Edna Lewis's Christmas Fruitcake

* Exported from MasterCook *

EDNA LEWIS'S CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Holidays Cakes
Fruits

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 c Glazed candied orange peel
. diced
1 c Glazed candied lemon peel
. diced
2 c Citron -- diced
1 c Currants
2 c Seedless raisins -- chopped
1/2 c Dry red wine
1/2 c Brandy
3 1/2 c Flour -- all-purpose
1 t Ground cinnamon
2 ts Nutmeg -- grated
1/2 ts Ground cloves
1 t Ground allspice
1/2 ts Ground mace
1 t Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1 c + 6 Tbsp butter -- softened
2 c Brown sugar -- packed
5 Eggs -- separated
1/2 c Sorghum molasses

Mix all the fruit in a large bowl and pour in the wine
and brandy. Stir gently and set aside to marinate for
a few hours.

Butter a 10-inch tube pan or two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf
pans and line it (or them) with clean parchment paper.
Butter the paper.

Sift the flour with the spices twice. Add the baking
powder and salt and sift again.

Put the butter into a large mixing bowl and cream
until satiny. Add sugar and, using an electric mixer,
cream until light and fluffy. Beat the egg yoLlcs
slightly and then add them to the bowl. Mix the batter
well before you start to add the flour-spice mixture.
Stir the batter as you add the flour, a litde at a
time, stirring well after each addition. When the
flour is thoroughly incorporated, add the molasses and
stir. Finally, stir in the fruit and any soaking
liquid in the bowl.

Put the egg whites in a grease-free bowl and beat with
a clean beater until they hold stiff peaks. Fold them
into the batter thor oughly and then spoon the batter
into the prepared pan (or parns). Cover loosely with a
clean cloth and let the batter sit overnight in a cool
place to mellow.

On the next day, heat the oven to 250 degrees. Place
the fruitcake on the middle rack of the oven and bake
for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, cover the pan
with a piece of brown paper (do not use foil) or set
the pan in a paper bag and return it to the oven.

When the cake has baked for 3 1/2 hours, remove it
from the oven and listen closely for any quiet,
bubbling noises. If you "hear'' the cake, it needs
more baking. Or test the cake with a toothpick or cake
tester. If the toothpick or tester comes out of the
center of the cake clean, the cake is ready to take
from the oven. Put it on a wire rack to cool, still in
the pan.

When the cake is completely cool, turn it out of the
pan (or pans), leaving the brown-paper lining on the
cake. Wrap the cake with parchment, then aluminum
foil, and pack the cake in a tin. Homemade fruitcakes
need air, so punch a few holes in the lid of the tin
or set the cover loosely on the tin.

Set the tin in a cool, undisturbed place, and every
two or three weeks before Christmas, open the foil and
sprinkle the cake with a liqueur glassful of brandy,
wine, or whiskey. The liquor will keep the cake moist
and flavorful and help preserve it as well.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -