First, I want to thank everyone who came to the facebook launch of Home for Christmas, the last of this first batch of Fortune Bay books. (Don’t worry, there should be another one coming out next summer, 2017. Join my mailing list for news of new books.)
It was great to hang out with some readers who are quickly becoming friends, and to meet so many new potential readers from as far away as South Africa, Holland, New Zealand and Australia!
I promised to put up my recipe for fruit cake – guaranteed to turn skeptics into fans. So here it is.
The secret is the strawberry jam, kirsch brandy, pineapple step.
It still tastes like fruit cake, just moist and fruity and good.
I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, who originally found it in the Toronto Star many years ago. Apparently it was sent in by a reader from Winchester Ontario which, coincidentally is where my sister lives. I love when synchronicity happens!
There are quite a few steps, but worth the trouble. It doesn’t really take that long and you end up with fruitcake to eat and give away.
My recipe says “make in late October”, so I better get at it!
Judy
| Prep Time | 2 days |
| Cook Time | 2 hr 20 min. |
| Passive Time | 2 months |
| Servings |
mini-loafs
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- 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
- 1 cup seedless raisins
- 1 cup dried currents
- 1/2 lb chopped dates (1 1/4 cup)
- 1 cup candied peel
- 6 oz. bottle maraschino cherries/ drained
- 1/4 cup brandy or fruit juice
- 10 - 14 oz. can crushed pineapple
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Kirsh or brandy
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 lb butter
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
Ingredients
Day 1, Group 1
Day 1, Group 2
Day 2, Group 3
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- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, cover with plastic and leave at room temperature overnight.
- Simmer pineapple and sugar for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool and stir in brandy and strawberry jam. Refrigerate overnight.
- Pre-heat oven to 275°.
- Mix dry ingredients.
- In a very large bowl, toss fruit and nuts in 1/2 cup of dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time.
- Stir in dry ingredients alternating with pineapple mixture. Combine lightly between additions.
- Pour over flour-coated fruit and nuts mixture. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared pans. (I line mine with parchment paper.) Put in preheated oven with a baking dish of water to keep loaves from drying out.
- Bake at 275° for 2 hr and 20 min.
- Cool. Wrap in brandy soaked cloths (or rum, Fireball or fruit juice). Wrap with foil and store at room temperature in a cool room.
- Douse periodically with brandy or juices as the cloth dries out.
- Enjoy at Christmas and beyond.
Your Christmas fruitcake recipe looks luscious! I’ll have to try it. I have two small loaf pans from my mother and the rest
will go in muffin tins with foil liners.
Can pecans be substituted for Almonds?
I don’t see why not. That would be delicious!
Thank you for publishing this recipe. It has been our family favourite for almost forty years and has also become our family wedding cake. I had misplaced my copy.
The original recipe was published in the Toronto Star and was shared by June Willis, of Winchester, Ontario. June passed on some time back but I sincerely hope that folks will say “Thank you, June!” as they take their first bite of a batch. What better way to be remembered for your generosity!!
This is the Toronto Star’s single most requested recipe.
I didn’t know that it was the most requested recipe, but with good reason. I got it from my mother-in-law. Funny thing, my sister lives in Winchester now.
Starting mine tonight. I have all the ingredients assembled. Yum!
I want to try this Christmas fruit cake but what size are the mini- loaf tins you use? Gill Knott. UK
I have been making this cake since it first appeared in the paper. It is delicious.