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Ingredients :
- 2 sticks+4 tbsp Butter (Softened)
- 2 cups Finely Chopped Mixed Candied Fruit Peel
- 2 cups White Raisins
- 1 ½ cups Dried Currants
- 1 cup Seedless Raisins
- ½ cup Candied Cherries (Cut In Half)
- ½ cup Finely Chopped Candied Angelica
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Double-Acting Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Dark-Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Shelled Almonds (Pulverized With A Nut Grinder)
- 4 Eggs
- ¼ cup Pale Dry Sherry, Rum Or Brandyglaze
- ¼ cup Red Currant Jellymarzipan
- 2 cups Almond Paste
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Light Corn Syrup
- 7 cups Confectioner's Sugar (Sifted)
For Icing :
- 6 cups Confectioner's Sugar (Sifted)
- 4 Egg Whites
- 1 tbsp Strained Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Method :
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of the cake
pan with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter.
- Coat one side of a 20-inch strip of wax paper with 2 more
tablespoons of softened butter.
- Set the paper, greased side up, inside the pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the fruit peel, white raisins,
currants, seedless raisins, cherries and angelica.
Sprinkle the fruit with ½ cup of the flour, tossing it
about with a spoon to coat the pieces evenly.
- Set aside.
- Sift the remaining 1-½ cups of flour with the baking
powder and salt and set it aside.
- In another large bowl, cream the remaining 1-pound of butter
with the brown sugar beating them until they are light and
fluffy.
- Add the pulverized almonds.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add the flour and baking powder mixture, a half-cup or so at
a time.
- Beat the fruit mixture into the batter.
- Add the sherry.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan no more than an inch from
the top.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 2 hours.
- Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes.
- Slip the cake off the bottom of the pan onto a cake rack to
cool completely.
- Carefully peel off the wax paper.
- To prepare the glaze, heat the currant jelly in a small
saucepan over moderate heat until it is thick enough to coat a
wooden spoon lightly.
- With a small metal spatula, spread the hot glaze evenly over
the top and sides of the cake.
- To make the marzipan, crumble the almond paste in small
pieces into the bowl.
- Add the almond extract and ½ teaspoon of salt and beat
at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Gradually add the corn syrup in a thin stream, beating
constantly until the mixture is smooth.
- Beat in the 7 cups of confectioner's sugar, ½ cup at a
time till the mixture becomes so stiff that it clogs the beater.
- Knead in the remaining sugar with your hands.
- You may need to soften the marzipan while adding sugar by
kneading it for a few minutes.
- On a clean surface, roll out half the marzipan into a circle
about 1/2 inch thick.
- Using a 12-inch pan, cut a 12-inch disc out of the circle
with a pastry wheel.
- Roll and cut the remaining marzipan into a 36*3 inch strip.
- Gently set the disc of marzipan on top of the cake and press
it lightly into place.
- Wrap the strip of marzipan around the cake, pressing it
gently to secure it.
- If the strip overlaps the top, fold the rim down lightly.
- Wrap the cake in foil and let it stand at room temperature
for 2 days before icing. The more the cake is kept, the more it
improves.
For Icing :
- Before serving, combine the 6 cups of confectioner's sugar,
egg whites, lemon juice and 1/8-teaspoon salt in a large mixing
bowl.
- Beat with an electric beater until the mixture is fluffy and
stand in soft peaks.
- With a small metal spatula, spread the icing evenly over the
sides and top of the cake.
- Decorate the cake in any desired shapes adding swirls of
icing, candied fruits and Christmas ornaments.
- Makes one 12-inch round fruitcake.
- The recipe originated in United Kingdom. You can prepare many
other variations of fruitcakes by adding your own modifications
to the cake.
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