Fruit Cake Anniversary Cake Wedding Cake Recipes

FRUIT CAKE, ANNIVERSARY CAKE, WEDDING CAKE.

Steps:

• Soak fruit with Brandy or Liquor of choice for a minimum of 1 week 2 weeks is better and 3 months is excellent.
• Dust fruit with small portion of flour cream butter, sugar, eggs, jelly and vanilla.
• Add the combined fruit and nuts. The fruit and nuts can be left whole or chopped that is a personal preference Lorane does not chop.
• Mix thoroughly with hands.
• Press down well into greased & lined tins 3/4 full.
• Bake at 225 - 275 depending on your oven if your oven is hot use 225 increase if your oven runs cool until done.
• When storing pour liquor or Brandy over cake my friend uses Tia Maria. I use Brandy or Rum.
• Also you can wrap the fruit cakes with cheesecloth just remove the cloth when add the Brandy or liquor. Just wrap again after adding the liquor.
• Wrap well and store in a closed container.

CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS CAKE/ WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Day 1: Measure nuts, raisins, currants, citron peel into a large bowl.
• Drain cherries and reserve juice.
• Chop cherries (they should measure about 1 1/4 cups) and add to the fruit mixture.
• Stir in brandy and soak over night.
• I actually do this a few weeks in advance and leave it in the fridge and really let the fruit soak in the brandy for more depth of flavour but it's up to you.
• If you're going to do it the day before baking however, I'd cover it with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter at room temperature.
• In a heavy dutch oven or large saucepan, simmer the entire contents of the can of pineapple with 2 cups of the sugar.
• Cook uncovered until thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Stir frequently and make sure the heat isn't too high.
• When cool, stir in the juice from jar of maraschino cherries (it shouldn't be more than 1/2 cup) and the strawberry jam.
• This mixture doesn't have to be done the day before baking but it does have to bee cool before you add it to the cake.
• In fact, I'd recommend that you do this step on the day of baking.
• Prepare cake pans by greasing and then lining with a double thickness of heavy brown paper.
• Brown shopping bags do well or else you can use tin foil with dull side out.
• Grease the paper or foil well.
• Use whatever size pans you wish but leave an inch space at the top of the pan.
• Total weight is 11.5 lbs.
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• Sift or stir the flour with the spices, salt and soda until well mixed.
• Sprinkle a cup of the flour mixture over the fruits and nuts and toss till they are coated with flour.
• Set remaining 3 cups of flour aside.
• In a large measuring bowl, cream 2 1/4 cups of the sugar with butter.
• Beat in eggs one at a time.
• Stir in dry ingredients, alternating with pineapple mixture.
• Make 3 dry and two liquid additions, combining lightly after each addition.
• Pour over flour-coated fruits and nuts and mix until well combined.
• Turn into prepared pans and they can be filled to about one inch from the top.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 3 - 3 1/2 to 5 hrs depending on pan size.
• Put a shallow pan of water on a lower rack for added moisture if you'd like.
• Cake should be fairly firm in the centre and a skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes.
• Remove from pan and peel off paper and then let it cool on a rack.
• When cool, wrap it in a piece of cheesecloth that has been soaked in brandy, rum, black wine, liqueur, or fruit juice.
• Then wrap the cake in tin foil (leaving the cheesecloth on the cake).
• Freeze if not being used right away.
• Note: I usually start soaking the fruits around the end of October for a couple of weeks in the fridge, then mid Nov, I bake the cake, and freeze it.
• Every couple of weeks, I take it out, re-soak the cheesecloth in liquor and wrap it back up and re-freeze.
• By the time Christmas rolls around, you will have one moist and intoxicating cake!
• (You can just use fruit juice if you don't want the alcohol. I think pineapple juice is the best).
• You can decorate with an almond paste or icing of your choice or serve plain.