This particular post is dedicated to my brother, Bruce.

In fact, it is his idea.  Almost his idea.

I didn’t even know for sure that he read my blog.

But when I spoke with him last he asked me to do a blog on making fruitcake.

That’s right.  Fruitcake.

My family likes fruitcake.

Our mother had a great recipe that is chockful of nuts and candied fruit.

No raisins or dried apple slices or spices.

Fruit and nuts.

My mom would make it in early November and wrap it in cheesecloth soaked in brandy until Christmas.  So it is fruity and nutty and a little boozey.

The recipe – typical of ALL of my mother’s recipe is basically a list of ingredients with  temperature and baking times tacked on the end.

Fruitcake:

2 cups flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 pint marachino cherries

1/2 lb. candied pineapple

1 lb. dates

1/2 lbs pecans

1/2 lbs. walnuts

1 lb. candied fruit mix

5 eggs, beaten

BAKE at 250 degrees F for 2 1/2  to  3 hours

I love looking at all my recipe files.  It is almost like visiting with Robin and my mom when I read their notes and recipe’s.

and getting together is a good reason  – so gather up your ingredients.

 

Just smell the deep and festive mix of  fruit and nuts!  

CLOSE UP!!!

Add flour, sugar and baking powder and stir until all of the flour and sugar is incorporated.

 

This smells so good!

add beaten eggs  to mixture  and stir well.

 

The dough is thick and looks very sticky.

Grease pans liberally and use wax or parchment paper to keep mixture from sticking to sides of your pan.

Now you can decorate the cakes, using candied pineapple and the red and green glacee cherries.  Cut the green pineapple into leaf shapes and the red into petals- pop some cherries in for the centers and you have bright and happy little fruitcakes!

You can make them in smaller sizes or in a large loaf pan- just make sure that you use parchment or wax paper and lots of Pam to keep them from sticking.

And then after you have baked them at a low temp (for the smaller cakes- bake them less time but not less than 45 minutes.  They get darker, but what you are looking for is a fairly firm texture.)

In my family-fruitcake is always a treat.

I like the mug- but if you like nuts and fruit- you will like love this cake!