Old English Dark Fruit Cake

Old English Dark Fruit Cake

It's still weeks away, I know, but I've got a head start on a dark fruit cake for Spouse. It's a real old English style, dense, dark fruitcake. I think this one weighs in at between 7 and 8 pounds. It's her absolute favorite. Tomorrow she goes to the rum spa for a soak and a wrap. The cake, that is, not Spouse!

Old English Dark Fruit Cake

Originally published on November 7, 2007.

Old English Dark Fruit Cake

6 oz dried prunes, chopped
6 oz dates, chopped
8 oz dark raisins
6 oz golden raisins
6 oz currents
¾ cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup molasses
½ cup coffee liqueur (or ½ cup strong black coffee)
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
8 oz glace cherries
8 oz candied citrus peel
8 oz toasted pecans, roughly chopped
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp cocoa
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
½ cup ground hazelnuts or almonds
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda

Grease a 10 inch springform pan or 10 inch tube pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and add the raisins, dates, prunes, currents, brown sugar, molasses, spices, coffee liqueur (or coffee) and the orange zest and juice. Bring to a gentle boil and very slowly simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes. When cool stir in the beaten eggs.

Sift together, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and ground nuts and fold through the boiled mixture. Fold in cherries, citrus peel and pecans. Pour into prepared baking pan. You can decorate the top with additional pecan halves, cherries etc., if you like.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 ½ to 2 hours depending upon the size of your pan. The cake should feel firm to the touch at the center and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. The cake should be cooled completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing.

At this point you can poke small holes in the top and bottom of the cake with a fork and pour on 4 ounces of dark rum or your favorite whiskey, half on the top, wait ten minutes, then flip it over and pour the remaining half on the bottom. Soak several layers of cheesecloth in additional rum if you like and wrap completely around the cake, then cover with several layers of plastic wrap and store in a COOL place. When serving, you can add a layer of marzipan or if you have decorated the top with fruit and nuts, brush with a simple glaze of equal parts water and sugar boiled together for about 10-15 minutes.

Old English Dark Fruit Cake

Fruitcake Cheesecake Bars

  

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Fruitcake Cheesecake Bars

Regular readers know that I think fruitcake gets a bad rap at the Holidays and many more fruitcake lovers are coming out of the closet to celebrate their love of the annual festive treat. In an effort to convert even more to the festive flavors of spice and sweet dried fruits, I've come up with a new way to tempt even more... add a cheesecake element!

With the fragrance of Christmas spices in the buttery crumble and dried glace fruits in the cheesecake, I'm guessing more than one fruitcake nay-sayer will try and sample one of these if offered during the Holiday season. Add this recipe to your Holiday freezer baking list and see if you can't find a few to tempt.

Fruitcake Cheesecake Bars

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Fruitcake Cheesecake Bars - a very festive and easy cookie bar recipe with a spiced butter crumble surrounding a dried fruit cheesecake center.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour
Yield: 24 cookie bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
• 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup mixed glace fruit

Directions

1. In a food processor pulse together the flour, brown sugar, spices and butter until crumbly (or simply cut the butter through the flour, spices and sugar with a pastry knife or two butter knives held between your fingers)
2. Save a 1/2 cup of this crumble mixture to sprinkle over the top later.
3. Press the rest of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a greased or parchment lined 9x9 inch square baking pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes while preparing the cheesecake filling.
5. Beat together the cream cheese, white sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth.
6. Beat in the egg.
7. Fold in the mixed glace fruit.
8. Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly onto the pre-baked cookie base and sprinkle the reserved cookie crumble over the surface.
9. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.
10. Refrigerate in airtight containers. Freezes well too.