipe says to bake from 3-4 hours but for the past 10 years (per my mom’s notes) it’s baked in 2.5 hours.

  • For the small loaf pans bake for an hour and a half

16. Remove parchment paper

17. Bake for an additional half hour

18. Test doneness with a toothpick, should come out clean

19. Let cool on a cooling rack

  • Once at room temperature, flip upside down to release from pan. Place fruit cake directly on cooling rack and cool.

  • We use the small loaf pans as gifts and do not remove the fruit cake from the pans

20. Once completely cooled, store in gallon plastic bag, wrap in plastic wrap or store in food safe storage container.


How to eat… slice and serve or in our family we slice, toast and top with butter to enjoy with our morning coffee.


Happy Holiday's - Poppy & Vine


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