Christmas Fruitcake
Fruitcake dates back to the Roman times and in the 1400’s the British began their love affair with fruitcake when dried fruits from the Mediterranean first arrived. This cake was generally served at weddings – the dark cake was given out as the groom’s cake and the white fruitcake was the bride’s. It was the custom in England for unmarried wedding guests to put a slice of the cake (dark fruitcake) under their pillow at night to allow them to dream of the person they wanted to marry. My siblings and I had fruitcake served at our weddings…I wonder if anyone took the carefully wrapped slice and placed it under their pillow when they got home?
Fruitcake has been a Christmas tradition in my family for generations. My mom and grandmother would make this cake 6 to 8 weeks prior to serving. When it was nearer to Christmas, mom would frost the cake (royal icing) and then decorate it with holly and berries…a food memory I shall always cherish. I started making this cake back in 1985 and for me it was a right of passage each Christmas. When we moved from Toronto to Hong Kong in 1999, I made one there. I was able to get all the ingredients, however, a sub-tropical climate really isn’t conducive for making this sort of cake and while it tasted good it had to be refrigerated as the room temperature in our flat was warm and no cold cellar or basement to keep it cool (not cold). This is the first time in over 12 years I have made this much loved recipe and I feel like I am home.
Adapted from The All New Purity Cookbook (1967)
In A Large Bowl Combine:
1 lb. seedless raisins
1 lb. sultana raisins
1 lb. currants
1 1/2 lbs. seeded raisins
8 oz. glace cherries (candied cherries), halved
3/4 lb. dried dates, chopped
1/2 lb. dried figs, chopped
8 oz. candied citron
1 cup pecan halves
1 lb. butter
2 cups sugar
12 eggs
1/2 cup fruit juice or red currant jelly
2 teaspoons vanilla
In A Bowl Blend together:
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
Preheat oven to 275f. Cream butter until soft, and gradually blend in sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Beat in, one at a time, eggs until very light after each addition. Add fruit juice and vanilla.
Combine the flour mixture with the fruit mixture. Make sure to thoroughly coat and separate all the fruit completely. Turn the creamed mixture into the floured fruit and combine thoroughly – use your hands. Fill pans about 3/4 full. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours depending upon size of pans used. Cool fruitcakes thoroughly before wrapping tightly with cling film and store in a large cookie tin (with a cover) in a cool, dark area.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Ah, Christmas memories in a pan! For our own consumption, I halve the recipe otherwise we’d be eating fruitcake for months! Wrap the cake several times before placing in a cookie tin. This cake can be baked in any combinations of pans: two 10″ tube pans; two 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pans; one 8 1/2″ square pan plus one 7″ square pan and one 5″ pan for a tier cake. All pans must be at least 3-inches deep. Line the pans with parchment paper and grease well. You can enjoy this once it has cooled but the secret lies in waiting at least 4 weeks as fruitcakes improve with age. This makes a perfect hostess gift. Enjoy!