Recipe: Etznab's Christmas Cake

Etznab's Christmas Cake

This is a fruity and nutty cake that will end your negative associations of fruit cake. It may seem like there are a lot of ingredients but it is any easy recipe. This fruit cake uses mostly dried fruit, such as the stuff in trail mix packages as opposed to the multi colored preservative laden stuff commonly sold during the holiday season.Sift the following dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp instant coffee, if its in granules grind it to a powder

Cream the following:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 stick of butter (1/4 pound)
1/2 cup of ONE of the following: milk, rum, or chocolate liquor

Mix fruit and nuts:

3/4 cups of rinsed raisins both golden and black
1/4 cup dried cranberries (Ocean Spray sells them under the name Craisins)
1/2 cup diced dates
1/2 cup your favorite assorted candied/dried fruit in small pieces
1 cup pecans or walnut pieces
1 tbsp grated fresh lemon peel

Instructions:

Fold the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Add fruit. Mix everything. Pour into a lightly greased pan. The batter rises quite a bit, so fill the pan only 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Remove cake from oven when toothpick comes out clean. Remember, you are testing the batter, not any fruit that may be sticking to the toothpick. Cool. Invert. Prick all over with toothpick. Sprinkle with plain rum or a sugar glaze. Will keep about two weeks in an airtight container.

Approximate baking times are:

For small cupcakes 25 minutes.

For mini cakes about 4 inches in diameter 40 minutes (Walmart sells very nice mini bunt pans)

If you are using one large bunt pan or square pan bake in a water bath for about 90 minutes. If you skip the water bath, the outside of the cake will brown before the center is cooked thoroughly. To bake in a water bath, place the pan with the batter in a larger pan, similar in fashion to a dish you place under a flowerpot. Add water to the outside pan.

I realize I gave you a very wide range for baking time. It depends on how soft you like the cake, how much filling you use, how accurate your oven is, the color of your pan and probably the alignment of the planets as well.candied fruit peels:

You could always buy this in the store or make it according to your own family recipe. The following is how I always make candied fruit peels. Take the full peel, not just the outer colored part (zest) of oranges, lemons, and/or grapefruit. Soak it in salt water for three days. Squeeze out salt water and rinse thoroughly. Cut into strips or chunks. Add white granulated sugar and cook over medium heat