Christmas Cake

         Quit mumbling! Yes, this is a fruit cake. Not that fruitcake! This is a super-moist, fruity and delicious cake. See the difference? I said it was delicious. We used to joke that the fruit cake everyone received at Christmas was the same cake just passed around.

No one will be thinking that way with this cake. This may look the same, but we are going to change it up and make it into a cake that everyone wants to eat!

            Traditional fruit cakes are heavy, dry and yes, they are loaded with dried fruit. That will be one difference here. We will boil the fruit to plump it up and show people how good fruit cake really is.

You do not need any special kitchen appliances, you will not need to soak fruit overnight and you do not need to put alcohol in the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions:

            Do I have to add alcohol?

This recipe does not call for alcohol like so many others do. We will boil the fruits in liquid that is not alcohol.

            Which is better, brown sugar or molasses?

Molasses will give more of that hearty flavor to the bread. Brown sugar will definitely sweeten it up though. I prefer to use molasses.

            How do I store this fruit cake?

You can wrap this tightly and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months! You can place it in a freezer safe bag and into the freezer for up to a year!

            Do I serve this plain?

This fruit cake is delicious when served plain, however, put a dollop of custard with it and it is even better!

            Can I use different fruits?

Yes, but it will not be similar to the traditional fruit cake. You can use cherries, dates, pineapple, and apples.

What do you need to make Christmas Cake

            Dried fruit, I used 1 cup raisins, ⅔ cup dates, 1 ¼ cup prunes and 1 ¼ cup cranberries

            Spices, I used cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and allspice

            Nuts, I used just ½ cup chopped pecans, you could use walnuts instead.

            1 ¾ cup all purpose flour

            1 cup butter

            ½ cup brown sugar

            3 tbsp molasses

            1 tsp cinnamon

            1 tsp allspice

            1 tsp baking powder

            ½ tsp salt

            ¾ cup of water

            Orange zest

            Lemon zest

How to make Christmas Cake

FIRST STEP:

Boil the dried fruits, I placed the fruit, sugar, water and molasses in a pan over high heat.

I allowed it to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and removed it from the heat. Let stand on the stove for 45 minutes to completely cool.

SECOND STEP:

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and all the remaining ingredients. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each.

a)

b)

Add in the zest of lemon and the zest of orange after all else is mixed together.

THIRD STEP:

Drain the fruit well and fold into the batter

Preheat the oven to 325* and grease a loaf pan

a)

b)

c)

FOURTH STEP:

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 70 to 85 minutes.

Let the cake cool on the counter, wrap in plastic wrap when completely cooled and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The fruit cake is better after sitting overnight.

Enjoy!

YUM!