Old Fashioned
Dark Sweet Fruitcake
Some of my best Christmas memories include my Mother's homemade fruitcake. There was a time when she made one every year. Well, Mom's recipe is long lost, so this is my own that I've developed over the past few years and it closely resembles my Mother's. There are those who like fruitcake and those who don't. Those who don't, have never tasted THIS recipe. There's nothing like a big slice of homemade fruitcake and a hot cup of coffee on a cold December morning. This is an easy holiday recipe. Don't let the long list of ingredients discourage you. This cake goes together quickly, once you have the ingredients. It bears no resemblance to those awful store bought fruitcakes that are passed around at Christmas time.
- Steven Hicks
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon each: cloves, allspice and nutmeg
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1/2 cup chopped dried figs
- 1 8oz container candied cherries
- 1 8oz container candied pineapple chunks
- 1 8oz container of "fruit and peel mix" (fruitcake mix)
- 2 heaping tablespoons orange marmalade
- 2 ounces red wine, rum or brandy (I prefer apricot brandy)
- 2 tablespoons white corn syrup mixed with a little liquor for glaze
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a latching tube cake pan or Bundt cake pan with shortening and thoroughly flour the pan. Later, you will need a pastry brush. If you don't have a tube cake pan or a Bundt cake pan, you can use two medium loaf pans. You can also use mini loaf pans and make little loaves of fruitcake for presents. Again, don't forget to thoroughly grease and flour your pans.
Cream butter, sugar and eggs with mixer. Add soda to buttermilk and then combine with flour and creamed mixture. Add baking powder, salt and all spices. Add liquor and orange marmalade. Mix until you have a smooth cake batter. Then, gently fold in by hand all fruits and nuts. Pour batter into pan and bake on center rack approximately 1½ hours in a 325 degree oven. Do not overfill your pans. Use toothpick to check for doneness. Carefully remove to wire cooling rack. Mix two tablespoons of hot water (or liquor) with two tablespoons for white corn syrup and brush over fruitcake for a shiny glaze.
- Revised 1998