Fruitcake Guidelines

Many fruitcakes improve with age. Soaking them in brandy or rum every
couple of weeks makes them moist and flavorful. The less fruity ones
can be baked, wrapped well and frozen until the holidays. If you
think of fruitcakes as the traditional heavy, dark cake loaded with
hard citrus peel, citron and candied fruit and say “no thanks,” take
a look at some of the newer, simpler versions using dried fruits,
such as cranberries, cherries, peaches, pears and pineapple.

AGE OR FREEZE? For a fruitcake that will be aged, choose a moist and
dense recipe, one that is heavy with dried and candied fruits and
nuts, rather than one with more cake in the base. (The latter clls
for more eggs and flour proportionate to the total ingredients.) If
you want to bake ahead but prefer the cakier varieties, wrap well and
freeze them so they won’t go stale or moldy.
To age a cake, cool completely; wrap in cheesecloth that has been
soaked in brandy or rum. Then wrap with plastic wrap or aluminum
foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. A garage,
unheated bedroom or closet works well.

INGREDIENTS The secret to a good fruitcake is the same as with any
good cooking; the ingredients. Select only the best. Rancid nuts and
dried out candied fruit will not produce a good cake. If a recipe
calls for liquor, add it to the candied fruits after they have been
mixed together; let the mixture sit overnight if possible. When
preparing the cake batter, reserve some of the flour to mix with the
candied fruits before adding them to the batter; this prevents them
from sticking together or sinking to the bottom of a thinner batter.

BAKING TIPS Fill pans no more than 2/3 full; press the batter down
with a spatula to release air bubbles.
Many older recipes don’t specify baking temperatures and time. A
general rule is 300 degrees F or less. If the cakes seem to be
browning too quickly during the long, slow baking, cover top of cake
with foil for the rest of the baking period.
To keep heavy cakes (those that require more than 1-1/2 hours of
baking) from drying out, use on the the following methods: 1. Place a
pan of hot water on the bottom of the oven during baking.
2. Place the fruitcake pan on a cookie sheet that’s topped with four
layers of newspaper that have been soaked in water.
If you want to glaze the cakes, apply warmed corn syrup, honey or
light molasses with a pastry brush while the cakes are hot from the
oven, then decorate with whole nut meats and candied fruit if desired.

PAN SIZES When baking fruitcakes, pan sizees can be changed if baking
times are adjusted accordingly. Fill pans no more than 2/3 full. The
following are guidelines for pan sizes, amount of batter and baking
time in a 300 degree F oven.

PAN SIZE BATTER AMOUNT BAKING TIME
9-or 10-inch tube or mold 2-1/2 quarts 3 to 3-1/2
hours 9×5-1/2×3 inch loaf pan 6-1/2 cups 2-1/2
hours 8-1/2×4-1/2×2-1/2 inch loaf pan 5 cups 2 hours
1-pound coffee can 3-1/2 cups 1 hour 50
minutes 5-1/2x3x2-1/2 inch loaf pan 1-3/4 cups 1-1/2
hours 4-1/2×1-1/2 inch round foil pan 1-1/4 cups 1 hour
25 minutes 6-ounce juice can 1/2 cup 50
minutes 3×1-1/2 inch cupcake pans 1/3 cup each 40
minutes 1-3/4×1 inch cupcake pans 1 rounded tbsp 20
minutes