Recipe: Fruit Cake Recipes and Gum Drop Fruitcake

Dan-here are some "heavy on the nuts" fruit cake recipes from the TKL Archives. I hope they help.
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FRUIT CAKE (FOR THOSE WHO HATE FRUIT CAKE)

This is an outstanding cake recipe. It is a flavorful, moist cake on the order of a standard fruit cake but does not have all the candied fruit that so many find objectionable. I find it much better than any commercially prepared fruit cake I've ever tried.

FRUIT CAKE
Serving Size: 12

2 cups light brown suger
1 1/2 cups chopped dates
1/4 cup molasses
12 oz butter or margarine -- (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups hot water

2 eggs -- beaten
1 cup nuts -- chopped
1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries -- sliced

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

Raisins may be substituted for some or all of the dates.

Place first group of ingredients in a pan and boil 3 mins; set aside to cool. When cool add second batch of ingredients stirring after each addition.

Sift togather remaining ingredients and add to the fruit mixture a little at a time stirring well after each addition.

Place in greased and floured pans. Bake at 275 degress for 2 1/2 hours or till done.

Bake in bundt or tube cake pan, or 2 or more loaf pans.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup salad oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons molasses
4 eggs
2 bananas -- chunked
1 cup chopped dates
1 pound mixed fruit -- * see note
2 cups pecans -- chopped

1. Mix all ingredients except dried fruit, pecans, candied fruit and dates. Beat 3 minutes with mixer on high speed. After mixing well, stir in the remaining ingredients.

2. Line 2 loaf pans (9 x 5 x 3) with waxed paper and grease well. Pour in mixture and bake at 275 degrees for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Cover with foil last hour to keep from over-browning. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Freeze this if you wish; thaw slowly. Yield: 2 loaves of fragrant, delicious Christmas cakes.

NOTES : * A fruitcake I developed over time, since my family did not like the usual types. The choice of the dried and candied fruits makes all the difference in whether this will taste truly unique and homemade or more like a ready-made purchased cake. When choosing candied fruit, I

Holiday Cheddar Date Cake
Yield: 20 servings

3/4 cup Butter; Room Temperature
1 1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar; Packed
4 large Eggs
1 cup Cheddar; Sharp, Shredded
3 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon; Ground
1/4 tsp Cloves; Ground
16 oz Dates; Pitted, Finely Chopped
2 cups Pecans; Chopped
4 oz Candied Cherries;Halved,1jar
2 cups Raisins; Golden
1 cup Milk

DECORATIONS
4 Candied Pineapple Slices
12 Almonds; Whole Blanched

* You can make a decorative design on the top of the cake by quartering the candied Pineapple Slices and using the whole almonds, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium, until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the cheddar cheese. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves into a medium bowl. In
another medium bowl, combine the dates, pecans, cherries and raisins. Add 2 Tbls of the flour mixture, tossing lightly to coat the fruit and nuts. Alternately beat the remaining flour mixture and milk into the butter mixture until well blended. Stir in the floured fruit mixture by hand until distributed throughout the batter. Turn into the prepared pan. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven until the cakes shrinks from the side of the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack then remove from the pan. Cool completely on the wire rack. When cool, store in a container with a tight lid for up to 6 weeks. To serve, cut into thin slices.

SueA, CA (9:21:37 pm): Gumdrop Fruitcake
Sunset Favorite Recipes

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (15-ounces) golden raisins
1 to 2 pounds gumdrops (do not use grape or icorice flavored ones)
1 cup butter or magarine
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 can (1 pound) applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour with the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Coat the raisins with some of the flour mixture.

Put some of the flour mixture on a board and coat the gumdrops with it. Working on the floured board, cut the gumdrops into small pieces (the flour keeps them from sticking to each other).

Melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan. Saute the pecans in the butter until they are golden brown and crisp. Cool, then coat in some of the flour mixture.

Cream the remaining butter and sugar together until well blended and fluffy. Combine the eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.

Add apple sauce mixture and flour mixture alternately to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir in raisins, gumdrops (including any flour from the cutting board), and nuts.

Have ready three 7 3/8 by 3 5/8 by 2 1/4 inch loaf pans, which have been greased and then lined with greased brown paper. Pour the thick batter into these. Bake in a 300 oven about 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cakes are olden brown. Makes 3 small loaf cakes.