This is a major b@stardization of a recipe my mom has used since the early 1960s, and she likes mine MUCH better than hers! My brother's paratrooper unit in Iraq back in '03 polished off an utterly obscene number of these in no time and wrote back asking for more - if you call these "holiday rum cakes" or something like that, even avowed fruitcake-haters can be converted!
Unless you have a truly commercial size Kitchenaid type mixer I do not advise trying to mix multiple batches at one time. My 6-qt commercial KA struggles with a double batch and I outright killed my old Sunbeam. :-)
Mari's Fruitcake - Not For Children!
makes 3 4x8 inch loaf pans or a 10 inch bundt pan
The day before you wish to bake, combine in a big bowl:
2 1/2 cups chopped mixed dried fruit (the original recipe called for that weird candied fruit mix, and you can use that if you want, but I prefer actual fruit) see note 1 below
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1 cup chopped pitted dates - note 2
2-3 tbsp finely chopped candied ginger
1/2 cup chopped candied cherries, optional (DH insists that there must be at least a few of those nasty neon-green things in this, for sentimentÂs sake)
1/2 cup dark rum or brandy  note 3 (you will need 1 pint bottle total)
1/2 cup orange juice (approximately juice of 1 orange)
grated zest of the orange
Cover and marinate overnight, stirring when you remember to!
On baking day:
Grease pans heavily (I use Pam for Baking on Teflon pans, but Crisco's fine; butter sticks maddeningly). Preheat oven to 300F.
Sift together and set aside:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
In large bowl, beat:
2 eggs (sometimes I need a third egg if the final mix won't come together)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle; NOT evaporated milk)
1 big (around 28 oz.) jar mincemeat (this is the secret ingredient) - note 4
Mix all the ingredients together. You'll have to work at it. Really work! Scrape it into pan(s), spread it out evenly, and bake at 300F for 1 hour 45 minutes for bundt pan or large loaves, less time for smaller cakes. Use the
old toothpick test for doneness. Cool on racks.
When cakes are cold, wrap them in clean, porous cloth (I use old linen or worn cotton dishtowels; plain unbleached muslin fabric is about $1/yard, just wash it first) wetted with more rum or brandy - use the same thing as you did in the cake. Seal in ziploc bags and refrigerate, or if you have a basement/attic/mudroom/shed that stays under 50 degrees but above freezing, put it there in a well-sealed metal or plastic container. Reapply rum/brandy once a week during the first month, then remove the cloth. Store airtight for up to 3 months. (I find it gets a little overly-boozy and tired after that. If you like it less strong, just do one or two applications.)
Note 1: I usually use cranberries, cherries, dried apples, dried blueberries, finely chopped prunes, raisins (dark and golden), currants, pears, peaches, whatever looks good. I try for at least 5 or 6 different fruits. Not so much with the tropical stuff like pineapples and mangoes though, that just seems wrong.
Note 2: DoleÂs prechopped ready-for-baking dates save much sticky hassle :-)
Note 3: Those who do not consume alcohol can use 1 cup orange juice and 1 tbsp rum or brandy flavoring and skip the dousing routine, and the cakes will still be tasty, but the cakes will only keep about a week in the fridge and a month frozen before becoming stale.
Note 4: I prefer Borden's Nonesuch mincemeat if I'm baking for nonvegetarians (it contains beef suet) or Grandmother's for vegetarians. I do not like Crosse & Blackwell's at all, I think it's far too sweet. If you can only get the little blocks of Nonesuch concentrate, use 2 packages and follow the label instructions for reconstituting it.
I have not made these, but a relative recently imparted to me that you can make this batter into cookies by dropping tablespoons of it 2" apart on well-greased (I'd use parchment paper - NOT wax paper!) baking sheets and baking about 15-18 minutes at "325ish". :-) Makes about 5 dozen.
teacats
hhireno
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