Recipe Review: Fruitcake

Introduction

Many folks don’t like fruitcake. This recipe is a great chance to better understand and appreciate it (although you still may not like it afterwards). Despite the long duration, the recipe itself isn’t too difficult as long as you heed some of the tips below. Make sure to get started on this in October if you’re trying to get it ready for the holidays since the recipe takes at least 2 months. Likewise make sure to use a quality liquor for feeding the cake – as it will define a large amount of the final flavor.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Fruitcake	Special Equipment: Stand Mixer, Two 9-Inch Cake Pans
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 2 Month
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 4/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★☆☆☆

Making The Batter

Tip 1: Make sure to scrape down the sides frequently due to the molasses and zest.

Tip 2: The mixture may look strange after adding the egg. Don’t worry, the flour step will fix this.

Baking The Cakes

Tip: Use butter to get the parchment paper to stick to the pan. To prepare the parchment, take 2 sheets and hold them in half twice (to produce 4 sections – i.e. a nested fold). Then cut to get 8 strips to line the pan with. Use butter to get the layers of parchment paper to stick together and deal with overlap.

Feeding The Cake

Wrapping The Cakes (Marzipan)

Tip: Use a very generous amount of powdered sugar to make the marzipan easy to roll out and to avoid sticking. The marzipan will stick to other surfaces in the future, so make sure to apply plenty of powdered sugar to any surface it will touch.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• Use a high-quality liquor. The final product will taste quite similar to whatever liquor you use. If you aren’t a fan of brandy, considering using a sweeter whiskey.
• Set a reminder to feed the cake every week.
• Final Score: 2/5 – This was a fun recipe (except for working with the marzipan), but the final product wasn’t particularly tasty. The strong brandy flavor and lack of sweetness (despite the royal icing) made the cake fall a bit flat. In the future I’d consider trying this with a smaller variety of fruit (for a simpler flavor), more sweetness, and whiskey instead of brandy.