My Fruitcake Recipe Adventure

Reader Contribution by Lois Hoffman
Published on December 13, 2013
article image
by Pixabay/onderortel

As Jim rummaged through some of his mother’s mementos, he ran across the fruitcake recipe her mother’s mother’s mother – I think – used to make. He asked, “Do you think we could try and make a batch?”

My first thought was of those pretty little tins with the cakes inside that nobody really likes to eat. But then I was informed that there’s fruitcake and then there’s FRUITCAKE! So, we decided to try a batch.

The first task was to try and decipher the recipe. I didn’t have a clue how much a shot glass of whiskey equaled in cups, and the measurements for dry ingredients were listed in pounds. A conversion chart would help with this challenge, but then I had to actually figure out what some of the ingredients were. Citron and glazed – not candied – fruit had never been a staple in my pantry.

With nearly $100 worth of glazed fruit, dried fruit and nuts, I was ready to start. I proceeded to dump all the fruit, nuts, coconut and jelly together, adding just enough flour so everything wouldn’t stick together in a clump. I graduated to larger mixing bowls three times until I had my extra large mixing bowl brimming with fruit and nuts.

Making the batter was actually a cinch although I couldn’t possible see how the small bowl of batter would be enough to mix with all the fruit and nuts. But, after a lot of elbow grease to mix everything, I had 26 little loaf pans sitting on the counter waiting to become little fruitcakes. This was eight pans more than my oven would accommodate, so I baked them in two batches.

Mission accomplished? Not yet. After they were cool, the cakes had to be basted on the tops and sides with whiskey, wrapped in plastic wrap and put in a cool place to allow the liquid to soak in. Our front porch offered the perfect place. This process was repeated each day for five days before they could be taste-tested.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-803-7096