Ingredients
- the fruit mix;
- 2 pounds mixed dried fruit, chopped(cherries, blueberries, cranberries, raisins)
- 12 ounces each candies orange and lemon peel, diced(try the natural, unsulphured kind from king arthur flour, $5 for 6 ounces, kingarthurflour.com; supermarket mixtures are loaded with chemicals)
- 1/2 cup white grape juice
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces toasted silvered almonds
- ------------------------------------------------
- the cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp each ground mace and cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk mixed with 1 teaspoon almond extract
Preparation
Step 1
the day before making the cake, mix dried and candied fruits together in a large bowl. stir in grape juice, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let soak overnight in a cool dry place. the next day, stir in flour and almonds.
heat oven to 275, cut parchment paper or wax paper to fit the bottoms of 6 (5 x 3 x 2) loaf pans. butter pans, then line with cut paper.
sift together flour, spices and baking powder into a bowl. in another bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth, then gradually add sugars and beat until mixture is fluffy. beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat in milk mixture. add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, beating just until batter is smooth with no lumps.
pour batter over fruits and mix thoroughly-you can use a rubber spatula, but nothing does the job like little hands. fill pans to within 1/2 inch of the top, pressing batter down firmly, especially at the corners. bake cakes until tops are lightly browned, 1 1/2-2 hours.
** unlike most fruitcakes, which need to age, these are ready to eat right away.