fruitcakes in candied grapefruit shells

Fruitcakes in Candied Grapefruit Shells

Source: The Betty Furness Westinghouse Cook Book

Holiday fruit cake baked in candied grapefruit shells is a delightfully original gift. It packs easily and travels well.

12 grapefruits
8 cups water
8 cups granulated sugar
2 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon glycerin

To Prepare the Shells: Select perfect grapefruits that are clean and free from blemishes. Wash and cut slice from top of each. Remove inside of fruit with teaspoon, being careful not to break shell. Cover shells with cold salted water (1 teaspoon salt to each quart water), bring to boil, and cook five minutes. Drain, cover again with fresh water and boil five minutes. Repeat process about three times until bitter flavor is gone from peel and peel is tender, but not tender enough to break apart. Invert shells and drain on a wire rack for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Syrup for 10 to 12 Shells There must be enough syrup to cover and float the fruit. Cook the shells in syrup until syrup gives a jelly test (about 250 degrees F). Let shells stand in syrup overnight, or longer.

Reheat and cook 10 minutes. Cool in syrup until ready to use. Drain before filling with cake mixture. Use any fruit cake batter to fill shells. Fill shells about 3/4 full.

To Cook the Cakes in Candied Shells: Steam about 1 1/2 hours. This may be done on top if the range, in the oven or the roaster. (Place filled grapefruit shells on lift-out rack in insert pan of roaster-oven. Pour 2 quarts of water in bottom of insert pan, set control at 300 degrees F for 1/2 hour, or until center of cakes are done when tested with a wooden pick. Cool.

Store in a covered container. If the confection seems dry, place a fresh orange in the container for a day or two. If properly stored, this confection will keep for a year. Serve by slicing through peel, either crosswise or lengthwise.

The shortest distance between two points is under construction. — Noelie Altito

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lemon fruitcake

Lemon Fruitcake

1 pound butter
1 box brown sugar
6 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces lemon extract
1/2 pound candied cherries
1/2 pound candied pineapple
1 quart pecans

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Add flour alternately with lemon extract. Add fruit and nuts. Cover and let stand overnight in refrigerator. Bake at 275 degrees F to 300 degrees F until done. Let stand 2 days before eating.

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queensland cake

Queensland Cake

Contributed to recipe goldmine.com by yeateg, Australia, 11/11/03

Source: "Queensland Cake Chef: An anonymous drover from Chinchilla Queensland.

This is a rich fruit cake recipe, from a drover at Chinchilla in Queensland (Australia). It was typical of the type of "special" do some drovers cooks could achieve when cooking for the men on a long cattle drive as a variation from the more common meal of corned beef, potatoes, onion and damper, and sometimes "brownie" which is damper with dried fruit and a few spices through it.

Another specialty was roast leg of mutton cooked with pineapple and ginger. If youve ever tasted old scrawny mutton, youd appreciate the transformation when it is cooked with tinned pineapple and ginger and basted with the tinned juice.

But here is the Queensland fruit cake recipe, which I think is too good to file away under International Recipes, but deserves to be listed under fruit-cakes.

You won need a camp oven to enjoy this drovers delight. The use of ginger, Queensland nuts and Bundaberg rum make this the ultimate piece of Queensland cooking. Originally it would have been mixed in an old square kerosene tin and baked in the ashes of the camp fire by the drovers cook.

For the benefit of non Queenslanders, Queensland nuts are known to the rest of the world as "macadamias", but they are actually native to South East Queensland. The Bundaberg Rum mentioned is a dark rum, commonly 90 proof, but the old timers liked the over-proof version.

1 pound raisins
1 pound currants
1 1/2 pounds sultanas
6 ounces glace ginger, lightly chopped
1 cup chopped pitted prunes
1 cup chopped pitted dates
2 tablespoons treacle (or golden syrup)
1 cup rum
4 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound butter
1 pound brown sugar
10 eggs

Preheat oven to 130 degrees C (260 degrees F). Double line an 11- or 12-inch square cake tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl place all the fruit and pour over the treacle and rum; mix well.

Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices onto a large sheet of paper.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape butter mixture into fruit mixture and add flour. Mix all ingredients until well blended and spoon into prepared tin. Smooth the surface and cover with a layer of macadamia nuts, pressing the nuts into the cake mixture. Bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours until the cake is cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove from oven and brush with two tablespoons of rum. Cover while hot with a double layer of foil and leave for 24 hours to cool completely.

Serving suggestion: Great cake, deserving of fine tea or coffee.

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vanilla wafer fruitcake

Vanilla Wafer Fruitcake

1 (13 ounce) package vanilla wafers
1 pound pecan halves
1/2 pound candied red cherries
1/2 pound candied green pineapple
5 ounces white raisins
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 small can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a tube pan.

