Mimi's Perfection Fruitcake
Gwynne writes: "There are numerous jokes about fruitcake ... this will change anyone's mind! It is absolutely wonderful and was always a gift from grandma. It always arrived cold from the attic and in a shoe box!" The full recipe makes two fruitcakes; I usually halve the quantities and make one.
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 ounces lemon peel
- 4 ounces orange peel
- 4 ounces citron
- 4 ounces pineapple
- 8 ounces candied cherries
- 8 ounces dark raisins
- 8 ounces light raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup flour
Cake Batter
- 1 cup shortening or butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2¾ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ¾ cup grape juice
Ingredients for one mini loaf (5” x 3” pan)
Filling
- 1½ ounces mixed peel
- ½ ounce pineapple
- 1 ounce candied cherries
- 2 ounces mixed raisins
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 1½ teaspoons flour
Cake Batter
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ egg
- 45 grams flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon cloves
- 4½ teaspoons grape juice
Instructions
- Finely chop and mix together the peels, raisins and nuts. Sprinkle with the ¼ cup flour and mix very thoroughly.
- Cream shortening or butter (I use butter) and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together 2¾ cups flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add alternately with the grape juice.
- Pour batter over the fruits and mix well. Spoon into greased loaf pans (2 glass pans, 9” x 5” x 3.5”) with a wax paper or parchment layer covering the bottom of the pans, filling about ¾ full. Smooth top but don’t flatten.
- Bake in 250°F oven for 3-4 hours (I bake them for 3 hours, 40 minutes). Cool completely, then remove from pan. Brush with whiskey, add apple slices on top, wrap tightly in waxed paper or cheesecloth and foil and store in cool dark place.
Notes
- Amounts at the top are for the full recipe, which makes two loaves. I typically make only one full-sized loaf so I cut those ingredient amounts in half, or I make a mini loaf (see ingredient amounts below).
- Substituting candied mixed peel for the lemon peel, orange peel, and citron works well and is much easier than trying to purchase the peels separately.
- I like to use the “Raisin Medley” from Nuts.com in place of the dark and golden raisins.
- I use dark brown sugar, and always use butter rather than shortening.
- Cherry juice instead of grape juice also works well.
- For a mini loaf, bake for 1.5 hours on rack 3, rotating after 45 minutes.