Who said fruitcake had to be the dry, fruit-filled compacted brick that you're visualizing right at this very moment? It doesn't. Try this traditional pass-along recipe for a moist, tasty alternative. Even my friends who steer wide and clear of fruitcake have raved over this cake. My first experiences with this cake are etched in the memories of my sweet mother-in-love who started this cake with her sister each fall. She had jars going on the counter for weeks and baked the cakes over several days. At that time, I never imagined myself doing the same. Although I am no stranger to pass-along concoctions, fruitcakes were never one of my must-haves during the holidays. Organizing our family's fruitcake fellowship each fall has not only made me more tolerable of the cake, it has also broadened my perspective about why people put the time and effort into preparing them. What makes this cake lighter and so different than the dense product we are used to in a fruitcake is that you begin with a golden cake mix. Yeah. That's what I said. This is a doctored cake mix batter, but the way it comes out after adding all the ingredients, you wouldn't know. You will bake two cakes separately, so use only half the ingredients to begin the first cake. Open one box of cake mix and pour it into a large mixing bowl. To the mix, you will whisk in one small box of instant vanilla pudding mix. Many bakers use pudding to create a silky, moist texture in their cakes. Stir in four eggs. I always stir one in at a time until the yolk breaks, and it is slightly incorporated. And yes, I said stir. This batter is super simple and does not require a mixer at all. Add two-thirds cup of vegetable oil. Stir the ingredients together until they are well-incorporated. A spatula or large spoon will work fine. Fold in half the drained fruit and one cup each of raisins, walnuts and pecans. For these cakes, we mixed one half cup golden raisins and one half cup black raisins. We baked these cakes in 6-cup Crofton mini bundt pans for approximately 55 minutes. In a regular 12-cup bundt pan, bake the cakes between 60 and 90 minutes. This time will vary based upon your oven. Our full-sized fruitcakes bake 1 hour and 10 minutes for a moist, fluffy cake. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before turning it out to cool completely.
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AuthorI'm a wife, mother, daughter, educator, writer and hobby farmer. Welcome to my world of simply living. Archives
December 2023
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