🚀 go-pugleaf

	Before refrigeration, the trick to preserving fruitcake was to
keep it wrapped tightly  -- a couple layers of cheesecloth, then air-tight,
foil (or paper in the old days, I guess).  Every six months open it
and wet the cheesecloth with brandy.  Just keep pouring on the brandy
and eventually no one will notice whether the cake is fresh or not!

	It was traditional to make a groom's cake for a wedding
as well as a bride's cake -- the bride's cake being white or yellow,
frosted in white, etc. -- the groom's cake was the fruitcake, heavy,
dense, and rich.  There's undoubtedly some sexist symbolism there . . .
the groom's cake would be saved for either the christening of the first
child or the silver wedding party.  Still done in Britain, where cakes
are iced with a sturdy royal icing or fondant or marzipan, or all three,
and the icing helps preserve the top layer of the wedding cake -- it
has to be chipped away so the cake can be re-iced for the second
event.
			A. Sharp
			axsc@pge.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In article <368a534d.1977684@news.odc.net>
wight@odc.net (Bill Wight) writes:


>I read somewhere that properly prepared fruitcake can last 25 years.
>Anybody know what you have to do to make it last that long?

>Bill

A good fruitcake is one that isn't made LOL


Bill Wight wrote:

> I read that recent archeological evidence has uncovered that there
> were actually four wise men who visited the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
> It appears that he brought fruitcake as his gift and Joseph sent him
> away.
>
> I was at our local supermarket today and they had all the candied
> fruits for fruitcake on sale at 1/3 of what I paid before Christmas.
> I bought $40 worth and will make fruitcakes for next year's presents.
>
> I read somewhere that properly prepared fruitcake can last 25 years.
> Anybody know what you have to do to make it last that long?
>
> Anyway, several people asked me for my modified fruitcake recipe so
> here it is.
>
> Bill
>
> ===================================================
>
>                     *  Exported from  MasterCook II  *
>
>                          Dark and Rich Fruitcake
>
> Recipe By     : Modified by Bill Wight
> Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
> Categories    : Fruitcake
>
>   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> --------  ------------  --------------------------------
>    4      cups          candied citron, fruit and peels
>    2      cups          dried apricots, chopped
>    1      cup           raisins, seedless, dark or golden
>    1      cup           Craisins (dried cranberries)
>    1 1/2  cups          pecan halves -- coarsely chopped
>      3/4  cup           dark rum
>    2 1/2  cups          white flour
>    2      teaspoons     baking powder
>    2      teaspoons     salt
>    1      tablespoon    ground cinnamon
>    1      teaspoon      ground nutmeg
>    1      teaspoon      ground allspice
>    1      teaspoon      ground cloves
>    4                    eggs
>    1 3/4  cups          packed brown sugar
>      1/2  cup           orange juice
>    1      cup           butter (not margarine) -- melted,  cooled
>      1/4  cup           light molasses
>
> 1.  Mix fruits and pecans together in a bowl and pour rum into bowl.
> Mix well.  Let the rum soak into the fruit for about 8 hours.  Mix the
> fruit every hour or so.
>
> 2.  Preheat oven to 300F.  Prepare tube pan: grease sides and bottom.
> This recipe will fill one large bunt pan (12 cup/10" dia.) If using
> loaf pans, line bottom with foil or paper.
>
> 3.  In a very large bowl, mix flour, spices, baking powder, and salt.
> Stir until spices are evenly blended throughout.  This is the dry
> ingredients bowl.
>
> 4.  In a third bowl beat eggs until fluffy.  Add brown sugar, half the
> orange juice, molasses, and butter.  Mix, making sure that all the
> sugar dissolves.  This is the liquid ingredients bowl.
>
> 5.  Pour off any liquid from fruit mixture into the liquids bowl.  Add
> the fruit and the nuts to the dry ingredients bowl.  Mix until all
> fruit and nut pieces are coated.  Then pour in the contents of the
> liquids bowl and mix gently until you have an evenly-mixed batter.
> Use reserved orange juice to adjust thickness of batter.  The finished
> batter should not be too runny or too thick.  It should be gooey but
> the batter should not run off the fruit and nuts toward the bottom of
> the bowl.  If you have the right consistency, a heaping spoonful of
> the batter should not self level--it should stay heaped up on the
> spoon.
>
> 6.  Spoon the batter into the pan and bake at 300F for 1 hour.  Cover
> pan with foil and bake for 1 hour more or until toothpick inserted in
> center comes out clean.  Cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.
> Peel off any paper/foil from bottom very carefully.
>
> 7.  Wrap the fruitcake tightly in two layers of aluminum foil.  For
> the next 3 to 4 weeks, open the foil and sprinkle a little rum over
> bottom and top of the cake once a week.  Keep cake tightly covered and
> store in a cool dark place.  If you don't like rum, try a different
> recipe.
>
>                    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> NOTES :
> You need a total of 8 cups of assorted dried/candied fruit for this
> recipe.  Fruit can include dried figs, dates, apples, etc.

In article <368A90D9.65C68EAB@cgocable.net>, Peter says...
>
>A good fruitcake is one that isn't made LOL
>
LOL!!!! You read my mind!  Actually, does anyone know where fruitcake
originated?