Homemade Fruitcake

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Things You'll Need

  • Large bowl

  • 1 1/2 cups candied pineapple

  • 3 cups golden raisins

  • 1 1/2 cups candied cherries, halved

  • 1 cup dried currants

  • 2 oz. candied citron peel

  • 2 oz. candied orange peel

  • 1/2 cup orange juice

  • Round cake pan

  • 5-inch by 9-inch bread pan

  • 2 bread pans, 3-inch-by-8-inch

  • Parchment paper

  • Scissors

  • Mixing bowls

  • 2 cups butter

  • 4 cups powdered sugar

  • Electric mixer

  • 8 beaten egg yolks

  • Spatula

  • 3 cups flour

  • 8 egg whites

  • Fork

  • Cooling racks

Fruitcake is a bread-like cake that is a traditional part of many families' holiday fare. Fruitcake has been served around the holidays and on normal, everyday occasions for centuries. Over the years, many varieties of fruitcake have been made, some with alcohol and some without. In recent years, fruitcake has become the butt of many jokes because of its heaviness and the bright-colored fruit. But fruitcake recipes can be varied to meet the approval of even the most discerning of palates.

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Step 1

Place all the candied fruits, golden raisins and currants in a large bowl. Pour 1/2 cup orange juice over the candied and dried fruits and soak the fruit overnight.

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Step 2

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees and place a round cake pan, filled halfway with water, on the bottom oven rack. The steam from the water helps to steam the fruitcake during the baking process.

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Step 3

Cut parchment paper to fit the inner sides and bottom of your three bread pans. Place the parchment paper inside each pan. Parchment paper keeps the fruitcake from sticking to the pan without adding grease to the fruitcake the way greasing the pans would.

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Step 4

Beat 2 cups butter and 4 cups powdered sugar in a mixing bowl, using your electric beaters. Mix the two ingredients until creamy in texture.

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Step 5

Add the eight beaten egg yolks and beat until thoroughly mixed in. Pour the candied fruit mixture and orange juice into the mixing bowl and stir well. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to make sure the batter is mixed well.

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Step 6

Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time. Beat well to make sure the flour is mixed in and evenly distributed throughout the cake batter. Set the batter aside.

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Step 7

Drop the eight egg whites into a clean bowl and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the fruitcake batter.

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Step 8

Pour fruitcake batter into each bread pan until the bread pans are two-thirds of the way full. Bake the fruitcake for two to two-and-a-half hours until the top is golden brown and a fork inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the bread pans and place on cooling racks. Allow the fruitcake to cool completely before removing from the bread pans.

Tip

Line bread pans with wax paper, doubled over, wax side facing the fruitcake and pan.

Poke holes all over the top of the fruitcakes with a skewer. Drizzle 6 to 8 tbsp. rum over the tops of the cakes. The rum will soak down into the cake, through the holes, giving the cake an extremely moist texture and light rum flavor.

Add more or less of any candied fruit or substitute dried fruits for a different taste.

Store fruitcake in airtight containers.

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