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Photograph by A. Schloss |
A spin-off of Fig and Walnut Fruit Cake on page 205 of Cooking Slow, this is a substantial indulgence packed with pounds of dried fruit and nuts and barely enough batter to keep everything from falling apart. The finished cake is closer to a giant energy bar than fruit cake - chewy, crunchy, wholesomely decadent.
Cleaning out the top shelf of our baking cabinet this weekend I unearthed nearly half a dozen opened bags of dried fruit, and invention being the offspring of cabinet cleaning I opened Cooking Slow to fruit cake and started winging it.
The original recipe calls for a pound each of dried figs and walnuts mortared with a bit more than a cup of batter.
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Photograph by A Benson |
Think, Schloss, think. Because baking powder is a combination of baking soda and some sort of acid, I DIY'd a facsimile by substituting a pinch of baking soda and a tablespoon of orange juice. I figured the juice could do double-duty replacing the acid in the baking powder as well as some phantom orange flavor from the missing candied peel. In a few minutes the batter was together (There's no need to haul out a mixer), and folded into the pile of fruit and nuts. I took a taste and damn if it didn't need more orange. So I peeled a few fresh clementines from the fruit bowl, munched on the fruit, diced up the peel, and tossed it in the batter.
Another change: the recipe in the book was baked in a shallow rectangular baking pan and cut in squares. It worked great, but I was never satisfied with the resulting snack-food look. I was scared to make the cake too high thinking it might turn out on the dense side of slag, but what the hey - I was messing with everything else - why not take the plunge? So I greased a 1 1/2 quart souffle dish and packed it with batter to the brim.
After 6 hours of low-temp baking (no need for a water bath) the surface was gorgeously golden and a tester inserted into the center pulled up clean. I cut a slice while the cake still steamed and endulged - best tasting doorstop ever.
Joke-Defying Fruit Cake
Makes 12 servings
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Photograph by A. Schloss |
Non-stick oil spray, as needed
1 lb/455 g nut pieces (I used cashews and pecans)
1 lb/455 g dried fruit ( I used figs, apricots, and tart cherries0
3/4 cup/95 g all-purpose flour
Pinch of baking soda
1/2 tsp/2 g fine sea salt
1 cup/190 g sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tsp/5 ml vanilla extract
the peel of 2 clementines, diced
Non-stick oil spray
1/4 cup/60 ml liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
Set oven at 225°F/110°C/gas 1/4. Spray the interior of 1 1/2 quart souffle dish with oil; set aside. Toss nuts and fruit in a large mixing bowl;
set aside.
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Toss
3 Tbsp/45 ml of the dry ingredients with the nuts and fruit to coat.
Add the egg, orange juice,s and vanilla with the remaining dry ingredients
and mix with a wooden spoon to form a smooth batter. Mix in the diced orange
peel. Scrape into the nuts and fruit and toss with a rubber spatula until
everything is evenly coated.
Scrape the batter-coated nuts and fruit into the dish, wet
your hands with cold water and pack the nuts and fruit firmly into the dish. Set
in the oven and bake for 6 to 8 hours until the top is golden brown and a skewer
inserted into the center comes out clean. (An instant-read thermometer inserted
in the center of the cake should register 215 to 225°F/100 to 110°C).
Remove the dish from the oven and spoon the liqueur over top.
Cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen, invert on
to a rack, remove the soufflé dish, turn right side up and cool to room
temperature.
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Photograph by A. Schloss |
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Will Last: 1 week wrapped at room
temperature
Variation In a Slow Cooker: You can “bake”
this cake in a slow cooker; you will need a 1 1/2 qt/1.5 L soufflé dish and a
large (6 qt/5.7 l or larger) slow cooker. Once the batter is in the baking dish
put it in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
I agree with everything you said about fruit cakes. Ugh like keep the cake and fruit separate. How hard can that be? Joke defying fruit cake lol. What a witty name.
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