Best Not Your Mothers Fruitcake Recipes

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.

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.

MOM'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250-275 degrees.
• Batter will make about 15 lbs. Prepare pans according to chart below. Grease and line pans with brown paper, waxed paper, or parchment. Grease again. Cut paper about 1 inch taller than pans. Fill pans a little over half full with batter. If you have room in the oven, put a pan with some hot water in it in the bottom, to keep the cakes moist. Enjoy!
• Pan sizes and baking chart:
• 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan: 6 1/2 cups batter, bake for 3 hours
• 10" tube pan: 2 1/2 quarts batter, bake for 3 hrs 15 mins
• 1 lb. coffee cans: 3 3/4 cups batter, bake for 3 hrs 15 mins
• 9 1/4 oz. tuna cans: 1 cup batter, bake for 1 hour 30 mins
• No.303 (16oz) cans: 1 2/3 cup batter, bake for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours
• 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2-inch mini loaf pans: 3/4 cup batter, bake for 1 hour

NOT YOUR MAMA'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Cut in half. Drain prunes, reserving 6 tablespoons syrup. Pit prunes.
• Cream sugar, shortening and eggs or egg substitute at medium speed of a mixer for two minutes. Stir in cherries, reserved cherry and prune juice, prunes, walnuts, whiskey, pineapple and raisins. Combine flour and dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture and stir well.
• Spoon batter into a 10 inch tube or bundt pan coated with cooking oil spray. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan and let cool completely. Store in tightly wrapped plastic wrap. Slice and enjoy.