As promised, this month it’s fruitcake! I had a good response to this last year. I lot of people wanted to make it but could not find the candied, diced fruit. One purchased the fruit on the web. I went over to Giant on the bus and talked to the produce manager. He assured me they would carry the one-pound carton of diced fruit.
Let me tell you about the fruit. In the carton, it looks all shiny and sweet, but it is not. The manufacturer candies the fruit with a sulfur compound that has a nasty taste. That is why I say soak the fruit in the raisins and nuts to remove the sulfur, and it will no longer be shiny. Drain well and rinse. Set it aside and let it dry.
Now, let’s make the batter. In a fairly large bowl, place a 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt. Then, stir in a 1/4 cup milk and one egg. Cream this well with a hand mixer for approximately 3 minutes. Next, stir in a 1/4 cup of Crisco oil. We have completed the making of the batter.
Now, dump the fruit mixture in the bowl and coat it all with the batter. Be sure all the fruit gets coated with the batter. Set your oven to 380 degrees. If you are baking in a shallow pan, it will take about 40 minutes. If it is a deep pan, it will take about an hour. To make sure your cake is done, there a simple way: press the center lightly with a fork or spoon. It should be firm, not wet.
If you would like a more complete recipe with more details, go to my webpage, bakerbill.net, and click on recipes. To print the recipe, press (ctrl) P.
If you have any questions, you can always email me at bill@bakerbill.net.
Thank you for your emails,
Baker Bill