NewsA brief historical education! Before your grandmother made a fruit cake decoration for the Christmas table, the ancient Romans molded pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, wheat mush, raisins, and honeyed wine into a fruit cake-like confection they called “satura.” According to the New York Times, the term parody was influenced by the Romans’ sweet and acidic satura confection. Isn’t that amazing?
While most people have a love-hate connection with this delicacy, everyone can concur that it epitomizes custom. Many families’ Christmas meals are lacking without fruit cake for dessert, which boasts a slew of celebratory ingredients such as dried or caramelized fruits, brandy, and butter. So, why not use these smart tactics to make it a success with everyone at your table—even the skeptics?
While the brandy’s traces of wood and cherry notes complement the cake’s floral richness, those who aren’t fans of the alcohol can easily substitute it. If you prefer vino, use red wine instead. If you prefer to make your cake alcohol-free, substitute your preferred fruit drink. Then, combine a piece of cake with one of these 16 Weight Loss Wines!
Coat the dried fruit and nuts in flour before adding them to the mixture. This ensures that all of the excellent things doesn’t descend to the bottom of the cake while baking, leaving your visitors puzzled how they got the ideal piece every time.
Because fruit cake is sometimes seasoned with fragrant seasonings like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, you’ll want to use the freshest spices possible to ensure your cake is delectable enough for a second serving.
If you don’t like the caramelized fruit used in conventional fruit desserts, you can easily substitute some tastier options. We particularly enjoy golden raisins, cherries, dates, and figs (all of which are high in potassium and are on our list of High Potassium Foods That Keep Your Muscles Healthy and Strong!). If you’re substituting berries or almonds, make sure you use the same quantity as the original recipe. So, if the original recipe calls for one cup of pickled cherries and you prefer dried cranberries, replace the cherries with the same weight (one cup) of crans.
Make sure your muffin pans are only two-thirds full of dough. Pouring past that point may cause your fruit cake to overrun the edges of the baking dish, resulting in additional clean-up time for you.
Never prepare your fruit cake at temperatures above 325 degrees Fahrenheit. (A temperature of 250°F to 325°F is ideal!) Baking your cake at a reduced temperature guarantees that it cooks uniformly and does not dry out. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake to ensure it is done before removing it from the oven. It should be juicy but not uncooked or doughy when done.
Along with preheating your oven to the proper temperature to prevent your fruit cake from becoming overly dry, try adding a cup of applesauce to the mixture. To keep your cake from drying out even more, put a container of boiling water on a lower shelf in the oven to add wetness while it bakes. Isn’t that brilliant?
Because fruit cakes take a long time to prepare (about two and a half hours or more), cover your baking dishes with double thicknesses of brown paper or oiled paper before pouring the mixture to prevent the cakes from burning too much in the oven. Say welcome to a flawlessly delicious and glowing fruit cake when it’s finished!
If you find it difficult to limit yourself to just one piece of the sugary substance, bake it in muffin or cupcake pans for a precisely portioned taste. Just remember to modify the heating time; fruit cake cupcakes will prepare in less time. (You can use our toothpick trick mentioned above to test them.) While we’re on the subject of muffin-sized recipes, check out these 15 Muffin Tin Recipes for Perfect Portion Control.
A fruit dessert, like excellent wine and cheese, needs to mature in order to achieve its maximum potential. After your cake has been cooked and chilled, cover it in plastic wrap, then aluminum paper, and then place it in a secure receptacle. This will prevent your fruit cake from absorbing any strange odors or tastes. Keep it in a chilly, dry spot (not the fridge or freezer because the extreme cold will stop the maturing process, which we don’t want!) like your closet or cellar. If feasible, we suggest maturing your fruit cake for one to three months to allow all of the components to combine well. In reality, an auction company was able to offer a 27-year-old fruit dessert for $6,000 using the proper preservation techniques and a quality airtight receptacle.
Make careful to “feed it” once a week. Feeding, or moistening the cake with booze, ensures that it matures correctly and does not dry out. (The booze is also responsible for the longevity of a fruit dessert!) Simply cover the cake equally so that there are no mushy spots.
We like to fill spray canisters with the booze of choice (from brandy to rum to whiskey or cognac), poke equally distributed holes in the cake, and then spritz away. This will guarantee that the cake is supplied equally.
