Holiday Cakes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chopped dried fruits (apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, plums, raisins)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• ⅓ lb broken pecans
• 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, clove, allspice and nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbl wheat germ
• ¼ lb (1 stick) butter, softened
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 tbls thick fruit juice (such as apricot nectar)
• 3 egg whites, beaten until stiff

Instructions

Prepare the chopped, dried fruits and place them in a large bowl. Sift the flour. Measure ¼ cup of the sifted flower and sprinkle it over the fruit. Stir to coat the fruit with the flour. Add the pecans, stir to combine and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Add to the remaining flour and sift again. Add the wheat germ and set aside.

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and cream using an electric mixer. Gradually add the brown sugar and beat until light. Blend in the egg yolks. Add the spiced flour to the butter mixture alternately with 2 tablespoons thick fruit juice. Fold in the floured fruit and nut mixture. Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Grease and flour the cake pans or line them with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pans and bake in a 275 degree oven until done. Cakes weighing less than one pound (four 6x3-inch mini loaf pans are ideal) will bake in just over 1 hour, or one 9x5-inch loaf may take up to 2 to 2½ hours. The cakes are done when an inserted toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean. Makes 3 pounds of fruit cake (four small fruit cakes or 1 large fruit cake).

Marci's Dark Fruit Cake by Marci Francisco.
Adapted from JOY OF COOKING by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, published by Plume Books, New American Library, Copyright © 1931.

Photos

Added Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009