At our last conversation group, we talked about a traditional holiday food called fruitcake. The funny part is that most people don't actually like to eat it, yet it is still a traditional gift at Christmas time. What is it made of? That is the BIG question. The joke is that people save it in the freezer and re-gift it to someone else next year. It lasts forever!
Here is a traditional recipe in case you want to give it a try:
BASIC FRUIT CAKE BATTER
3/4 cup lightly salted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. gr. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. gr. mace
1/4 tsp. gr. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. gr. cloves
1/4 cup apple juice 2-4 oz. brandy (poured on after baking)
ALL-NATURAL FRUIT
1 cup dark raisins
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup currants
8 oz. dates,chopped
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped dried pineapple
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup apple juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 280*F.To prepare pans (one each,or two 8x4-" loaves), butter the pan, then cut a strip of brown paper the width of the pan to line the bottom and two sides, and butter the paper too. For a ring pan, trace a circle on brown paper and line the bottom only.
Soak the raisins and currants in boiling water to cover, drain before using.
Cream butter with brown sugar until smooth.
Add lightly beaten eggs and oil. Mix well.
Sift in flour and spices, stirring.
Add apple juice and drained fruits.
Add additional apple juice and the nuts.
Mix very well, coating everything evenly with batter.
Divide into prepared pans,smoothing top with spatula.
Bake at 280*F. for 1 hour and 45 minutes or up to 2 hours depending on the size of the pan. Test for doneness with a toothpick in the center.
Leave in pan to cool.
Pour 2-4 oz. brandy over each cake in pan. Let soak overnight.
The next day remove cakes from pans and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in a cool place.
In case you get a fruitcake this season, here are some suggested uses:
-Door Stop-Weapon
-Paper Weight
-Homeplate
-Hammer
-Bricks to make a house (watch out for mice)
-Foot Rest
-Liquify it and power a jet
-Gift for your "favorite" person
-Hockey Puck
-Surf Board
-Boat Anchor
-Individual Paperweights (slices)
-Use fruit to make some Sangria
-Football
-Heat it up to make an iron
-Weight for the back of your pick-up truck
Can you think of any other uses for fruitcake? Have you ever tried it? Anyone brave enough to bake one? Are there any traditional foods fin your culture that are like this?
