The stores have already started stocking their shelves with Christmas decorations.
I can remember a time when they at least waited until after Halloween.
Oh, well, that was then, this is now, and now is the time to start getting ready.
Maybe starting Christmas preparations now isn’t such a bad idea.
Chores that used to take me a day now take three.
Is it the same for you?
If we start now we can pace ourselves and not be exhausted when the big day comes.
Some items are actually better if done now.
Yes, I’m talking about fruitcakes.
Over the years they’ve been regarded as an embarrassment, like biting one’s nails.
But, properly done, a fruitcake can be a treat. Yes, really!
Use fresh good quality ingredients, and make sure the spices are fresh.
Dredge fruit and nuts with some flour so they won't sink in the batter, then shake off excess flour and use the excess flour in the recipe.
Want a a moister fruitcake? Add 1 cup applesauce to your recipe.
Fruitcakes taste better after they have aged. This is called "ripening”.
They should be made at least a month ahead of when you’ll need it.
Two, three, or even four months is better if you can store them in a cool and dry place.
Fruitcakes freeze well, but they must be aged at least four weeks before freezing.
They won’t ripen while they are frozen.
Do not decorate the cakes before storing them.
Have a recipe that’s been in the family for generations, but just seems a bit off now?
Don't feel absolutely bound by a recipe, no matter how old it is.
If you don’t have or don’t like something you can substitute. Really!
If the recipe calls for You can substitute
brandy, rum, etc. wine or a fruit juice
citron another candied or dried fruit
raisins a mixture of chopped dates and just a few raisins
candied pineapple, cherries the same weight of a candied fruit mix
As long as the weight of fruit and nuts is the same as in the recipe you’ll be fine.
Pre-Baking hints
Two or three days before baking prepare the nuts and fruits.
Pour the liquor or fruit juice over the nuts and fruits, and let the mixture stand well-covered for two or three days, or at least overnight.
Then drain and use the excess liquid in the recipe.
Fruitcakes may be baked in muffin tins, loaf pans, cake pans, etc.
If changing the pan's size, remember the baking time will be different.
Be sure to grease the pans well, or use greased brown paper or wax paper.
Baking hints
Place a pan of hot water on the floor of the oven to keep the cake from drying out.
Always bake a fruitcake at a low temperature, no higher than 325º F.
If the cake is browning too quickly, place a sheet of foil on the top of the cakes.
Be careful not to over-bake.
Test with a cake tester or skewer inserted in the centre of the cake.
It will come out moist, but not doughy, when the cake is done.
Post-Baking hints
Poke the cake with a skewer (optional) and sprinkle with the liquid you used.
Cool the fruitcake on a rack in the pan in which it was baked.
When cooled, turn it out of the pan and carefully peel off the paper, if used.
A liquor-based cake may be stored several months in a cool place.
Wrap the cake in a liquor soaked cloth, then in either plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
For very long storage, bury the cake in powdered sugar and place in a tightly covered tin in a cool place.
Once a week, brush the cake with more liquor.
Check periodically and rewrap in liquor soaked cloth.
Fruit cakes can be enjoyed as long as 25 years this way.
Non liquor based cakes may be kept in a cool place for short term storage or in a freezer for long storage.
Serving hints
Frost cake close to serving time.
You can brush a sugar syrup glaze on a cake for a shine.
Slice the cake in a sawing motion with a sharp thin-bladed knife or a serrated knife.
Refresh a stale fruitcake by gently heating slices in a microwave or a steamer and serving with a hard sauce, brandy sauce, glaze or your favourite topping.
Back to that 1930s Dollar Fruitcake…
During the early 1930s this recipe cost $1 to make.
By 1974 those same ingredients cost more than $4.
By 1979 the price passed $8.
Now? You do the math.
1930s Dollar Fruitcake (Winnipeg Free Press)
Line a 9-inch tube pan with greased brown paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil
Pour boiling water over
1 pound sultana raisins
Place raisins between paper towels and dry thoroughly.
Set aside.
Halve
1/2 pound candied cherries
Chop
1/2 Cup blanched almonds
1/2 Cup walnuts
Place in a measuring cup
1/4 Cup fruit juice (orange, apple, grape or juice from canned fruit)
1/2 teaspoon brandy flavouring or almond extract
Place in a large bowl
the washed and dried raisins
the halved candied cherries
the chopped blanched almonds and walnuts
2 Cups mixed peel
Sift together
2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sift again over the fruits and nuts, then stir until each piece is coated.
Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
Cream until light and fluffy.
Gradually blend in
1 Cup sugar
Beat in, one at a time, until blended
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 300º F
Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, stir the flour / fruit mixture alternately with the fruit juice into the butter / sugar mixture.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours, until the cake starts to pull away from the side of the pan.
Remove pan from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.
When cooled, remove it from the pan and carefully peel off the paper or foil.
Wrap well and store in airtight container.
Here are a few other fruitcake recipes you could try.
Some don’t need aging!
Anna Sultana’s Halloween Barmbrack
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2018/10/anna-sultanas-halloween-barmbrack.html
Anna Sultana's St. Martin's Cake / Fruitcake, Maltese Style
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2011/11/anna-sultanas-st-martins-cake.html
Anna Sultana’s Cinnamon Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2014/09/anna-sultanas-cinnamon-swirl-sour-cream.html
Anna Sultana's White Fruitcake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2014/11/white-fruitcake-by-margaret-ullrich.html
Carmela Soprano's Mom's Pear and Grappa Pound Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2013/05/moms-pear-and-grappa-pound-cake.html
Light Fruitcake by Margaret Ullrich
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2012/11/light-fruitcake-by-margaret-ullrich.html
