The Beloved's Alton Brown fruit cake is boozy with rum and brandy, spiced with all the Christmas spices and is positively brimming with intensely flavored dried fruit. This stuff will make you rethink your fruitcake skepticism.
several gratings fresh nutmegor 1/4 teaspoon ground
2teaspoonskosher salt
1 ¾cupsall purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonbaking powder
2large eggs
1/4-1/2cuppecan halves(optional)
brandy for basting/sprayingOMIT for Non-Alcoholic version. Just wrap the cake while still warm to keep it moist and store in the fridge until you're ready to eat it/gift it
Instructions
At least a day before, soak the raisins, the rest of the dried fruit, the crystallized ginger and the zests in golden rum (or water and rum extract). You can do this in a zip-top bag if you want. Shake the bag occasionally.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325F and then dump the contents of the zip-top bag, including any liquid, into a 3 1/2 quart saucepan (or similar size. Don't go buy a new pan).
Add the sugar, butter, juice, and spices (The Beloved grinds the cloves, allspice, pepper and salt together with a mortar and pestle. He wanted me to tell you that) and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 30-45 minutes.
Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder into the fruit mixture, combining it quickly with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the eggs thoroughly, one at a time.
Pour/scrape the batter into your prepared pan/pans, smooth the top and press on the optional pecans (in a design or not).
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You're looking for an internal temperature of 200F. This will take about an hour or a bit longer, so test at a hour and go from there.
Remove cake from oven and liberally brush the top with brandy.
Once the cake has cooled completely, turn it out of the pan and put it in an airtight container. Brush or spray it well with brandy every 2 or 3 days and let it age for at least 2 weeks or up to pretty much forever.
Enjoy toasted and spread with cream cheese as we do. So delicious!
Notes
This recipe makes 1 9" x 5" loaf of fruit cake. You can also divide it evenly among decorative, giftable paper pans as The Beloved does. The ones pictured here are about 6" x 2 1/2" or so. If you use the 6" x 2 1/2" pans, you will get 4-5 small, beautiful loaves from 1 recipe.When baking small cakes, baking time will be about 50 minutes.The Beloved has also made these as really mini loaves and as muffins. This recipe works no matter the shape or size of the pan, you just have to monitor them because smaller ones bake in less time.We always line metal pans with parchment even if Alton didn't tell us to. Just for insurance.Nutritional Information calculated on 1/10 of the entire recipe.Try this fruit cake toasted and spread with cream cheese. Lord, it's amazing!