Fruitcake

This year, to my great surprise, I learned that several people in my life like fruitcake. Mike requested one for his holiday treat, and soon thereafter my mom, cousin Barb, and friend and colleague Arvind all expressed their appreciation for this often-joked-about confection. I had never made one before yesterday, but I’m actually quite pleased with how it turned out. I mean, I didn’t taste it because I think dried fruits are kind of icky, but Mike told me it was delicious.

This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Everyone’s Favorite Fruitcake, and though it has a slight crack down the middle, Mike loved it. Apparently you can experiment with all types of different dried fruits in this type of cake, but for my first foray, I went for a pretty traditional mix of dried apricots, dates, candied pineapple, candied cherries (the red ones, not those electric green ones), and golden raisins. I also did this recipe entirely by weight, but I’m listing the ingredients by volume below since most people bake by volume.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup diced candied pineapple
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup diced dried apricots
• 3/4 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup chopped candied cherries
• 6 tablespoons dark rum
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup or dark corn syrup
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice or water
• A few more tablespoons rum, for brushing

Preparation

Combine dried fruits and 6 tablespoons dark rum in a glass or ceramic bowl; stir together and let rest overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf tin.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and dark brown sugar until fluffy. Add salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and baking powder and beat to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Add flour and golden syrup and beat until just combined; add cranberry juice and beat, then fold in rum-soaked fruits and pecans, stirring to distribute evenly.

Spoon batter into loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, checking after about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until a  cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then brush with remaining rum. Allow to cool completely; fruitcake can be stored in the loaf tin for several days. Makes one 9 x 5 loaf; servings vary based on how thick you slice it.