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California Christmas Fruitcake Ii/ii
Author/Submitted by:
Servings: 1
Categories:
Cakes
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Christmas
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Desserts
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Low-Fat/Low-Cal
Ingredients:
See below
Directions:
Divide batter between the prepared pans, then level the tops in a
general way, leaving them slightly bumpy. Lift each pan and drop it
a few inches onto the work surface to settle the dough. Bake cakes
in the preheated 300 F. oven until the tops are golden-brown and a
cake tester emerges dry from the center, about 1 3/4 hours. Midway
in baking, exchange the oven positions of the pans for even browning.
If the tops seem to be browning too fast or too much, cover each cake
loosely with a foil tent only slightly larger than its top. If you
are baking the cake in a pullman pan, the baking time will be
approximately 10 minutes longer.
Let fruitcakes cool in the pans, set on wire racks for 20 minutes,
lift them out, remove the paper, and cool them completely on the
racks. While they are still warm,...pierce cakes deeply on all sides
with a long, sharp, two-pronged fork (or use a thin skewer) and brush
them all over with additional liqueur, using 1/2 to 2/3 cup.
If you have made a single large loaf, you may wish to divide it into
two or three sections for storage or giving. Wrap cakes separately
in foil and store them in a cool pantry, or refrigerate them.
Although the cakes may be served after a week, they continue to
mellow and improve for many months and are delicious after more than
a year of refrigerated or very cool storage. For long
storage,...wrap the cake (or a leftover portion) in cheesecloth, then
sprinkle the cloth with brandy before wrapping the whole business in
foil.
Yield: 2 large cakes, 3 1/2 lbs. each, or one 7 lb., 12" long
"pullman" loaf.
Witty writes: "For someone who grew up in the Golden West, as I did,
no fruitcake can be more appealing than one made with as many
California fruits as possible, most of them simply dried rather than
candied.
"My best-of-all-possible cakes shows tawny California colors when it
is sliced - gold, peach, apricot, wine-red, brown, and cream - and
it's not oversweet. No luridly dyed fruits belong in it, and neither
do the pretty but tasteless chunks that are so often sold as candied
fruit. So, if at all possible, do candy your own pineapple, orange
peel, and sour cherries for the cake; they are vastly better homemade
than store-bought.
"The confection...is full of nuts. Feel free to swap one kind of nut
for another - Brazil nuts, especially if they are oven-toasted first,
are good in place of one of the other kinds, but I urge that the
hazelnuts be kept. Similarly, substitute pitted prunes for figs if
you prefer them . For a touch of bracing tartness, substitute Candied
Cranberries for part of the candied cherries; rinse off their coating
of sugar and pat them dry, or use them in their sugary state."
"As dried fruits and nuts are sold in a wild array of package sizes,
I've given the weight as well as the measurement for certain items in
the ingredients list, to simplify shopping. If you foresee no need
for two cakes, the recipe is easily divided in half. On the other
hand, you may want to make both cakes and store one for next year; it
will keep perfectly in a cool pantry or the refrigerator."
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