Best Not Your Mamas Fruitcake Recipes

GRANMAMA'S UNCOOKED (NO BAKE, NO COOK) FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs.
• Granmama's recipe calls for "puffed" raisins. To puff them, soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
• Chop the nuts; drain and cut cherries in half (if they are whole).
• Melt marshmallows in milk.
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Pack into regular sized loaf pan.
• Refrigerated overnight and cut with a hot knife.
• Coconut is an optional ingredient.
• Cook time is refrigeration time.

NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE:.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium pot, cook the dried fruits, bourbon and orange juice just until the fruits are plump - about four to five minutes. There will be some liquid left.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the orange juice bourbon and fruit mixture. Stir to combine.
• Pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool.
• When cake is completely cooled, seal in an airtight container. Every two to three days, feel the cake and if dry, brush with more bourbon. Continue to baste for two weeks for maximum flavor, or eat whenever you want.
• FOR THE GLAZE:.
• Mix all glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top of the cake.
• OPTIONAL:.
• Feel Free to use any and all dried fruits in this: chopped dried peaches, dried apples, dried pears, dates - if it's dried, it will work!
• For a chocolatey twist, add ¾ cup chopped semisweet chocolate to the batter.
• Get nutty: add pecans or hazelnuts to the batter or the top of the cake for a nutty, crunchy variation.
• Garnish the top of the cake in festive holiday style. Dried fruit slices, cinnamon sticks, red and green cherries are all seasonally appropriate.
• Traditionally, fruitcake is boozy, but feel free to use apple cider in place of the bourbon.
• I like to use a bundt pan for this but you can use a loaf pan, a 9-inch cake pan or even make fruit cake cupcakes!

NOT YOUR MOMMA'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 300 f. Grease an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; line pan with parchment paper; grease paper. Set aside.
• 2. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• 3. In a bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar; beat until mixture is combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (batter may appear curdled).
• 4. Combine orange peel, juice, corn syrup, and vanilla in small bowl or cup. Add flour mixture and juice mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Add the fruits and nuts and fold into batter then spread into prepared pan.
• 5. Bake in a 300 degree F oven about 1-1/2 hours or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. If necessary, cover cake with foil the last 15 to 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
• 6. Thoroughly cool the cake in on wire rack; remove from pan. Wrap cake in 100-percent cotton cheesecloth. Slowly pour 1/4 cup orange juice over the cake. Overwrap in foil. Store in refrigerator 2 to 8 weeks; remoisten cheesecloth about once a week or as needed. If desired, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and garnish with orange-peel curls before slicing.

MAMA'S WHITE FRUIT CAKE (FAMILY FAVORITE)

Steps:

• 1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 250 DEGREES F. Line a 12 cup bundt pan with greased parchment paper or brown paper bag, & then dust with flour, and set aside. NOTE: With improvements in technology over the years, you can now spray pan liberally with Bakers Joy, and eliminate the use of the Brown Paper Bag.
• 2. Cream butter & sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 3. Gradually add the flour, a little at a time. Stir in the cherries and pecans. When the batter becomes stiff, add the lemon extract, mixing well until blended.
• 4. I prefer using both green & red cherries to add extra color to the cake.
• 5. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, but are not dry. Fold into the cake batter until blended. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake in preheated 250 degree F. oven for 2 1/2 hours.
• 6. Cool the cake in pan on a rack for 1 hour. Invert cake onto rack. Remove liner, and cool completely, right- side up.
• 7. This recipe is dedicated to the memory of my mother Barbara S. Goldmon, my first culinary instructor, that had so much patience to teach me what she knew how to do best. She made this cake for as long as I can remember, and each time I make it, it reminds me of her, and her true patience. If you want to know patience try cooking this cake at 250 degrees for 2 and a half hours in a wood stove, where you need to constantly add wood to maintain the temperature. That's patience my friend. Here is to you mama with love.
• 8. I just made this cake for the first time WITHOUT THE BROWN PAPER BAG, OR PARCHMENT PAPER. I used the BAKERS JOY, AND THE CAKE TURNED OUT WONDERFULLY. jUST THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. I have made it for years strickly as it was written, but now I know if I use BAKERS JOY, I do not need the parchment paper or brown bag. YIPPEE.
• 9. This is a sliced platter of this delicious cake.

MAMA'S CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. Sift all dry ingredients together. Coat fruit and nuts with just enough of flour mixture (about 1 cup) to ensure that the fruit does not stick together; set aside.
• 2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• 3. Add remaining dry mixture to egg, sugar and butter mixture; add liquor and vanilla; mix well.
• 4. Pour the creamed mixture over the fruit and nuts. Hand stir until mixed well.
• 5. Pour into 2 10-inch waxed paper lined tube pans, garnish top of cake with cherries, pineapple slices and pecan halves; place in cold oven, set oven at 275 degrees; bake 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. MY MOHTERS RECIPE STATES BAKE IN SLOW OVEN FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 HOURS. IT TOOK MUCH LONGER IN MY OVEN.
• 6. Once cakes are done, cool and wrap in wine soaked cheesecloth, then in Reynolds Wrap and then wrap in towels.
• 7. NOTE: The secret to these wonderful cakes is in the aging process. Mama would age her cakes from 2 to 3 weeks. Once a week she would un-wrap the cakes and pour enough liquor over the cakes to keep them moist until Christmas.

NOT YOUR MOTHER'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the fruits and nuts in a large bowl. Beat on low for 1 minute to combine the ingredients. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into greased floured loaf pans (3).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool in pans for 20-30 minutes, then turn out on a wir rack and cool completely.