Fruit cake

By 1For_Him

Ingredients

• 3 cups (16 ounces) dried pineapple
• 3/4 cup rum, apple juice, or water
• 2 cups sweetened coconut
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup apricot jam or orange marmalade
• 1 ripe medium banana, peeled and mashed; about 1/2 cup
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon coconut flavor, optional
• 5 large eggs
• 3/4 cup coconut milk powder
• 3 3/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup milk (Or coconut milk if you are replacing the coconut milk powder)
• 2 cups pecan halves
• non-stick vegetable oil spray
• candied cherries
• coarse sugar
• 1 cup sugar syrup or simple syrup

Details

Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

The night before, combine 3 cups (16 ounces) dried pineapple nuggets and 3/4 cup rum, apple juice, or water in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap, and heat till the liquid starts to form tiny bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes; see those little bubbles around the edge? Remove from the microwave, and let rest overnight, covered.

Next, we’re going to toast coconut. Put 2 cups (about 5 ounces) sweetened coconut in an ungreased 9” x 13” pan. Bake in a preheated 300°F oven for about 13 to 15 minutes, stirring several times. The coconut won’t do anything for awhile, then will brown quite quickly; this is the “watchful” part.

Fresh banana adds just the right degree of moistness to your cake. You want 1/2 cup mashed banana; 1 medium-large banana should do it. And the riper the banana, the stronger the flavor; this is a perfect use for your dark-brown, last-one-in-the-fruit bowl, very overripe banana.

Two more preliminary steps: Preheat your oven to 300°F. Pick the loaf pans of your choice: two 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pans OR five 7” wooden bakers OR six 7” paper bake & give pans. Or a combination.

At last – we’re ready to get baking. Place the following in a mixing bowl:

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup apricot jam or orange marmalade
1 ripe medium banana, peeled and mashed; about 1/2 cup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon coconut flavor, optional

Mix to combine. Beat in 5 large eggs, one at a time. The batter will become quite creamy, though not entirely smooth; it may look a bit curdled, which is OK. Whisk together 3/4 cup coconut milk powder and 3 3/4 cups (15 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.

Want to omit the coconut milk powder? I didn’t try this recipe without, but Sue, our test kitchen director, says it should be fine to just leave it out without making any flour adjustment. Can you substitute canned coconut milk? No, not really; it would add too much liquid. Though you can certainly substitute canned coconut milk for the regular milk, which makes its appearance next. Gently beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, a portion at a time……alternately with 1/2 cup milk. Or coconut milk. NOW you’ve got a nice, creamy batter.

Here comes the yummy part: the pineapple, coconut, and 2 cups pecan halves. Stir it all in. For ease of use, I like to put all my pans on a baking sheet. I’ve lined the baking sheet with parchment, in case of spills; but this is a thick batter, and it shouldn’t overflow.

Here I’ve selected one 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan; and three 7” paper bake & give pans. Grease with non-stick vegetable oil spray; EverBake is our test kitchen favorite.

Psssst: If you’ve been reading this blog forever, and have watched me using EverBake forever, and haven’t yet grabbed yourself a can – what’s the holdup? All of us in the King Arthur test kitchen love it. And it won’t darken on your pans, like so many do. Plop candied cherries down the center of each loaf, like buttons on a snowman. You’ll need 22 to 30 cherries, about 4 to 5 ounces. Sprinkle the top of each loaf with coarse sugar. While this step isn’t traditional for fruitcake (nor is it necessary; don’t get hung up here), it lends a pretty touch. I’ve used Swedish pearl sugar on this loaf. And I tried coarse white sparkling sugar on another. Two of the loaves I left plain. Place the pan in the preheated 300°F oven. Bake till done. This will take about 60 minutes for the smaller cakes; and about 90 to 95 minutes for the larger cake. When done, the cakes will be a light golden brown all over. A paring knife inserted into the center will come out clean.

Be sure to give the cakes enough time. The temperature at the center will be about 200°F. The very center on top may still look a bit undone; that’s OK.
Remove from the oven, and allow the cakes to cool a bit while you ready the glaze. If you’ve used metal pans, turn the cakes out; the cakes in the paper pans can remain in their pans.

For the glaze, combine 1 cup sugar syrup or simple syrup with 2 to 4 tablespoons rum, brandy, or the liqueur of your choice (coconut?). The alcohol is optional; if you eschew strong beverages, just stick to simple syrup, flavored with vanilla or another extract if you like.

To make your own simple syrup, bring equal parts (by volume) granulated sugar and water to a boil; simmer for 3 minutes, remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature. Or you can purchase simple syrup. Or vanilla syrup. Or ginger syrup (oo-la-la!) Brush the top of the warm cakes with the glaze, letting it drip down the sides. Don’t use it all up; two coats is good to start. Reserve the rest in a covered jar.

When completely cooled, wrap the cakes well in plastic; the ones in the paper pans can remain in their pans. Let rest at least 24 hours before serving.

Store well-wrapped cakes for up to 6 to 7 weeks, brushing with additional glaze every week or so. Each time you brush the cakes, you’ll use about half as much glaze as you did the first time; the cakes will take on a pleasantly dense moistness.