Bea’s Golden Fruitcakes – This is not your yesterday’s fruitcake!
If you use organic ingredients in this recipe, it will be as healthy as a dessert can be. Low in fat, and calories are about 145 per slice.
Ingredients ~~~
6 cups finely chopped dried fruit-your choice — (apricots, apples, raisins, cherries, cranberries and pears…mix as you like – all or one or two.)
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
1 ¾ cups good brandy
½ cup unsalted butter (room temp)
¾ cups -packed- light brown sugar
3 large eggs-lightly beaten
1 – ½ cups All-Purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1 ½ tsp sea salt
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground clove
½ cup apricot jam for topping (warmed)
Directions ~~~
In a large glass bowl, combine dried fruit, walnuts, and 1&¼ cups of brandy.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 8 hours or all day-stir occasionally.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time- scraping the bowl down between additions.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and spices.
On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in two additions – scraping the bowl in between.
Fold fruit mixture into batter.
Pre-heat oven to 300*
If using mini muffin pans drop one rounded Tbsp of batter into each tin (paper liners work well also.) For other size pans fill 2/3 full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean…about 25 to 30 minutes for mini tins, 5 to 10 minutes longer for larger pans.
**When using more than two pans in the oven at once-rotate them about halfway through the baking time.
Brush cakes with ½ cup of brandy when done. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.
Store in the refrigerator, wrapped or covered well for up to a month.
Brush with warm apricot jam before serving.
