Troy Hawkins shared his recipe for fruitcake in his Question of the Day section. He says this is a good recipe.
“I love to serve a slice with a brandy butter (the kind used for plum pudding), spooned over, and topped with a cherry or candied fruit slice garnish,” Troy said.
Troy’s Holiday Fruitcake
2 cups chopped dried mixed fruit, soaked for 2 or 3 days in brandy1 cup roughly chopped glace cherries
1/4 cup candied mixed citrus peel
1/2 cup chopped sugared pecans …(in a hot skillet toast pecans and add 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Coat and spread on waxed paper to cool)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup browned butter (heat in a saucepan just until nutty brown — watch carefully because butter burns quickly)
1 cup milk or egg nog
A pinch each of cinnamon, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. You can also use a spice mixture
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 2/3 cups sifted self-rising flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Line one 8×3 inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine mixed fruit, cherries, citrus peel, walnuts, sugar, butter, milk, mixed spice, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
3. Stir in flour and eggs. Pour into the prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with brown paper or newspaper.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 40 minutes, then reduce temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and continue to bake cake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cake from oven.
Here is where you get to make some choices:
1. Allow the fruitcake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack, remove paper, and cool completely. Cake can be stored for up to 6 months wrapped in foil in an airtight container.
2. Choice 2 requires 3 days prep time. Upon removing the cake from the oven douse with 1/4 cup brandy. (Apricot, ginger and/or pear flavored brandy works delightfully.) Allow to cool. Cover with foil or
plastic wrap and refrigerate. Each day add 1/8 cup of brandy drizzled over the top. Cover and re-refrigerate.
