Not sure I'm as brave as Jordan though
Event Recap How to Make Your Christmas Fruitcake
- Thread starter Jeff Westover
- Start date
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How would I know I screwed it up?
Hahaha, exactly!
Thanks Mr. Warren!
MerryCarey
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@GWarren , would welcome any insights about how this strikes you. This is my parents' fruitcake recipe. I've mentioned elsewhere that they were Fruitcake Masters, with friends and family clamoring for portions of their fruitcakes, but I don't know what their secret was. They made their fruitcakes every Thanksgiving morning, mixing huge portions of batter in roasting pans---literally up to their elbows in ingredients.
Mrs. Carey’s Fruitcake
Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 lb. butter
1 lb. sugar or 2 cups
1 lb. flour or 4 cups
3 lbs. raisins
2 lbs. currants
2 teaspoons nutmeg or cinnamon
1⁄2 lb. citron
1 lb. candied cherries
1⁄2 lb. candied pineapple
1 lb. nuts (4 cups)
1 glass strawberry preserves
1 water glass wine [My parents used wine that my grandmother made]
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cream
Cream butter and sugar. Separate egg whites and egg yolks. Add beaten egg yolks to creamed mixture. Beat in 2 tablespoons cream. Add strawberry preserves. Add wine. Then add sifted flour, baking powder, and nutmeg. Dredge the cut-up fruit and nuts in 1⁄4 pound of flour. Add to mixture. Add egg whites last.
Grease and flour two tube pans. Put wax paper in bottom of pans. Bake at 275 degrees for 3 hours. After 1-1⁄2 hours, put a pan of water on the rack beneath the cakes.
The recipe card ends there, but I remember that each cake was wrapped in white cloth soaked in my grandmother’s homemade wine, and overwrapped in aluminum foil. The wrapped cakes were kept in a refrigerator in the basement until shortly before Christmas, when they were cut and distributed among a selected few, some receiving slices and others receiving half a cake as a Christmas gift. The cakes were decorated with egg whites beaten to a froth and brushed lightly on top as a base for red and green cherries and pecan halves. When the egg whites were dry, they resembled a light dusting of snow.
Mrs. Carey’s Fruitcake
Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 lb. butter
1 lb. sugar or 2 cups
1 lb. flour or 4 cups
3 lbs. raisins
2 lbs. currants
2 teaspoons nutmeg or cinnamon
1⁄2 lb. citron
1 lb. candied cherries
1⁄2 lb. candied pineapple
1 lb. nuts (4 cups)
1 glass strawberry preserves
1 water glass wine [My parents used wine that my grandmother made]
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cream
Cream butter and sugar. Separate egg whites and egg yolks. Add beaten egg yolks to creamed mixture. Beat in 2 tablespoons cream. Add strawberry preserves. Add wine. Then add sifted flour, baking powder, and nutmeg. Dredge the cut-up fruit and nuts in 1⁄4 pound of flour. Add to mixture. Add egg whites last.
Grease and flour two tube pans. Put wax paper in bottom of pans. Bake at 275 degrees for 3 hours. After 1-1⁄2 hours, put a pan of water on the rack beneath the cakes.
The recipe card ends there, but I remember that each cake was wrapped in white cloth soaked in my grandmother’s homemade wine, and overwrapped in aluminum foil. The wrapped cakes were kept in a refrigerator in the basement until shortly before Christmas, when they were cut and distributed among a selected few, some receiving slices and others receiving half a cake as a Christmas gift. The cakes were decorated with egg whites beaten to a froth and brushed lightly on top as a base for red and green cherries and pecan halves. When the egg whites were dry, they resembled a light dusting of snow.
GWarren
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The recipe looks great. I would use the weight measurements instead of the imperial cups for the dry ingredients. I think part of the charm would be the homemade wine because the alcohol content isn't known. For me, the cakes don't need to be refrigerated. That actually retards the blending of the flavours. I would keep them in a cool, dark place and check every couple of weeks to anoint with wine.
MerryCarey
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Thanks, @GWarren!
What would be a good substitute for the homemade wine? And could the recipe be halved?
I‘m also wondering if the weight measurements hint at the age of the recipe. I was told it went back for generations.
GWarren
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Most fruitcakes use brandy or rum so you could go up to 40% alcohol, but wine is 15% alcohol max, so a nice flavourful red would be nice, or a sherry would work.
Yes, you could easily halve this recipe.
The weight measurements could suggest the age because you would buy ingredients by weight from a grocer. Especially if you're going back a few generations.
Yes, you could easily halve this recipe.
The weight measurements could suggest the age because you would buy ingredients by weight from a grocer. Especially if you're going back a few generations.
MerryCarey
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Thank you for the answers and the good information!
If you ever try the recipe, please let me know how it turns out.
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