Fruitcake ...It's time has come

One might well wonder at the folly of  baking fruitcake for Christmas on one of the warmest September days recorded in modern times. It's because I live in an air conditioned house. Plus, this is a cake that improves with age. 

There are some who make fun of fruitcake. I say, there's no accounting for taste.

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups of raisins
• 3 ½ cups of dried currants
• Place the raisins and currants in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Leave until the water is tepid.
• 1 cup of chopped candied orange peel
• 1 cup of chopped candied citrus peel
• 3 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 ½ cups of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 ¾ cups of brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• 3 tablespoons brandy or rum or port, depending on your preference

Methods:
Heat your oven to 300º F. Then grease a 9 ″ round baking pan well and line it with parchment paper.

This is a big cake so your baking pan needs to be at least 3 inches deep. (Alternatively, you can use several smaller pans.)

Sift the flour with the salt, nutmeg and allspice in a medium-sized bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a very large bowl and add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Stir the flour mixture into the eggs/butter/sugar in 2 or 3 batches, followed by the alcohol and drained fruit. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the cake, making a slight hollow in the centre to ensure the top of the cake will be flat after baking. Bake for 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the pans you use, or until the cake tests done.

Wrap the cooled cakes in several layers of cheesecloth soaked in your favourite tipple. Then wrap again tightly in plastic wrap before popping the cake(s) in the back of your refrigerator, until you feel the need to soak the cheesecloth again. Remove the cheesecloth at holiday time and cover the cakes with a thick layer of marzipan and royal icing. Groan with delight.