Oh, go ahead, start with your jokes, mock the baked good that moonlights as a doorstop, wrecking ball and scapegoat for holiday angst. Get it out of your system, fruitcake grinches, for I am here to redeem the reputation of this much-maligned Christmas confection.
And may I just say, there are plenty of cakes out there that deserve one’s ridicule, though fruitcake is not one of them. Red velvet cake — really? It’s just a dyed devil’s food cake in disguise and has about as much flavor and presence as pre-wrapped Susie Q. Angel food cake? That’s just an excuse to waste egg whites. Yellow cake? Sorry, its sole purpose is to be a vehicle for buttercream frosting. Sponge cake? Don’t even get me started. (Full disclosure: I am a pie man by genetic predisposition.)
I have to admit the neon-bright candied fruit of old-school fruitcakes can be off-putting, but that’s an easy fix; indulge in the amazing variety of dried fruit available these days, usually found in the bulk section of a grocery store. For me, that includes all or any combination of the following: apricots, candied orange peel, golden raisins, currants, sour cherries, blueberries, figs and crystallized ginger.
I’d like to share a recipe, an updated version of this bejeweled baked good, a recipe festooned with the sweetmeats of summer and sopped up with a wee bit of worthy spirits. The recipe comes from one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Alton Brown, the no-nonsense science guy of cooking. Alton (oh yeah, we’re on a first-name basis) calls it a free range fruitcake, no doubt because he takes what has become the sad standard and improves upon it ten-fold. His cake is moist, aromatic, spicy and chockablock with sweet treats to tease your tongue.
Free Range Fruitcake Recipe from Alton Brown
Ingredients
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup currants
½ cup sun-dried cranberries
½ cup sun-dried blueberries
½ cup sun-dried cherries
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
Zest of one lemon, chopped coarsely
Zest of one orange, chopped coarsely
¼ cup candied ginger, chopped
1 cup gold rum
1 cup sugar
5 ounces unsalted butter (1¼ sticks)
1 cup unfiltered apple juice
4 whole cloves, ground
6 allspice berries, ground
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
¼ to ½ cup toasted pecans, broken
Brandy for basting and/or spritzing
Directions
Combine dried fruits, candied ginger and both zests. Add rum and macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit.
Place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices. Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.)
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, and fold in nuts. Spoon into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check again.
Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet. Baste or spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan.
When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food-safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, spritz with brandy. The cake’s flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks. If you decide to give the cake as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient that they are very lucky indeed.
The Beachcomber occasionally features photos and recipes from Tom Conway, who has a hearty appetite for growing and cooking good food, and putting in a good day on his Vashon Island farm. Bon appetit!
