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Thursday, December 3, 2020

24 Days of Christmas: December 3 - Package from Home Fruitcake

 

Yes, I know I’m going to get bad jokes and comments on this post, but some of us actually like the stuff. This is based on the Canada War Cake recipe I blogged about a while ago. I thought at the time it would make a good fruitcake, so I tweaked a few things, and sure enough it does.

This does not need to be made several weeks in advance and stored away until Christmas. I had my first piece still warm from the pan and it was delicious. It’s rich and moist, while also being easy (no copious amounts of stirring required) and economical. And, apart from soaking the fruit overnight, you can make it and bake it in a little over an hour.

 

1 cup pecans

1 ½ cups glace fruit mix*

½ cup brandy+

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup margarine

1 cup boiling water

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

 

The night before, combine the nuts, fruit and brandy and cover (plastic wrap is fine). Leave overnight to soak.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, margarine and water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square cake pan.

Combine flour and spices in a large measuring cup.

Pour fruit mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar mixture. Stir in cider vinegar, followed by baking soda. It will foam up. Stir in the flour/spice mixture. Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.


* you can use glace cherries for a more luxurious version

+ the alcohol will evaporate in the oven but you can use orange juice or apple juice instead

 

If you cut the squares in half, warm them in the microwave, and serve with a dollop of hard sauce, you can pass this off as Christmas pudding, so it’s actually two recipes in one.

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