Holiday Fruitcake and Display Windows Tour

Varieties of fruitcakes are about as vast as the universe, and it's wonderful how many unique recipes have become family traditions. This recipe is my family tradition, going back three generations. These fruitcakes are always made the weekend following Thanksgiving, so that the cakes may "ripen" just enough to enjoy them on Christmas Eve and throughout the holiday season.

While the fruitcakes were baking in the oven, we wanted to share with you the display windows at Cavalcade, which are part of the downtown Croswell celebration of the season!

Holiday Fruitcakes (makes 4 loaves - so cut recipe in half for 2 loaves)

4 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 pound unsalted butter (room temperature)
10 eggs (room temperature)
1 1/4 pound pecans (halves or pieces)
3/4 pound walnuts (halves or pieces)
1 pound white raisins
2 pounds of candied fruit (I use equal parts red cherries, green cherries, gold pineapple) use whatever combination you prefer
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. cardamom
2 tsp. vanilla

OPTIONAL: cheesecloth, wine, rum, bourbon, whiskey or other liquor

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Get the largest mixing bowl you have at hand. I actually use the bottom of an enameled roaster pan (the same one I use for stuffed cabbage) because it's the biggest vessel I can find. Combine together butter, flour, baking powder, salt, mace and cardamom. Use electric hand mixer and incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients as much as possible. Mixture should look sandy in texture.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix together until well blended. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat together well until mixed completely. Add candied fruit, nuts and raisins. Here you will need to start mixing by hand. I find a large spatula works best, but you could use a large wooden spoon also. Mix well - you want all the fruits and nuts to distribute evenly throughout the batter.

Grease and flour four standard loaf pans. Divide batter evenly into four pans and gently smooth over the top of the batter with a spatula. Don't compact the batter! Place loaf pans in 300 degree oven and check after 90 minutes. Top of fruitcakes should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cakes should come out dry. If they aren't done, give them some more time, checking on them every 5-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow cakes to cool in pans for about 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and then allow to cool completely on racks.

When cakes are cooled, soak a two foot length of cheesecloth in a bowl with about one cup of wine (or other spirit) until cheesecloth is saturated. Gently wrap fruitcake in cheesecloth, going around the cake a couple of times. Then wrap the cake in plastic wrap, and then wrap snugly in aluminum foil. Keep the fruitcakes in a cool place for 3-4 weeks.

NOTE: If you prefer not to wrap your cakes in alcohol, just wrap in plastic wrap and foil as noted above, and store in a cool place for a couple of weeks. The flavor improves with a little time!

Видео Holiday Fruitcake and Display Windows Tour канала Cavalcade of Food