Don't knock until you try it.Real fruitcake.
Homemade fruitcake.
Fruitcake where you control the ingredients and leave out those scary-looking green candied cherries (why, oh, why are they green?) and the pukey-yellow, chewy, confetti of candied citron (why, oh, why are they pukey-yellow and smell like grandmom's perfume?)
I know what you're thinking: This chick is crazy. Friends don't give friends fruitcake.
And, honestly, fruitcake doesn't get a bad rap - most of it is terrible. But when my book club recently read Truman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory" - (Seriously, read it. It will touch your heart. Yeah, even you Grinchy Scrooges.) - I was so inspired by his descriptions of fruitcake baking that I wanted to give it a whirl.
The result was way better than I expected. (That's one of my fruitcakes in the photo to the right. I'm so proud!)
I used a fruitcake recipe from Rick Rodgers' "Christmas 101" cookbook as a guide and made several modern changes - namely I used a wide assortment of dried fruits (Sun-Maid Fruit Bits rock!), cherry-flavored dried cranberries (just say no to green cherries!) and spiced Captain Morgan rum, along with some brandy. Next I may use cognac and a mix of pecans and walnuts.
My concession to tradition was candied or glace orange peel. (I bought a $3.89 container at Janssen's Market in Greenville - that store carries just about EVERYTHING - and ate a few pieces BEFORE I tossed into the batter. I did like the sunny, citrusy flavor.) I also bought citron ($4.19) and absolutely hated the taste. No way was this going into my batter. I'm convinced citron may be one of the reasons why people hate fruitcake. I still have the container. Anyone want it?
My fruitcake baking began in earnest on Sunday. I baked five loaves in disposable pans, brush them while still warm with the rum, and brought several into work the next day, even though you're supposed to let them age for 24 hours. It didn't matter. Only crumbs remained.
We tried one loaf last night - serve it at room temperature - and it tasted even better than on Monday. I saved the last one for Christmas Eve, but I'm seriously considering baking more and then wrapping cheesecake soaked in rum and brandy around the cakes to give them more of a kick.
The nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in the batter make the cakes smell and taste wonderful and the applesauce gives it some moistness. It's hefty, but not heavy.
There's no getting around this: If you don't like dried fruits and nuts, this is not the cake for you. But it is terrific with a cup of coffee or tea and I may even slather a loaf with orange-flavored cream cheese frosting.
Fruitcake is good food. Who knew? Let's start a fruitcake revolution.
2 comments:
Best fruitcake I ever had was nothing but the cake with dried pineapple and macademia nuts in it. YUM
A quick tip my grandmother taught me: to soften the dried fruit and give it much more flavor, proof the fruit first in the spirit of your choice (usually rum, brandy or port). I just put the dried fruit in a bowl, cover it with brandy and nuke it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. Let it sit for an hour or so and then drain it before using it in the recipe. I try to do this for every recipe that calls for dried fruit - oatmeal raisin cookies and even for salads!
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