Fruitcake is perhaps one of the most misunderstood holiday desserts of all time.
It’s true, some store-bought varieties are better suited as door stops ““ but when made correctly, this dish can be absolutely delicious. Try out this recipe and let us know what you think!
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups orange juice
- 1 cup (approx. 6 oz.) dried pineapple, chopped
- ¾ cup (approx. 4 oz.) currants
- 1 cup (approx. 6 oz.) dried apricots, chopped
- 1 cup (approx. 6 oz.) dried cherries, chopped
- 1 ½ cups (approx. 8 oz.) candied orange peel, chopped
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (warmed to room temperature)
- ¼ cup walnut oil (can substitute with mild olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites, divided
- 3 glacéed red cherries, halved (to use as garnish)
- 8 pecan halves (to use as garnish)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 275 ° F, grease and lightly flour two loaf pans.
- In a small saucepan, simmer orange juice on medium-high.
- In a large bowl, mix together pineapple, currants, apricots, cherries and orange peel.
- Pour orange juice over the fruit and let sit until liquid is mostly absorbed – strain fruit to remove excess liquid. Add ½ cup all-purpose flour to fruit, toss to coat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining all-purpose flour, baking powder, allspice and cinnamon.
- In another large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and oil and blend on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add molasses, vanilla and egg whites (one at a time), beating continuously.
- Stir in the flour/baking powder/spice mixture.
- Pour batter over the fruit and mix together – once well combined, divide mixture and pour into loaf pans.
- Garnish with cherries and pecans.
- Bake at 275 ° F for 1 hour, 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool and remove from pans before serving.