Brandied Fruitcake






I love fruit cakes in Christmas times, you get to taste wonderful combination of nuts and dried fruits with a subtle brandy flavor .If you have ever made a Fruit Cake you know that what really sets this cake apart is how we repeatedly feed the cake, over time, with alcohol (usually brandy, sometimes rum), This gives the Fruit Cake a full of flavor and a extremely moist texture, plus it also allows the cake to be stored for ages and ages.

This fruit cake  is jammed with raisins, currants, dates, dried cranberries, dried figs and prunes, dried apricots , dried mangoes and candied fruits and of course fresh nuts: cashews, almonds and pecans. It's dense, moist, spicy, nutty and PERFECT!


Ingredients:

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar
2 Large eggs
1/2 cup brandy, for soaking fruit
Juice and zest (outer orange skin) of one orange
1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup (100 grams) walnuts, cashews, almonds, chopped
1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) of an assortment of dried fruits (dried apricots, figs, prunes, dried mangoes ,cherries,dried cranberries  etc.), candied and chopped mixed peel(chopped into bite size pieces)
3/4 pound (340 grams) of an assortment of raisins, sultanas, currants,
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups additional brandy, for sprinkling

Directions:

1.In a large bowl, combine the dried/candied  fruits , nuts and 1/2 cup brandy. Toss to mix thoroughly, cover, and let stand for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature.

2.Preheat oven to 325°F.Butter the baking pan and set a side.

3.Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, allspice and cinnamon .In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

4.Add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice, stirring after each addition, until batter is just blended. Add the orange zest, chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits.

5. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and Place the spring form pan on a larger baking sheet.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 20 minutes, and then turn out onto racks, and cool completely. Place each cake on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle the cake with 1/4 cup brandy.Wrap each cake tightly in the aluminum foil, sealing well. Store in a cool dark place.


7.After one day, unwrap the cakes and sprinkle each with an additional 1/4 cup brandy.  If you have planning to serve this cake in two - three weeks time  then Repeat this procedure for every week. Then let the cakes mellow for a final week before serving.




Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Well, so pleased you like the picture. No really valuable thing to say I guess.

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  2. Feel like having a slice, with all those fruits,cake looks simply fabulous..

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  3. Thats a spectacular, delicious cake!!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  4. I have never made fruicake, but I always say that for next Christmas I will :) thanks for the recipe, it looks very good

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  5. What a fabulously rich fruit cake,I cannot even dare to imagine how long these last,was just listining in the news about katie and prince William's wedding cake- Happens it will be a fruit cake and the news correspondent was talking about them saving the remainder of the cake for their son's/daughter's christening :) That happens to be a royal tradition,I guess:)!!!

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  6. This cake is loaded with fruits. I bet it tasted heavenly!

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  7. I love fruit cake especially dry fruit soaked in brandy or rum makes more wonderful.

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  8. The fruit cake came out perfect baked...looks yummy!
    Smitha
    Smitha's Spicy Flavors

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  9. most of the people i know HATE fruit cake...
    and its usually the dessert thats neglected during xmas time.

    but your picture looks fantastic!
    1 slice + a tall glass of cold milk sounds AWESOME right about now (:

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  10. I love fruit cake and the traditional Christmas cake is a fav. I will keep this recipe for the end of this year. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Wow....feels like Christmas all over again! The cake looks sumptuous!

    Vegetarian Cultural Creatives

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  12. Reminds me of Christmas!
    Beautiful texture ..loved the pics!

    US Masala

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  13. Sounds delicious! My mother loves cakes with dried fruit and nuts, I'll be going home to visit in a couple weeks, will have to make this for her :o)

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  14. Home cooking can also promote quality time with your family. Dinner tables are a good venue to share experiences and exchange opinions after a long day from work or school. In this way, you can acquaint the children with healthy eating and be their role model as well. In doing this, you get to save money and instill the value of eating together as a family while taking care of each family member’s health.

    Healthy cooking tips

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  15. Congratulations! We wanted to inform you that this post has been selected as a Featured Archive Post on our site for the first two weeks of December 2012.

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  16. Fruits are good for our health too so we can have it on regular basis.
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  17. This cake contains lots of fruits as it contains necessary nutrients in it to provide us sufficient energy.it seems so yummy as well.
    rediff blogs

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