Dad’s Pride Fruitcake Recipe ππ
Overview:
Make and share this Dad’s Pride Fruitcake recipe from lovewithrecipes.com. This traditional fruitcake is packed with dried fruits, nuts, and a hint of brandy, making it the perfect treat for Christmas or any special occasion. It’s a labor of love, with a prep time of 72 hours and a total time of 73 hours and 15 minutes, but the result is well worth the wait. This recipe yields 4 loaves, so you’ll have plenty to share with family and friends.
Ingredients:
| Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1 | Marzipan |
| 6 | Dried figs |
| 1 | Dried pear half |
| 1 | Golden raisin |
| 1 | Currants |
| 1 | Dates |
| 1 | Dried prune |
| 1 | Brandy |
| 1/2 | Hazelnuts |
| 1/2 | Walnuts |
| 1 | Unsalted butter |
| 9 | Sugar |
| 1 1/2 | Golden brown sugar |
| 1 1/2 | Eggs |
| 1 | Vanilla extract |
| 8 | Ground cardamom |
| 1 | Ground nutmeg |
| 1 | Salt |
| 1/2 | All-purpose flour |
| 3 | Brandy |
Instructions:
-
Two Days Before Baking:
- Combine chopped dried figs, chopped dried pears, chopped dried apricots, chopped dried prunes, golden raisins, currants with brandy. Cover the mixture and let it sit for two days, allowing the fruits to soak up the brandy.
-
-
One Day Before Baking:
- Cut marzipan into 1/2 inch pieces and place them on a plate in a single layer. Wrap the plate with plastic wrap and freeze the marzipan overnight, ensuring it’s firm for the baking day.
-
Baking Day:
- Preheat your oven to 325Β°F (165Β°C). Generously spray 4 disposable loaf pans (each measuring 8 x 3ΒΎ x 2Β½ inches) with pan spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together 1 1/2 cups of butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt.
- Stir in the flour in 4 additions until well combined.
- Mix in the soaked dried fruit mixture, any soaking liquid from the bowl, crumbled mincemeat, dates, and nuts. Gently stir in the frozen marzipan pieces until evenly distributed.
- Evenly spoon the batter among the prepared loaf pans, ensuring each pan is filled equally.
- Place the pans on a baking sheet to catch any drips during baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
-
Seasoning:
- Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans on wire racks.
- Prepare 4 sections of cheesecloth. Dip each cheesecloth section in brandy, then wrap it around each cake.
- Further wrap each cake in aluminum foil to seal in the moisture.
- Store the wrapped cakes in a cool, dry place to season. Check them weekly and re-soak the cheesecloth with brandy if it has dried out. Allow the cakes to season for at least 3 weeks before serving for optimal flavor.
Nutritional Information (per serving):
- Calories: 2810.9
- Fat: 110.9g
- Saturated Fat: 49.9g
- Cholesterol: 606mg
- Sodium: 495.9mg
- Carbohydrates: 422.7g
- Fiber: 26.4g
- Sugar: 294.7g
- Protein: 38g
Recipe Notes:
- This fruitcake recipe requires patience and time but results in a moist, flavorful cake that improves with age.
- Feel free to customize the dried fruits and nuts to your preference, but maintain the overall quantities for the best texture.
- The brandy-soaked cheesecloth adds extra moisture and flavor to the fruitcakes as they age. Be sure to keep the cakes well-wrapped during the seasoning process.
