Holiday Fruitcake
My experience with fruitcake has heartstrings; I was fortunate to have my great-grandmother a part of my life into my adult years. Grama was a wonderful cook that taught me to make good things like egg noodles, chicken fried steak and fruitcake.
Grama was a hard-working woman that smiled, genuinely, at the adversity that life gave her. In her younger years, of poverty, she made fruitcakes to sell for Christmas money. Grama was proud of the years she spent selling her cakes to businessmen who were her annual clients.
As the oldest of her many great-grandchildren I spent many years at her table watching her beautiful hands lovingly prepare wonderful food for family and friends. Few recipes were ever a part of her life but the treasured fruitcake, which was never shared. I watched and helped her make this annual treasure many times; her exacting standards were never to be compromised and the end result was simply perfection.
I have tried Grama’s Cake on my own a few times and have never been satisfied with the results. Grama steamed her cake and I really have not gotten the hang of it. She made her own pans with washtubs and cans and worked with awkward, funky measurements that yielded a 6 pound cake or a two pound cake or other standard that she sold. Her measurements were basic and relied upon a master who could taste, see and adjust to yield a consistent cake.
I have created this fruitcake, based upon the things my Grama taught me. While this is not her fruitcake, it draws upon the same things hers does; quality ingredients, loving care and attention to detail. While the cake needs to rest a few weeks after preparation, I had my first taste, like Grama always did, and really enjoyed it. A few more weeks, wrapped in Port drenched cloths and I think it will be a wonderful treat. It is not my grandmother’s cake, which will never be again, but it is good and not worthy of the multitude of jokes.
My cake has a bit of an updated taste. First, I revised the measurements to conventional measurements. I dropped the Citron Grama always used, even a Saint makes mistakes, and replaced it with candied Ginger. Grama was a part of the margarine generation but I won’t have it and use butter instead. My cake is rich with butter and chock-full of wonderful fruit like Mango, Pineapple, Dates and Raisins and just like Grama’s the finished cakes are drenched in wine-soaked cloths every few days.
Holiday Fruitcake Ingredients
Preheat oven 300°
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Sift together and set aside
- 4 cups Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
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Prepare fruit and set aside – see method
- 1/4 pound Dried Pineapple
- 1/4 pound Dried Mango
- 1/2 pound Raisins
- 1/4 pound Candied Ginger
- 1/2 pound Dried Dates
- 2 cups Walnuts
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Cream Together and set aside – see method
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1-1/2 cups Butter
- 5 large Eggs
- 1/2 cup Port Wine (cheap stuff)
- Additional Port Wine for soaking
Method
Sift flour and baking soda together in large bowl; set aside. Cut all fruit into small pieces about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch or as per personal preference; dust the cut fruit with flour. It is very important that all of the fruit be covered with the flour to prevent clumps.
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat until light and fluffy, add port wine. Mix butter mixture into the flour mixture with strong wooden spoon. Add fruit and fold in. Batter is very, very stiff. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1-1/2 hours. (test with a toothpick 1/2 between edge of pan and center of cake – toothpick should be clean when removed from cake)
Cut a cotton cloth to a size that can be completely wrapped around cake, soak in port wine and wring out but leave still wet. Wrap cloth around cake, wrap cloth covered cake with foil or plastic and store in cool place. Check weekly and re-saturate cloth with wine and re-wrap.
Best served sliced very thinly. Bon Apetit!
Whole Fruitcake