(Save 5 whole cherries, 10 pineapple wedges and 15 pecan halves.)

Crush wafers in large mixing bowl. Add cherries cut in half, pineapple cut in wedges, pecan halves broken in two and whole raisins. Mix well. Beat eggs well; add sugar, milk and salt. Add to wafer fruit mixture. Mix well. Place in prepared pan and press down firmly. Decorate with reserved fruit and nuts. Bake in center of oven for one hour.

Cool 15 minutes.

Once youve accumulated sufficient knowledge to get by, you
e too old to remember it. — Unknown

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mrs. crowthers applesauce cake

Mrs. Crowthers Applesauce Cake

Submitted to RGM by Sharon on 01-21-02

Here is a gumdrop cake that my grandmother made. We called it fruitcake in the family, but the official title is Mrs. Crowthers Applesauce Cake.

1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts
1 cup gumdrops (omit green and black ones)
1 cup dates (our family omitted them)
1 cup maraschino cherries

Sift cocoa, baking powder with flour.

Cream butter; add sugar and spices. Add beaten egg, then applesauce.

Dissolve baking soda in warm water. Add alternating with flour mix and fruit mix. (If you use the large gumdrops, cut them into small pieces.)

Bake in paper lined loaf pans (either wax or parchment paper) at 325 degrees F for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours.

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rich italian fruitcake

Rich Italian Fruitcake

3 cups dried figs or dates
1/2 cup white seedless raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups soft wholegrain breadcrumbs
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons honey
Oil and dry breadcrumbs for pan
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1/2 cup walnuts

Soak figs or dates overnight in hot water.

The next day, bring them to a gentle boil and lower the heat, simmering gently until very soft. While the figs are cooking, soak the white raisins and dried cranberries in hot water.

When softened, drain figs or dates and place in large bowl. Drain other fruit, squeeze out excess water and add. Add remaining ingredients down to and including honey. Stir well to as smooth a consistency as possible. As you stir, the figs or dates become like a paste and you will have a very thick "cake-like" batter.

Rub a small springform pan or a layer cake pan with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with dry breadcrumbs, shaking out excess, like you would a flour coating. Spoon in the batter and smooth out. Cover the surface with pine nuts and walnuts or other nuts of your choice and press them lightly into the batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm.

Allow to cool on a rack for about 15 minutes.

Carefully run a spatula around the edges of the pan and invert onto a cake plate.

Cake is best served cold.

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dark rum nut fruitcake

Dark Rum Nut Fruitcake

Posted by CookinMom at recipegoldmine.com 12/11/2001 7:38 am

Source: The Toronto Star Newspaper

Soaking the fruit and nuts overnight allows the cakes flavors to mingle. This cake tastes best if given a few weeks to mellow before it is topped with almond paste and iced

6 cups diced, mixed candied peel
1 1/2 cups diced candied citron
1 1/2 cups halved red candied cherries
1 1/2 cups halved green candied cherries
4 cups currants
6 cups seedless dark raisins
2 cups blanched slivered almonds
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups butter
2 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
7 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

In large bowl, combine candied fruit, currants, raisins and nuts. Pour rum over mixture; stir to combine. Cover; let sit overnight.

Prepare four 9 x 5-inch loaf pans as desired by buttering and lining them with buttered parchment paper.

Drain any liquid from fruit/nut mixture, reserving liquid. Add 1/2 cup flour to mixture; stir to coat.

In separate large bowl, cream butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy; add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and reserved liquid from fruit.

In another bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add gradually to creamed mixture, stirring just to blend. Stir in floured fruit and nut mixture.

Turn mixture into prepared pans. Bake 3 to 3 1/2 hours in preheated 250 degree F oven or until a tester inserted in middle of each cake comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes in pans, then turn out on to racks. Carefully remove paper and cool completely.

Makes four 9 x 5-inch cakes.

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fruitcake supreme

Fruitcake Supreme

2 pounds pitted dates
1/2 pound green candied cherries
1/2 pound red candied cherries
1 pound candied pineapple (cut in pieces, if whole)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 pound English Walnuts, shelled
1 pound pecans, shelled
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Leave nuts and fruit as whole as possible.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder over fruit and nuts. Mix well with hands.

Beat eggs and vanilla extract and pour over flour mixture. Blend well.

Line two bread pans with wax paper and butter well. Divide dough into the two pans and bake at 200 degrees F for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Put on rack to cool.

When cool, wrap tightly in foil or freezer paper.

What more felicity can fall to creature, than to enjoy delight with liberty. — Edmund Spenser

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