Alright, let’s talk about makin’ a wedding cake, a fruit cake one, mind you. Not them fancy-shmancy things you see in magazines, but a good, solid cake that’ll feed a crowd and taste real nice.
First off, you gotta get your stuff together. Don’t go runnin’ around like a headless chicken later. You need flour, lots of it, the kind they use for bread is good. Then sugar, brown sugar’s best, gives it that nice color and taste. And eggs, plenty of ‘em, gotta make it rich. And butter, real butter, not that margarine stuff, it ain’t the same. And the most important part, the fruits! All sorts of dried fruits: raisins, currants, cherries, whatever you like. Soak ‘em good in some brandy, or rum if you’re feelin’ fancy. Let ‘em sit overnight, plump up nice and juicy.
Now, the bakin’ part. Get yourself a big bowl, the biggest one you got. Cream the butter and sugar together, beat it good ‘til it’s light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beatin’ well after each one. Don’t rush it, take your time. Then, you start addin’ the flour, bit by bit, mixin’ it in gentle-like. You don’t want a tough cake, you want it soft and moist.
- Important thing: Don’t forget the spices! Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all them warm spices. They make the cake smell heavenly and taste even better.
- Another important thing: A pinch of salt! Yeah, salt. It brings out the sweetness. Don’t use too much, just a pinch.
Once the batter’s all mixed up, you fold in the soaked fruits. Make sure they’re spread out even, you don’t want all the fruit clumpin’ in one place. Now, you gotta grease your pans real good. I use lard, that’s what my mama used, and her mama before her. But if you ain’t got lard, butter will do. And flour the pans too, so the cake don’t stick. Pour the batter in the pans, fill ‘em about two-thirds full. Don’t overfill ‘em, or they’ll spill over in the oven and make a mess.
Now, the oven. You gotta preheat it, you know. About 300 degrees, that’s what I use. And bake ‘em slow, real slow. A big cake like this, it’ll take a few hours. Maybe three, maybe four, maybe even longer. You gotta check on it, stick a toothpick in the middle, if it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, bake it some more.
Once it’s done, let it cool in the pans for a while, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. And that’s it! Your wedding fruit cake is done. Now, you can decorate it if you want, with some icing or some flowers or whatever you fancy. But honestly, a good fruit cake don’t need much decoratin’. It’s good enough just the way it is.
And remember, a good fruit cake gets better with age. So make it a few weeks, or even a few months, before the wedding. Wrap it up tight in some cheesecloth and keep it in a cool, dark place. The flavors will meld together and it’ll get even more moist and delicious. That’s how they did it back in my day, and it was always the best.
Some folks like to add nuts to their fruit cake, walnuts or pecans or whatever. If you like nuts, go ahead and add ‘em. A cup or two, chopped up fine. And some folks like to soak their fruits in something other than brandy or rum. Some use sherry, some use whiskey, some even use orange juice. It’s all up to you. Just make sure you soak ‘em good, that’s the important part.
So there you have it, my recipe for a wedding fruit cake. It ain’t fancy, but it’s good. It’s the kind of cake that’ll fill you up and make you feel warm inside. And that’s what a wedding cake should be, ain’t it?
One last thing, don’t be scared to experiment. Maybe you want to add a little bit of ginger, or some lemon zest. Go ahead and try it. The best recipes are the ones you make your own. Just remember the basics: good ingredients, slow baking, and lots of love. That’s the secret to a good fruit cake, and to a good life, if you ask me. And folks always been asking me!
Tags: [Wedding Cake, Fruit Cake, Baking, Recipe, Wedding Dessert, Homemade Cake, Traditional Recipe, Easy Recipe, Best Fruit Cake, How to Bake]
