Mrs. Mackinnon's Christmas Fruitcake               

 tags (edit): Christmas Bon Appetit Magazine @Vogel @Try Soon! Desserts  

 

The cake takes its name from the wife of Jack Turner's former headmaster, but the recipe is reportedly an ancient Scottish one. Aluminum foil stands in for the traditional newspaper.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups golden raisins (about 12 ounces)
2 cups dark raisins (about 9 ounces)
1 3/4 cups dried currants (about 8 ounces)
1 3/4 cups glacéed fruits (such as red cherries, pineapple, and apricots), chopped
3/4 cup candied orange peel chopped
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons Dark rum
2 teaspoons each grated orange and lemon peels
1 teaspoon Lyle's Golden Syrup or light molasses
3/4 teaspoon Baking soda
1 3/4 cups All purpose flour
1/3 cup Self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup plus 2 tb Unsalted butter (2 1/4 sticks) room temperature
1 1/2 cups Dark brown sugar (packed)
5 large eggs


 

Instructions
 Mix first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Add 1/2 cup rum; bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat. Mix in grated orange and lemon peels, syrup, and baking soda. Let stand until fruit mixture absorbs liquid, stirring often, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan, then line bottom and sides of pan with parchment; butter parchment. Sift both flours and salt into medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture; beat until just blended. Stir in fruit mixture. Transfer batter to pan. Cover pan with foil.

Bake cake 2 hours. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F; continue to bake covered until tester inserted into center comes out clean but slightly moist, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer to rack; remove foil. Pierce top of cake all over with skewer. Drizzle 6 tablespoons rum very gradually over cake. Cool completely in pan. Cut around pan sides to loosen; remove pan sides. (Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Wrap in foil; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)


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Yields: 12 Servings
     Bon Appetit magazine, December 2005

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