Not Your Grandma's Fruit Cake
Not Your Grandma’s Fruit Cake
Remember fruit cake back in the day that was like a brick and tasteless? Not this version! Easy to make with just the right amount of fruit and yumminess for any occasion!
Not Your Grandma’s Fruit Cake
Yield: 18 muffins (1 large loaf or 4 small loaves)
Ingredients:
1 box Date Quick Bread Mix
1 carton dried candied red cherries
1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon rum or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1 large egg
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries, or dried fruit of choice
1 cup pecans, whole or chopped
Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 - 3 tablespoons half & half
Equipment needed:
Stand up mixer (or Mixing bowl and hand mixer)
Liquid and dry measuring cups
Paring knife or kitchen sheers
Small bowl
Strainer
Rubber spatula
Small dipper/ ice cream scoop
Muffins pan or loaf pan(s)
Cupcake liners or vegetable spray
Measuring spoons
Cooling rack
Small mixing bowl and small wire whisk for glaze
This recipe is a variation of the one my mom used to make each Christmas... light and fluffy with just the right amount of rum flavor! She used to make about 10 loaves and deliver them to the neighbors... a welcome gift. Even when our family ran the bakery in town they used to make a limited number of loaves each weekend, which sold out quickly. I prefer making muffins, as they are easier to divide up and make a great addition to a cookie tray or brunch bread basket. If you prefer them non-alcoholic ... that’s fine too! Grab your fruit and let’s bake!
To start... the thing that makes fruit cake so boring is the dried fruit. Using a paring knife or kitchen sheers, cut each cherry in half. I freshen them up by giving the cherries a quick soak for 5 – 10 minutes in the rum. If you prefer not using alcohol, add 1⁄2 teaspoon of rum extract to 1/2 cup warm water and soak in this instead. Drain the rum liquid and reserve for later!
This recipe is a super easy quick bread! Place the liquid ingredients, egg, water and oil into the bottom of a standup mixer bowl. Placing these on the bottom will help with preventing dry ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Blend these together well for 1 minute. Add dry ingredients, raisins and dried cranberries to liquids and blend on low speed until moistened well, about 1 minute. Remember...it’s a quick bread, so overmixing is a no-no! Next add the drained cherries and nuts. Blend another 30 seconds or until just combined. Last is the rum or rum extract... add and blend for another 30 seconds. Your batter is ready!!
While the muffins are mixing, you can line your muffin pan with pretty, festive papers. If making loaves, spray loaf pan(s) with vegetable spray. I usually also place a strip of waxed or parchment paper to fit the bottom of the loaf pan... eases the removal of the bread from the pan. Panning muffin tins is always easier when I use a dipper or ice cream scoop. Helps with portion control/ measurement too! Fill muffin papers about 2/3 full, ~ 1/4 - 1/3 cup in each of the 18 muffin wells. Bake in a 375 F oven for 23 – 25 minutes. Don’t over bake as muffins will continue to bake in the hot pans when removed from the oven for a couple minutes.
Remove muffins from oven and set on a sturdy surface that can withstand heat. If adding rum, immediately poke about 2 – 3 holes in the top of each muffin with a cake tester or toothpick. Using the rum, you reserved from the cherry soaking, pour about 1 teaspoon over each muffin until all the rum is used. The rum will sizzle a little when added to the warm pan... smells wonderful and adds just a little something to the muffin flavor. Delish!! Carefully remove muffins to a cooling rack for the final step... Glaze!
Glazing breads or muffins always adds a little decorative touch and yummy flavor too! As muffins are cooling, grab a small mixing bowl and prepare your glaze. Place powdered sugar, softened butter and vanilla in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons half and half (or milk) and using a small wire whisk, carefully begin to stir together. Powdered sugar is a bit messy... so be careful. It also absorbs liquid well, so don’t be tempted to add too much milk until you’re sure it needs a bit more. You want the final glaze a bit runny, but not liquidy, so it runs off the fruit cake. If by accident you add too much liquid, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time into the glaze, until the proper texture is achieved. Drizzle the glaze in a zig zag pattern across the fruit cake and allow to totally dry before wrapping.
Don’t they look amazing? I dare you not to eat one when they are finished... after all you need to make sure they are edible... Correct? Place them on a decorative platter and serve with coffee or brunch... Enjoy