Californiafigfruitcake Recipes

FIG CAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Mix together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and 1 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Fold in the chopped figs and pecans.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• To make the icing: In a large saucepan, mix together butter, sugar, evaporated milk and baking soda. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Then cook without stirring until the mixture turns brown, or until it reaches the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (234 degrees F - 115 degrees C). Cool to lukewarm (110 degrees F). Pour into a small bowl and beat until it thickens to spreading consistency. Quickly spread icing onto the cooled cake.

FRENCH FIG TARTS

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a 5-inch-round flat disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for exactly 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• On a floured board, roll the dough to a rectangle a little larger than 10-by-14 inches. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared pan. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the dough to a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Remove the stem of each fig and cut them in quarters through the stem (or in sixths, if the figs are very large.) Place the figs in rows on the dough. Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the fruit starts to brown. Rotate the pan once during baking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The juices will burn in the pan but the tart (and the pan!) will be fine! When the tart's done, loosen it from the pan while it's still warm and transfer it to a board or clean piece of parchment paper.
• In a small pan, heat the apricot jelly with 2 tablespoons water and brush the fruit and pastry completely with the mixture. Allow to cool, cut into squares, and serve warm or at room temperature.

FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Combine raisins and orange rind in a microwaveable bowl and pour over the brandy. Microwave for 2 minutes then let it sit while you prepare the batter.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients until homogenous, then fold in the dry ingredients.
• Strain the brandy from the raisins and reserve. Stir the raisins, pineapple, and pecans into the batter.
• Grease 2 (8 by 4-inch loaf pans and line the bottom with a piece of waxed paper. Spoon the batter into the pan. Bake 3 hours. Let cool and remove from pan. Poke holes with a large skewer all over the cake.
• Soak a large piece of cheese cloth in the reserved brandy. Wrap cooled cake in cheesecloth, place in large plastic bag and store in a cool, dry place.
• It is awesome served with vanilla ice cream.

FIG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with cooking spray.
• Combine sugar and eggs in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until sugar dissolves. Stir in vegetable oil. Pour in milk; mix well.
• Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Mix into the creamed sugar mixture until blended. Fold fig preserves and pecan pieces into the batter.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

THE BEST FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine the raisins, currants, apricots, figs, prunes, dates, walnuts, pecans, orange zest, lemon zest, candied ginger, pumpkin pie spice and cloves in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add 1 cup of the brandy, orange liqueur and molasses and stir to coat. Cover and set aside to macerate overnight. (Alternatively, cover the bowl and microwave 2 minutes, or until very hot. Leave covered and let sit until almost all the liquid has been absorbed into the fruit and nuts, about 2 hours.)
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and line each with 2 pieces of parchment, one lengthwise and one crosswise, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour over the soaked fruit mixture and toss to coat. Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the flour mixture until the batter is blended and smooth. Pour the batter over the fruit mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until all the fruit is coated in batter.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, the tops spring back slightly when pressed and a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove each cake from its pan using the parchment overhang and place on the rack to cool completely.
• To store, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic and then foil. The wrapped fruitcakes can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

CALIFORNIA FIG FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine figs, raisins, dates, pears & pineapple in a large bowl with the sherry. Marinate overnight at room temp covered with plastic wrap.
• The next day, simmer apricots in nectar 10 minutes & then cool. Drain marinated fruits (save sherry!) & add apricots after draining (add nectar to drained sherry).
• Grease & line bottom of 5 baby loaf pans (5 5/8 x 3 1/4 x 1 7/8 inch) with brown paper (grease again after laying paper in pans). I have used a 12 cup bundt pan with good results - increasing cooking time by 30 minutes & then checking with toothpick.
• Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder & cinnamon.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add Lemon extract or zest & vanilla & mix. Add flour, baking powder & cinnamon to wet ingredients & mix lightly to make batter.
• Using remaining 1/4 cups of flour to dredge fruits & nuts in a separate bowl.
• Add fruit & nuts to batter & blend well.
• Pour into prepared pans & place in COLD oven on middle rack. Put a pan of cold water in bottom of oven & turn oven on to 250 degrees F.
• Bake 2 hours until golden & tester comes out clean. Cool cakes on wire rack. Remove brown paper while still warm.
• Wrap each fruitcake in cheesecloth moistened with sherry/nectar & then in heavy weight aluminum foil.
• Refrigerate 2 to 4 weeks, moistening with sherry when cheesecloth seems to be getting dry.
• For gift-giving, overwrap with red cellophane & top with a bow.

CALIFORNIA FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl.
• Add remaining ingredients over fruit and lift from bottom to stir.
• Bake in well greased angel food pan at 250 degrees for 1 1/4 hours or until well browned on top.

FOLLONICO FIG CAKE

Steps:

• Make a fig puree. Coarsely chop figs and combine with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Puree in a food processor (there will be about two-and-a-fourth cups of puree).
• Cream the butter and the sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add fig puree and mix well.
• Sift together the dry ingredients and add them to the fig mixture alternately with the cream.
• Butter and flour a bundt-cake pan. Pour in fig batter. Bang the pan several times to settle. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 70 to 80 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack and turn it out.

ENOLA PRUDHOMME'S CAJUN FIG CAKE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients and mix well if using oil. If using butter, cream with sugar before adding remaining ingredients; beat well.
• Pour into well greased and floured 12-inch tube pan; bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan; run knife around sides and turn out.