Two In One Fruitcake Recipes

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Combine fruit and nuts. In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Pour over fruit and nuts; stir to coat. , Transfer to a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 2 hours. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool place. Bring to room temperature before serving; slice with a serrated knife.

GRANDMA LEACH'S FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch tube pan and one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves into a large bowl. Stir in the applesauce and oil, then mix in the raisins, dates, mixed fruit and 2 cups of walnuts. Pour into the prepared pans. Pans should be about 3/4 full if using mini pans, or an assortment.
• Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean.

QUICK AND EASY BRITISH FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 6-inch round cake pan.
• Place flour in a bowl. Rub butter into the flour until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add mixed fruit, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, and mixed spice. Stir to combine. Add milk and egg and mix until batter is soft and easy to drop.
• Drop batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle light brown sugar on top and pat down with the back of a spoon.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

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.

TWO IN ONE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Grease a 12 cup ring mold or 2 9x5x3" loaf pans; dust lightly with flour.
• To Make Dark Batter:.
• Chop dates and combine with chopped walnuts in a medium size bowl.
• Sift flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, salt and baking soda onto waxed paper.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup of mixture over fruit and nuts and toss to coat.
• Beat butter, sugar and eggs in large bowl of electric mixer at high speed for 3 minutes, until fluffy; beat in jelly.
• Stir in remaining flour mixture alternately with apple juice, beating after each addition until the batter is quite smooth.
• Pour batter over prepared fruit and nuts and fold just until well blended.
• To Make Light Batter:.
• Combine candied pineapple, cherries and citron in medium size bowl.
• Grate lemon rind and add to fruits: pare off white membrane; remove seeds; chop lemon; reserve.
• Sift flour, baking powdr, salt and baking soda onto waxed paper.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup of mixture over fruits and toss to coat.
• Beat butter, sugar and eggs in large bowl of electric mixer at high speed for 3 minutes, until fluffy; stir in chopped lemon.
• Stir in remaining flour mixture alternately with apple juice, beating after each addition until the batter is quite smooth.
• Pour batter over prepared fruits and fold just until well blended.
• Spoon dark batter into 4 evenly spaced sections of prepared ring mold; spoon light batter into remaining 4 spaces in mold.
• Bake in slow oven 300 degrees following time for pan selected, or until center springs when lightly pressed with fingertip.
• Cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes; loosen around edge and tube with a knife; carefully turn out onto wire rack; cool completely.
• To Decorate:
• Melt apple jelly in a small saucepan; brush over cake; garnish with halved red and green candied cherries.