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Fruitcake's UP

post #1 of 4
9/10/08 at 9:12am
Thread Starter 
since my grandmother died I seem to be the only one in the family that still does fruitcakes.

I happen to enjoy a good fruitcake - so I did up her big batch - two six pounders [tube pan style] - "adjusted" with cashew, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds.

fixing to glaze one with a simple sugar syrup and the other's getting a bourbon soak (both have bourbon+apricot nectar as "liquid" for macerating the fruit)

traditionally this gets served with a hard sauce - recipe to which is sadly not present in my grandmother's cards!
tried the Joy of Cooking recipe - was not impressed

anyone have a good hard sauce recipe with a smidgen of a bite to it? not something that extracts your fillings - just a nice twang.
the batter itself is a butter cake - butter,eggs,flour and several tons of candied/dried fruits..... not "light" but not "dark" - a nice "medium" color.
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post #2 of 4
9/11/08 at 12:08pm
Hey, Dil(l)bert.

The hard sauce I grew up with for putting on plum pudding was butter, powdered sugar and booze. Not great cold, but it all melted into the pudding nicely.

Here's a recipe for a Rum Sauce adapted from Ann Hodgman's Beat This! Cookbook

If you get squidgy about raw egg, you could make a pate a bombe with the egg and sugar before adding in everything else.

1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 large egg
pinch o' salt
1 cup sugar (superfine, or whirred in a processor)
4 oz. unsalted butter
2 T. good rum (she doesn't specify. I would guess NOT white)
1 t vanilla
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Reserve.

Beat the egg with the salt until thick and light. Add in the sugar, a little at a time, beating until thick, light and smooth (no grit)

Melt the butter over low heat. Cool it for awhile while you beat the eggs some more.

Thoroughly fold the melted butter, rum and vanilla into the egg mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Chill, grate on some nutmeg for service.

Not sure if this is what you have in mind, but it sounds pretty good and probably beats the butter/powdered sugar/booze concoction I grew up with (and still secretly love).

My husband is starting to get the fruitcake glint in his eye about now. He has plans...oh, yes...big plans <mwah, ah, ah>
Jenni
Pastry Chef Online
Pastry Methods and Techniques
We're all home cooks when we're cooking at home.
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post #3 of 4
9/11/08 at 2:48pm
Thread Starter 
zowie - cream & whipped egg,,, how can that not be good!

printed out and on the sked for a go. first the bourbon cake has to get a bit more sotted <g>

thanks!

oh, no sure light rum wouldn't be as good - I've got some clear and some Bermuda Gold - let you know how that works out!
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post #4 of 4
9/11/08 at 2:56pm
Sweet! Hope it turns out to be all the boozy goodness you could want:lips:
Jenni
Pastry Chef Online
Pastry Methods and Techniques
We're all home cooks when we're cooking at home.
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