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Favorite Christmas Recipes


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With the holidays fast approaching, I want to take this opportunity to share with you my mother's famous fruitcake recipe. I certain hope you enjoy it.

Fruitcake Recipe
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
lemon juice
nuts
1 gallon whiskey


Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
Take a large bowl.
Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large, fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again.
Make sure the whiskey is still OK. Cry another tup. Turn off mixer.
Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?
Check the whiskey.
Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven.
Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Throw the bowl out of the window.
Check the whiskey again.
Go to bed.
Who the hell likes fruitcake anyway?

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I one time read about a recipe book where every recipe started out the same:
"First pour an ounce of bourbon down the cook."

 

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I'll agree that a lot of commercially produced fruitcakes are horrible.   But homemade fruitcake can be very tasty indeed.  Heavy with fruit that has been macerated in wine or dark rum, with pecans, hazel nuts, and almonds held together with a batter fragrant and redolent of cloves, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, and sprinkled with port or red muscat while still warm, then tightly wrapped, and stored, to be unwrapped once a week and painted with more wine for four weeks.  

 

Then, after Christmas dinner, unwrapped and sliced about a quarter of an inch thick and served with coffee that is thick with heavy cream and slightly sweetened with brown sugar.

 

 

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Colin Street Bakery out of Texas makes the best commercial fruitcakes I've had ... alas, I've never had a good homemade example, which is why the good Subdeacon's recipe above had me salivating!

I have encountered poor examples of the breed, but soaking it in equally cheap whiskey combined to cover both their sins.

Matter of fact, one year, I gave out several to my paramedic buddies, and they kidded me for years about the year they drank my fruitcakes!

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2 hours ago, Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 said:

Colin Street Bakery out of Texas makes the best commercial fruitcakes I've had ... alas, I've never had a good homemade example, which is why the good Subdeacon's recipe above had me salivating!

I have encountered poor examples of the breed, but soaking it in equally cheap whiskey combined to cover both their sins.

Matter of fact, one year, I gave out several to my paramedic buddies, and they kidded me for years about the year they drank my fruitcakes!

 

Thank you.  Both the Betty Crocker and Fanny Farmer Dark Fruitcake receipts give good results.  A couple of hints - use a lot more cinnamon and ginger than is called for.  You want just enough batter to hold the fruit and nuts together. For soaking the fruit don't use cheap whiskey.  My preference is for a sweet red wine, blackberry wine, port, or dark rum.  To my taste whiskey and brandy impart too sharp a flavor.  Wrap the cake in cloth that is damp with whatever wine/boozxe  after the first application of wine.  Not drenched and dripping, just damp, then wrap in foil.  When you baste it every week, apply with a pastry brush, don't pour it on.  

 

Here is what I use, note my variations at the end.:
 

The Fanny Farmer Dark Fruitcake

Recipe by Kittencalrecipezazz

This famous fruitcake recipe by Fanny Farmer goes back years, I made it recently using the brandied fruit cake option as stated on the bottom of the recipe and I strongly recommend to use that method as the brandy will strongly intensify the flavor and preserve the cake, this fruit cake is wonderful and I plan on making it again.

YIELD

2 (9x5-in) loaves Or one tube pan.

Ingredients

 

1⁄2 cup butter (room temperature) or 1⁄2 cup shortening (room temperature)

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon lemon extract

2 large eggs

1⁄2 cup molasses

2 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon allspice

1⁄2 teaspoon mace

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup milk

1 cup small candied fruit

1 cup candied cherry (use red and green)

1⁄2 cup small pieces candied citron peel

1 cup chopped dates (can use raisins)

 

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Set oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Line the pans with foil, then butter the foil.

Cream the butter or shortening.  Add in brown sugar; beat until light. Add in lemon extract and eggs and beat well. Stir in molasses and blend to combine.

In a small bowl combine the flour with baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, mace, cloves and salt; beat into the creamed mixture until combined. Add in milk; beat until combined.

Stir in the candied fruit, candied cherries, candied citron, dates or raisins and nuts; mix well.

Transfer/divide the batter between the two pans.

Bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until the loaves test done.

Turn out onto racks to cool.

When completely cooled wrap well and store in an airtight container.

BRANDIED FRUIT CAKE OPTION; soak two large pieces of cheesecloth in brandy.

Wrap each fruit cake in the cheesecloth covering all sides, then wrap well in foil.

Moisten the cheesecloth with additional brandy every few days for about a week.

 

(My variations:  Use raisins AND dates.  Candied lemon and orange peel are required.   Maybe throw in some currants.  At least double all the spices.  Throw in some powdered ginger, too.  Cut back on the pecans and add in some hazelnuts.

Soak the fruit overnight in rum, or brandy, or a sweet wine like loganberry, blackberry, or, if you are flush, some red muscat wine.   When you drain the fruit, save the liquid that hasn’t been absorbed to put on the wrapping cloth.

Mom always used loganberry wine.  Thanksgiving night we would shell nuts and she would put the fruit to soaking.  Make the cakes on Friday.  After they were turned out of the pans she would sprinkle them with the wine while they were still warm.  Then when they were cool, she would wrap them – she used strips of old sheets for that – anoint them with more wine, and wrap them in foil.  They lived on the bottom shelf of the fridge, in the back.  Once a week she would pull them out and remoisten the cloth.

Maybe that’s why I like fruitcake – it’s a holiday memory.  That, poppy seed roll, nut roll, and molasses crinkle cookies.)

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https://www.southernsupreme.com/

 

Check out the above website. Best fruitcake you’ll ever eat. They ship all over the world. It’s loaded with nuts. 

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