Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

Sara Lorimer asked

I am not sure whether it is a fruit cake or not, but I suggest you look up
the recipe (for example, in "Good Housekeeping") of the British speciality
called Christmas Pudding. This is so good that it has taken even France by
storm. (The French, with a Gallic injustice, have traditionally turned up
their noses at British cuisine. Not with this delicacy, however.)  Nearly
every recipe book in France now has a page devoted to "le Christmas
Pudding". Some progress, at least.

The Christmas Pudding is normally re-heated on Christmas day, brought hot to
table, and a sprig of holly is placed in the top. We close the cutains, pour
some brandy over the hot pudding, and set fire to it, to watch the blue
flames dance on top of the pudding, scorching the leaves of the holly.
Flambé, the French call it. But our flames are blue, theirs are yellow and
orange. The pudding is then served, with either brandy custard or brandy
butter.

There is no fruit cake richer in fruit than the Christmas Pudding, and no
fruit cake more boozy. No other recipe comes near. The best is British.

Richard Chambers        Leeds   UK.

} I'm looking for a good fruitcake recipe. I want to make miniature
} fruitcakes to give away at Christmas. The fruitcake should be dark,
} heavy, have good fruit in it, keep well, and be deliciously boozy.
}
} It should not be a light spice cake. It should not contain day-glo green
} and red chunks of sugar.
}
} I've never made fruitcake before. Do any of you have recipes you
} wouldn't mind sharing?
}
} (Let's not tell all the jokes about fruitcakes and just say we did,
} okay?)

Are you serious?  If so, the definitive one is "Christmas Fruitcake Bars"
on page 97 of _Maida Heatter's BOOK OF GREAT COOKIES_ (Alfred A. Knopf,
New York, 1978).  E-mail me for more details.

The readily available _Fanny Farmer Cookbook_ has a recipe titled "Dark
Fruit Cake" (page 576 in our copy) that I can tell you from extensive
personal experience fits your bill quite well.  Be sure to follow the
appended "Brandied Fruit Cake" instructions.

OK, here, I'm in a helpful mood, I'll type it out (this makes two
cakes, which is fine because they keep almost forever):

Ingredients:
---------------
1/4 pound butter [or 1/2 pound shortening]
1 cup (firmly packed) dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups small pieces mixed candied fruit
1/2 cup small pieces candied citron
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans

Procedure:
--------------

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter two 9" x 5" loaf pans, line each with foil, then also butter the
foil.

Cream the butter (or, if you are using shortening, the shortening--we
feel butter works a tad better), add the brown sugar, then beat till
light.

Add the lemon extract and eggs and beat well.

Stir in the molasses and blend.

Mix together the flour baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, mace, cloves,
and salt, then beat that mix into the first mixture.

Add the milk and beat till smooth.

Stir in the candied fruit, citron, raisins, and pecans, then mix well.

Spoon into the pans and bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until an inserted
toothpick comes out clean.

Turn out onto racks to cool.

When cool, wrap well and store in an airtight container (bit see
below).

Brandied:
------------
Soak two large pieces of cheesecloth in brandy.  Wrap each fruit cake
in the cheesecloth, covering all sides, then wrap well in foil.  Be
sure to re-moisten the cheesecloth with additional brandy every few
days for about a week, rewrapping the foil.  (The brandy will not only
flavor the cakes, but help preserve them.)

In our experience, you can profitably continue re-moistening the
cheesecake every so often for quite some time after the first
week--basically till you see that the cheesecloth no longer appears
changed since the last application.  Note again that you need to be
storing the cakes in *airtight* containers: something with a frimly
shutting lid.

Here's one from St Delia.
http://www.deliaonline.com/cookery-school/scaling-up-cake-recipes,1002,AR.html

Leave out the glace cherries if you don't want day-glo.  My instinct
suggests making a large cake and giving away slices, rather than a
series of small ones, which may turn out drier.

Others have given recipes and made various suggestions. You asked
about miniature fruitcakes. Are you thinking of individually cooked
cakes rather than one or two large ones cut into pieces?

I wonder whether anyone could make suggestions for the cooking of
miniature cakes?

Sara Lorimer <que.sara.saraDELETE@gmail.com> had it:

Mrs Beeton's Christmas Cake (1).
I've been using this recipe for 30 years and have never had cause to
look for another.  I've typed it in as I couldn't quickly find an
online copy, so it is worth checking for sense.

This sort of cake is best aged for a few weeks.  Also, you might want
to try a dummy run as it's something of a skill to get it right.  
Take the note about the depression in the centre seriously - the cake
will rise considerably and if you don't make a big dip in the middle
it will rise up and the top of it will burn.  If you intend to ice
it, you should cut off the domed top (and eat, naturally) and then
turn the cake upside down - this gives an excellent flat surface to
take the marzipan and icing.  Marzipan should be rolled out and stuck
to the cake with apricot jam, or it will slide around.

And as Robin says, you should make one big cake - this recipe is not
suited to small cakes.

8 oz butter
8 oz castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon gravy browning (I leave this out)
8 oz plain flour
1/8 teaspoon salt (I leave this out)
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 - 6 eggs (I use 5 large eggs)
1 lb currants
8 oz raisins
4 oz glace cherries
2 oz chopped peel
4 oz blanched chopped almonds
4 - 5 tablespoons brandy (I usually replace with Grand Marnier which
adds an orangy note).

Line an 8-in cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Cream fat and sugar together until white;  add gravy browning.  Sift
together flour, salt mixed spice and baking powder.  Add egg and
flour alternately to the creamed fat, beating well between each
addition.  Stir in the prepared fruit, almonds and if necessary ad a
little milk to make a heavy dropping consistency.  Place the mixture
in the cake tin and tie a piece of paper round the outside of the
tin.  Smooth the mixture and make a depression in the centre.  Bake
in a warm oven (335 F, Gas 3) for half an hour, then reduce the heat
to 290 F, Gas 1, for a further 3 - 3.5 hours.  Allow to firm before
removing from tin and when cold remove paper.  Prick bottom of cake
well and sprinkle brandy over.  Leave for a few days before icing.