this is from the 1920's:
old timey fruitcake
this I've been doing on and off since the late seventies.
it is very flexible with regard to what kinds of fruits and nuts you want to use.
makes about 11 to 12 pounds of cakes in whatever shapes you choose.
the fruit
chop and macerate the dried fruit - use candied or glazed
1 cup each:
pineapple
apricot
dates
2 cups cherries
2.5 cups golden raisins
2.5 cups regular raisins
0.5 cup currants
(I prefer to make fresh) 0.5 cup each
candied lemon peel
candied orange peel
bring slowly to a simmer in a heavy pot adding in total 2-2.5 cups of liquid:
apricot nectar
booze of choice - brandy / whiskey / bourbon / rum are the usual suspects
simmer 10 minutes; allow to stand overnight not refrigerated
should not have free liquid - some heavy syrup okay - but if you push the fruit to one side no juice should “run out” of the mix - if too liquid, reduce over low heat and allow to thoroughly cool - overnight to 48 hr - before use.
the nuts - I prefer unsalted where available
3 cups rough chopped pecans
1 cup rough chopped macadamia
2 cups rough chopped cashews
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds
the batter
6 cups sifted (780 gr) AP flour
of the six cups reserve 1 cup AP flour
sift / mix into remaining 5 cups
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
0.5 tsp ground clove
0.25 tsp cardamom
2 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
cream one pound butter with two cups white granulated sugar
add ten whole large eggs
add 1.5 tablespoon vanilla
slowly add in flour and mix until smooth
in a really really big bowl - mine is barely adequate at 12” diameter
add nuts to batter
add reserved cup of flour and mix in well
add scoops of fruit & fold into batter -
I use the fold technique as “stirring” is hardly possible
butter two ten inch tube pans
I _always_ use wax paper on the bottom!
split the mix between the pans - I just use a big spatula to scoop into pans
tap to get out any entrapped air pockets
bake at 300’F for 3 - 3.5 hrs - clean tooth pick routine although I use a wooden skewer to get to the middles.
remove from oven - allow to stand on rack in pans for 30 minutes
do not shortchange the cooling period - the cakes can easily break apart if handled when still too warm.
invert and hope they fall out nicely - if not knife down the sides to release.
the cake on the right has a simple syrup glaze with deco pecans; brought to soft ball (295’F)
it has problems. the glaze is sticky - cheese cloth & wax paper stick excessively to glaze.
I’ve hit it with powder sugar - we’ll see.
not a recommended glaze finish.
the cake on the left is happier.