Fruitcake Hater's Fruitcake
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For the cake:
3 oranges
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 currants
1/2 dried apricots, chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped walnuts
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For the icing:
10 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 tbsp. powdered sugar
dried fruit
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Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and
flour a 10" tube pan. Grate 2 tbsp zest
from oranges. Squeeze oranges to make
1 cup juice. Set aside.
In medium saucepan, combine dried fruits
and 2/3 cup orange juice.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer
for 5 minutes.
Drain well, set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream sugar and
butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs
one at a time, then add orange zest and
vanilla, beat well. Alternately add
combined dry ingredients and buttermilk
to the creamed
mixture, beginning and ending with the
flour mixture. Stir in walnuts
and fruit. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in a 325F oven about 1 hr. 15
min. or until golden brown and a wooden
pick inserted
in center comes out clean. Cool
in pan 10 min. Remove to wire rack,
cool completely. Freeze now and frost
later, or do both as below.
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For icing, beat together cream cheese
and powdered sugar until smooth.
Add 1/3 cup orange juice, beat will.
Spread icing on cake, garnish with dried fruit.
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Cake can be made 5 days ahead; cover and
refrigerate. Bring to room
temperature 30 min. before serving.
To freeze, wrap tightly
in freezer wrap, heavy-duty aluminum foil
or plastic freezer safe bags.
Freeze up to 2 months. Bring to
room temperature 45 min.
before serving.
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