Ingredients
- NONE
Preparation
Step 1
Fruitcakes should be made well in advance of the time that they will be used. One month of storage is a necessity. Two, three, or even four months is not too long a time if the storage facilities are cool and dry.
Fruitcakes freeze very well. However, they must be aged at least four weeks before freezing, as they do not mellow while they are frozen.
Take several days to make your cake, prepare the nuts and fruits, pour the liquor to be used over them, and let the mixture stand well covered for two to three days. Then make the batter and bake the cakes.
The cakes will be better and the pressure in a busy household will be eased.
Always bake fruitcakes at a low temperature, no higher than 325 degrees and preferably much lower. Line the pans with brown paper or waxed paper to prevent the cakes from burning during the long baking time. Always place a pan of hot water on the floor of the oven. This prevents the cakes from drying out. Test for doneness with a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake. It will come out moist, but not doughy, when the cake is done.
Cool fruitcakes on a rack in the pans in which they were baked. When cakes are cooled, turn them out of the pans and carefully peel off the paper. If you are not decorating the cakes before storing them,
wrap them in cheesecloth. Sprinkle liberally with whatever liquor or wine was used in the recipe. Seal
the cakes in plastic wrap or in plastic storage bags. Once a week, brush the cakes with more liquor.
Perhaps the most important, don’t feel absolutely bound by the recipe. If the recipe calls for brandy and you don’t have it (or like it) use wine or even a fruit juice of your choice. If the recipe calls for citron and you don’t care for citron, substitute another candied or dried fruit. If you don’t like raisins, use more chopped dates and fewer raisins. If the recipe calls for particular amounts of candied pineapple and cherries, the same weight of a fruit mix may be used. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the weight of fruit and nuts should be approximately the same as the original recipe. Within this boundary, you can make substitutions of your own choice.