Description
Using naturally sweetened dried fruits and a curing time of 6 to 7 weeks ensures a beautifully flavored fruitcake that’s even tastier than it is infamous. This recipe makes 4 mini loaves for easy gift-giving!
Ingredients
- ½ cup dates, pitted and chopped
- ½ cup dried cherries
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup dried blueberries
- ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped
- ½ cup spiced rum
- ½ cup strongly brewed chai tea
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- baking spray
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup unsalted mixed nuts, chopped
- 1 fluid ounce spiced rum, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, or to taste
Instructions
- Combine dates
- cherries
- raisins
- blueberries
- apricots
- and ginger in a bowl. Pour spiced rum and chai on top and let soak 8 hours to overnight.
- Mix soaked fruit with orange juice
- zest
- butter
- sugar
- zest
- and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer and cook until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved
- about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime
- combine flour
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- allspice
- and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray 4 mini loaf pans with baking spray.
- Remove cinnamon stick from the soaked fruit; stir in the flour mixture until combined. Add eggs
- mixing to combine
- and fold in mixed nuts. Divide batter between the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean
- about 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of each loaf and turn out of the pan. Brush warm cakes with more rum and let cool completely
- at least 1 hour.
- Place cooled cakes in airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for 6 to 7 weeks. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Total Time: 1 week
Servings: 16