Dark Rich Fruitcake

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 24
• 2 lbs dark raisins
• 1 lb raisins, seeded
• 2 lbs glace cherries
• 1 lb mixed glace fruit
• 1 lb mixed peel
• 1 lb almonds, halved
• 1/2 lb dates, chopped
• 1 lb glace pineapple rings, sliced into strips
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons allspice
• 1 teaspoon mace
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon clove
• 1 orange, juice and rind of
• 1 lemon, juice and rind of
• 1/2 cup rum (light or dark, depending on the flavour you prefer)
• 1 lb butter
• 2 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed (dark, golden will suffice)
• 12 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 1 cup coffee, strong, cold

Recipe

• 1 day one -wash and scald raisins to plump.
• 2 drain and dry well.
• 3 place all fruit and almonds into a large bowl.
• 4 sprinkle spices over fruit and add the lemon and orange rind and juice. stir in the rum and let stand overnight, stirring occasionally.
• 5 day two -cream butter.
• 6 gradually add sugar, bea ting well after each addition.
• 7 add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 8 add flavourings.
• 9 add 1 cup of flour to fruit and nut mixture. toss to coat well.
• 10 add remaining flour alternately with cold coffee to the creamed mixture. stir in fruit mixture. beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• 11 fold into batter.
• 12 pour batter into 3 pans which have been lined with two thicknesses of brown paper and the top layer greased and dusted with flour.
• 13 (we used tube/funnel pans.) bake at 275f for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until a cake tester comes out clean from the centre. cool cakes completely in the pans on cake racks.
• 14 remove from pans and peel off paper.
• 15 wrap cakes in cheesecloth (moistened with rum); then in foil.
• 16 keep in a cool place for four to six weeks to allow the flavours to join.
• 17 notes: grandma used to open the foils and re-moisten the cheesecloth at least once in the ripening process.
• 18 (by drizzling in about 2 tbsp rum there is note of timings for different fruit cake pans.
• 19 (i think originally the recipe would make one each of the 4, 6 and 8 inch pans.) 4x4 - 2 1/2 hours 6x6 - 3 hours 8x8 - 3 1/2 hours or until tests clean - in a 2750f oven.