This Christmas fruit cake is made from candied tropical fruit and soaked in rum which gives it a moist texture and delicious flavor. A staple of our family's holiday traditions.
1cupgolden raisinscarefully checked to remove any little stems
1cupred glace cherrieshalved
1cuprum
2cupsblanched almondsslivered
2cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
½teaspoonsalt
½cupbuttersoftened
1cupgranulated sugar
3eggs
Instructions
Chop the fruit.
In a large bowl, combine coconut, papayas, mangoes, pineapple, raisins, cherries, and ½ cup of the rum.
Cover and let stand for 1 day, stirring occasionally.
Set a shallow pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides.
Preheat oven to 250℉.
Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper that are large enough to wrap up the sides of the loaf pans. Fold them so they will fit inside the loaf pans. Cutting slits where the corners are will help them to lie neatly.
Line each loaf pan with two sheets of the parchment paper .
Gently stir ½ cup flour into the fruit.
Add the almonds to the fruit mixture. Set aside.
Sift together 1½ cups flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
With electric mixer on high, cream the butter.
Add the sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
Now stir the cake batter into the fruit/almond mixture with a wooden spoon. It will be very stiff.
Pack the cake batter into the prepared loaf pans, smoothing the tops with the back of the spoon.
Bake in the center of the oven for 1¼ to 1½ hrs., until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If the top begins to crack, shield it with foil.
Let cool in pans on wire rack.
Remove cakes from pans and peel off the parchment.
Soak 2 double thicknesses of 16-inch square cheesecloth in the remaining rum.
Poke a few holes in the cakes with a skewer (which will let the rum run into them).
Wrap cakes in the cheesecloth. Then in a layer of saran wrap and a layer of foil.
For the best flavor, refrigerate for at least 1 month, or up to 3 months
Notes
To avoid having a lot of left-over ingredients, buy the candied fruit at the bulk food store and take a measuring cup with you. That way you can purchase the exact amounts that you need.
Mix the batter only as much as you need to combine the ingredients. Over mixing will result in a tough cake.
If you prefer not to use alcohol to soak the fruit cake, substitute artificial rum extract