How to cool a Christmas cake

Secrets of Making a Perfect Fruitcake

From the cookbook called A World of Baking by Dolores Casella

On the quest to make the perfect fruitcake? Your homemade fruitcake should be made well in advance of the time that they will be used. One month of storage is a necessity. Two, three, or even four months is not too long a time if the storage facilities are cool and dry.

Fruitcakes freeze very well. However, they must be aged at least four weeks before freezing, as they do not mellow while they are frozen.

Take several days to make your cake or cakes. prepare the nuts and fruits, pour the liquor to be used over them, and let the mixture stand well covered for two or three days. Then make the batter and bake your cakes. The cakes will be better and the pressure in a busy household will be eased.

Always bake fruitcakes at a low temperature, no higher than 325 degrees and preferably much lower. Line the pans with brown paper or waxed paper to prevent the cakes from burning during the long baking time. Always place a pan of hot water on the floor of the oven. This prevents the cakes from drying out. Test for doneness with a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake. It will come out moist, but not doughy, when the cake is done.

Cool fruitcakes on a rack in the pans in which they were baked. When cakes are cooled, turn them out of the pans and carefully peel off the paper. If you are not decorating the cakes before storing them, wrap them in cheesecloth. Sprinkle liberally with whatever liquor or wine was used in the recipe. Seal the cakes in plastic wrap or in plastic storage bags. Once a week, brush the cakes with more liquor.

Perhaps the most important, do not feel absolutely bound by a recipe:

If the recipe calls for brandy and you dont have it (or like it), use wine or even a fruit juice of your choice.

If the recipe calls for citron and you dont care for citron, substitute another candied or dried fruit.

If you do not like raisins, use more chopped dates and fewer raisins.

If the recipe calls for particular amounts of candied pineapple and cherries, the same weight of a fruit mix may be used. The important thing to keep in mind is that the weight of fruit and nuts should be approximately the same as in the original recipe.

Within this boundary, you can make substitutions of your own choice.

Additional Tips and Hints for Perfect Fruitcake:

Use fresh good quality ingredients make sure spices are fresh.

Soak fruit and nuts at least overnight in fruit juice or liquors to soften, drain and use excess liquid in recipe.

Dredge fruit and nuts with some flour so they wont sink in batter. Shake off excess flour and use in the recipe.

If changing pan sizes, remember baking time will be altered in the recipe. Fruitcakes may be baked in muffin tins, disposable pans, etc.

Be sure to grease and flour pans or use greased brown paper for liners. Greased wax paper is also used in some recipes.

Place a pan of water on rack or on the oven floor below the baking cake.

If cake is browning too fast, place a sheet of foil the top of the cake.

Test for doneness by placing a metal/wooden skewer in center of cake. If it comes out clean, cake is done. Be careful not to over bake.

Always cool fruitcakes completely in pan and remove when cold.

Pour or brush some liquor of choice over hot cakes for good flavor. Poke cake with skewer if desired.

Fruitcakes taste better with age! This is called ripening. Liquor based cakes may be stored several months in advance in a cool place prior to serving. Non-liquor soaked cakes may be kept in a cool place or in refrigerator for short term storage or a or freezer for long storage. Be sure to ripen fruit cakes a few weeks before freezing.

To store for a long period of time, wrap the cake in brandy or wine-soaked towels, and then wrap in either plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

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