Delicious Fruitcake

This is a old recipe from a friend that I have tweeked. My dad and mom love fruitcake! We are a fruitcake family! I have come up with the perfect fruirtcake for our taste. It takes a long time to bake a fruitcake but it is well worth the time spent!

• 1 pound light brown sugar
• 1 lb. unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs
• 4 cups flour, divided (2 cups for the cake, 2 cups for the fruit)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons rum extract
• 1 quart pecans ( also some for the top when cooled)
• 1 lb. candied cherries (reserve about 10 or 12 for the top when cool)
• 1 lb. dried pineapple
• 1 lb. dried cherries
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1/4 cup water

To begin, preheat your oven to 230*

Next use a medium saucepan, add dried pineapple, rum and water. On medium heat, bring the pineapple to a simmer, then add both types cherries and raisins. Simmer for about 3 -5 minutes. ( BE CAREFUL TO STIR IT FREQUNENTLY SO IT DOES NOT BURN)

Place in a large bowl. Set aside to cool while you prepare the cake batter. ( I use a very large stainless steel bowl for the fruit mixture , later I will add the batter to the fruit and pecans and use a very sturdy large spoon to mix the batter with the fruit and pecans, you won’t need the gym after this step ! LOL )

In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Next whip in eggs till the mixture is very light and fluffy. Now add 2 cups of flour and baking soda.

Take the fruit mixture and add 2 cups of flour. Stir till well coated and all flour is covering the fruit.

Now mix the cake batter into the fruit and pecans. It will be very thick.

Now prepare your pan, a large bundt pan. You will also need to prepare a small loaf pan or other small pan because this cake is huge!

Spray the pans extremely well with pan spray , then flour it well. Now you are ready to place the batter in the pans. Fill the lage bunt pan. Leave the batter about a 3/4 quarter to 1 inch from the top. Fill the smaller pan with whatever batter you have left.

Now onto the baking…it will take 3 – 4 hours to bake at 230 degrees

I test it with a skewer after 3 hours. When the skewer comes out with no wet batter on it, the cake is done. You can test the smaller cake at alost 3 hours, but it also takes about 3 hours for it to bake. When I baked this a few weeks ago, it took 3 hours for the small cake and 4 hours for the large.

When the cakes are done, let them rest about 15 minutes then turn them out onto a wire cooling rack. cool completely.

Now you will want to glaze your cake. I use generic brand apricot jam. I melt it in a saucepan, then brush it on with a pastry brush. After this step, place pecans in a decorative fashion with a cherry in the middle. Then glaze over the fruit and nuts so they are well coated.

Now you let the cake sit to dry the glaze. This cake lasts for weeks and weeks . It gets better as it sits. I use a plastic cake keeper.

Now……ENJOY IT !

Thin slices with a cup of coffee, tea or a cold glass of milk are hard to beat !