Fantastic Light Fruitcake Recipes

LIGHT FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine the raisins, cherries, glazed pineapple, mixed glazed fruit, and citron. Mix well. Stir in the brandy to coat the fruit. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand for about 24 hours to macerate the fruit, stirring occasionally. When ready to mix up the cake, add the coconut and lemon and orange rind. Stir well.
• Prepare 8-inch square fruitcake pan that is 3 inches deep and has a removable bottom: Lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking spray. Line the pan (bottom and sides), with brown paper or double thickness of parchment paper. Lightly spray the paper.
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• In large bowl of stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure ingredients are all incorporated. Beat 1 additional minute. Beat in the vanilla, almond, and lemon flavorings. Stir in the drained crushed pineapple.
• Sift together 2¾ cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In measuring cup or small bowl, combine the orange and lemon juices along with the reserved ¼ cup of pineapple juice.
• Add the dry and wet ingredients to the beaten butter and sugar mixture in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Transfer batter to a very large bowl.
• Sprinkle reserved cup of flour over the macerated fruit and toss ingredients lightly and quickly. Gently fold the fruit mixture into the batter.
• In clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
• Transfer batter by large spoonfuls into the prepared baking pan. Use a knife to evenly spread the batter in the pan, smoothing the top. Add a few cherries as decorations to the top of the cake, if desired.
• Place small pan of hot water on the lower rack in the oven. Place fruitcake in center of middle rack and bake for approximately 5 - 5¼ hours or until cake is firm to the touch and cake tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. After about an hour or so of baking, loosely tent cake with tin foil to prevent it from browning too much. Remove cake from oven and place on rack. Let cake cool in pan for about 40 minutes before carefully removing from pan by inverting it on a tea towel and removing the paper. Carefully turn the cake top side up on to a wire cooling rack.
• Let cake cool completely before brushing well with brandy and wrapping in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, followed by plastic wrap and tin foil. Store in a sealed plastic bag in a cool, dry area. Remove wrapping and brush cake top and sides with brandy once a week for 2-3 weeks as the cake "ages" before cutting and serving.

FANTASTIC LIGHT FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Add extract, orange juice and soda water.
• Add cherries, pineapple, and pecans until all is added. I used to mix all by hand, but now I have a larger mixer that works well and I only mix the cherries, pineapple and pecans by hand.
• Drop batter by spoonsful into lightly greased and floured pans. Batter will be very heavy.
• Bake at 275 until firm to touch.
• This will make 2 large bundt pans, or a loaf pan and several small pans for gifts. The small pans take about 55-60 minutes and the large tube pans take about 65-80 minute The bundt pan will take longer. You can cut the recipe in half since the batter is so heavy and each half makes a whole bundt pan or one large and three smaller loaf pans.

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.

ELEGANT LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Place a pan of water in oven. Grease thoroughly and line with heavy brown paper one set of tier pans (one 9 inch, one 7 inch, and one 5 inch).
• In a large bowl combine ground almonds and fruits. Dredge with one cup flour.
• In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup flour and shortening. Gradually blend in white sugar. Beat in egg yolks and almond flavoring; beat until very light and fluffy. Mix together brandy and milk; add alternately with 4 1/2 cups flour to creamed mixture. Make 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, combining lightly after each.
• In another bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar to form stiff but moist peaks. Fold into batter. Fold in floured fruit mixture.
• Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on size of pan. Bake each cake until it tests done with a toothpick. Remove from pans, and lift off paper. Cool.

LIGHT CANDIED FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, salt, spices and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough (do not knead). Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes., Stir dough down. Stir in fruit, raisins, nuts and orange zest. Transfer to a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For glaze, in a bowl, combine sugar, orange zest and enough orange juice to achieve drizzling consistency; spoon over cake. Decorate with cherries.

GRANDMA BETTIE'S LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line two loaf pans with parchment paper.
• Coat cherries, raisins, almonds, and pineapple with 1 cup flour.
• Beat sugar, butter, and eggs together until creamy. Sift remaining flour with baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture; stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Fold in the fruit and almond mixture. Spoon batter into the prepared pans and spread evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Wrap cakes tightly and let age in a cool place for 2 to 4 weeks.

BEST EVER FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Put the sugar, sultanas, currants, raisins, water, cherries, butter or margarine, salt into a saucepan, bringing it to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
• Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees / Gas Mark 3
• Grease and line with grease proof paper a 20 cm round cake tin
• Add the egg to the cooled fruit mixture and stir in well. Add the flour and mix well
• Turn into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top and arrange optional almonds on the top.
• Bake for 1.25 - 1.50 hours until risen and golden brown. Cool slightly before turning out. The cake improves with keeping.