Categories: sweet breads-fruitcakes-coffee cakes

Ingredients

• 8 oz. diced candied orange peel
• 8 oz. diced citron
• 8 oz. diced pineapple
• 8 oz. diced fruitcake mixed fruit
• 4 oz. whole red candied cherries
• 4 oz. whole green candied cherries
• 1 cup currants
• 1 cup golden or dark raisins
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup brandy or good bourbon (I use Blackberry Brandy)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground mace
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup plus 6 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cups molasses

Directions

1. This batter is quite heavy, but a heavy-duty stand mixer can handle it.

2. Mix the fruit in a large bowl with the orange juice and brandy. Stir gently and set aside to marinate for a few hours.

3. Generously butter bottom and sides of two 9×5×3 inch loaf pans and line them with parchment paper. Butter the paper thoroughly. You can use brown paper for this instead.

4. Sift the flour with the spices twice. Add the baking powder and salt and sift again.

5. Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and cream until smooth. Add sugar; using an electric mixer, cream until light and fluffy. Beat the egg yolks slightly and then add them to the bowl. Mix the batter well before you start to add the flour and spice mixture. Stir the batter as you add the flour, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the flour is thoroughly incorporated, add the molasses and stir. Finally, stir in the fruit, along with any soaking liquid left in the bowl.

6. Put the egg whites in a stainless steel or glass bowl and beat with clean beater to stiff peaks. Fold them into the batter thoroughly and then spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let the batter sit overnight in a cool place to mellow.

7. On the next day, heat the oven to 25 degrees F. Place the fruitcake on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 3 1//2 to 4 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, cover the pan with a piece of brown paper (do not use foil) or set the pan in a paper bag and return it to the oven.

8. When the cake has baked for 3 1/2 hours, test the center with a toothpick or cake tester. Leave the cake in the pan and set on a wire rack to cool.

9. When completely cooled, turn out of the pans, leaving the paper lining on the cake. Wrap the cake with parchment, then foil, and pack the cake in a tin. Homemade fruitcakes need air, so punch a few holes in the lid of the tin or set the cover loosely on the tin.

10. Set the tin in a cool, undisturbed place, and every 3 or 4 days before Christmas, open the foil and drizzle a small amount of bourbon or brandy over the cake. The liquor will keep the cake moist and flavorful and help preserve it as well.

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