Okay, so I’ve been wanting to tackle a real, old-fashioned fruitcake for ages. You know, the kind that’s dense, boozy, and packed with dried fruit and nuts. I decided to go with Alton Brown’s recipe because, well, it’s Alton Brown. He’s usually pretty spot-on with his methods.
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my ingredients. And let me tell you, there’s a LOT. We’re talking dried cherries, apricots, cranberries, raisins, figs… the list goes on. Plus pecans, walnuts, and of course, the booze. I opted for a mix of dark rum and brandy, because why not?
I chopped all the fruit into roughly the same size. This took a while, but it’s important for even distribution. I didn’t want any giant clumps of one fruit and then nothing but cake batter.
The Soaking Process
Next, the fun part! I dumped all that chopped fruit into a big bowl and poured in the rum and brandy. Alton’s recipe calls for a good soak, at least overnight, but I went a full 24 hours. I stirred it a few times during that period, just to make sure everything got nice and boozy.
Making the Batter
The next day, I got started on the batter. It’s a pretty standard cake batter, with butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and spices. I creamed the butter and sugar together until it was light and fluffy, then added the eggs one at a time. I whisked together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt, and a bunch of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves – in a separate bowl.
Then, I gradually added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. You don’t want to overmix it, or the cake will be tough.
Combining Everything
Now for the grand finale! I drained the soaked fruit (reserving the leftover booze, of course – that stuff is liquid gold!), and folded it into the batter along with the chopped nuts. The batter was thick, almost like a dough. It was a bit of a workout to get everything evenly distributed.
Baking Time
I poured the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Alton’s recipe suggests using a water bath, so I placed the loaf pan inside a larger roasting pan and filled the roasting pan with hot water, about halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
Into the oven it went! I baked it at a low temperature (275°F) for what felt like forever – about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. I checked it with a toothpick; when it came out clean, I knew it was done.
The Aging Process (and the Booze!)
I let the cake cool completely in the pan, then turned it out onto a wire rack. And now for the really important part: the aging. I brushed the cake all over with some of that reserved boozy liquid, then wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap, and then again in foil.
I’ve been “feeding” it with more booze every few days, just brushing it on and re-wrapping it. It’s supposed to get even better with age, developing a richer flavor and a more moist texture. It’s been about a week, and it already smells incredible. I’m planning to let it age for at least another few weeks, maybe even a month, before I finally cut into it. I’m already excited!
It’s pretty good for my try.
