FruitCake

The earliest recipe from Ancient Roma lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. Nowadays many fruitcake variations exist and are often accompanied with other classics such as lemon and marble pound cakes for continental breakfast and brunch. I chose to decorate my fruitcake version with a thin glaze of melted apricot jam and topped with assorted candied fruits such as madarine, cedro, poached lemon, cherries, pistachios, and almonds.

*Pastry flour can be subbed for 580g all purpose and 60g corn starch. Flambe rum and soak raisins; let cool. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. In a food processor, blend half of the butter with salt, ginger and a couple of tablespoons of orange peel dices. Transfer mixture in mixing bowl. Add remaining butter, sugar and zest and mix. Add 7 eggs; gradually. If mixture separates, slightly warm it up using a blow torch. Meanwhile, drain raisins and save the rum. Combine all dry fruits and coat them with a couple of tablespoons of the sifted flour. Add half of the flour in the batter – mix on low to combine. Add remaining eggs and flour. Incorporate dry fruit by hand using a spatula. Fill up greased and floured mold or lined with parchment paper if using the pate mold with removable bottom. Chill cake a few hours or best overnight prior baking. Resting improves texture and better rises.

To find a non-stick pate mold with removable bottom click here

Bake at 450ºF/230ºC for 5 min, then lower oven temperature to 350ºF/180ºC and continue baking for 1hr 15 min or until the blade of the knife inserted in cake comes out clean. Pour the saved rum or orange juice over the hot cake. Cool 20 min prior removing from mold. Let cool. Store for several days in the refrigerator or freeze for a couple of month. Enjoy!