Black Fruitcake
This is an English cake. It is also known as Dark Fruitcake,
English Fruitcake and Merry Christmas Cake.
1/4 pound candied citron
2/8 pound candied lemon peel
3/8 pound candied orange peel
4/2 pound candied cherries 1 pound candied pineapple 1
pound golden raisins
5/2 pound seeded raisins
6/4 pound currants
7/2 cup dark rum, cognac, sherry or Madeira
8/4 pound blanched shelled pecans
9/4 pound shelled walnuts or pecans 2 cups sifted all-
purpose flour
10/2 teaspoon mace
11/2 teaspoon cinnamon
12/2 teaspoon baking soda
13/2 cup butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar,
firmly packed 5 eggs 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon
almond extract
Prepare fruits and nuts a day ahead. Sliver the citron,
lemon and orange peel into very thin strips; cut cherries in
half and pineapple in thin wedges. Set aside. Pick over
raisins and currants to eliminate stray stems or seeds; add
rum, cognac, sherry or Madeira, and soak overnight. Chop
almonds and walnuts or pecans coarsely. Set them aside,
also. The following day, grease a 10-inch tube pan, four 1-
pound coffee cans, or 2 bread pans measuring 9 x 5 x 3
inches. Line with brown paper.
To make the cake, mix 1/2 cup of the sifted flour with all
the fruits and nuts in a large bowl. Sift remaining flour
with spices and baking soda. Cream butter until soft, then
work in granulated sugar and brown sugar, a little at a
time, until mixture is smooth. Stir in the eggs, milk,
almond extract and flour mixture. Mix thoroughly. Pour over
the fruit and nuts and work together with your hands until
batter is very well mixed. Lift the batter into the pan or
pans and press it down firmly to make a compact cake when
cooked. Bake at 275 degrees F. A tube pan that uses all the
batter will take 3 1/4 hours. The bread pans, which will
each hold half the batter, will take 2 1/4 hours. The
coffee cans, which each hold one-fourth of the batter, will
take 2 hours.
Remove cakes from oven, let stand 30 minutes, then turn out
onto cake racks. Peel off the brown paper very carefully.
The four small, round cakes make attractive Christmas gifts.
To age fruitcakes, allow at least four weeks. Wrap each cake
in several layers of cheesecloth well soaked in rum, cognac,
sherry or Madeira. Place in an airtight container, such as a
large crock or kettle, and cover tightly. If cheesecloth
dries out, moisten it with a little of the wine or spirits.
Do not overdo it. The cakes should be firm, not soft, at the
end of the aging period. This will make them easy to slice
in neat, compact slices. If you wish to frost fruitcakes
after they have been properly aged, cover the top first with
Almond Paste, then with Milk Frosting. To decorate, make a
garland of candied cherries, slivered angelica, and blanched
whole almonds around the edge of the cake.
Almond Paste 1 pound blanched almonds 1 pound confectioners'
sugar, sifted 3 egg whites 1 teaspoon almond extract or 2
teaspoons rose water
Work almonds through a food grinder or blend in an electric
blender. Thoroughly mix in confectioners' sugar. Beat egg
whites slightly, then stir into the almond mixture. Add
almond extract or rose water, using your hands to blend the
heavy mixture.
Milk Frosting 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
14/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon butter
15/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan. Cook, stirring
constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Then boil, without
stirring, until a few drops tested in cold water form a soft
ball. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and beat
until frosting is of spreading consistency. Spread over top
of cake letting it dribble down the sides. If frosting
becomes too stiff to spread, melt in top of double boiler
over boiling water, then beat again.
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