Winter Jewel Fruitcake with White Icing Recipe

Winter Jewel Fruitcake with White Icing

Serves 18

Try to find fruits dried without added sugar when making this holiday fruitcake. The cake slices more easily if made two or three days in advance. Decorate the cake as fancifully as desired.

Fruitcake

3 cups bread flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup soy flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
⅛ tsp. salt
2 tsp. Jamaican baking spice mix or ½ tsp. each ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice and mace
½ cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup golden raisins
2 ½ cups dried cranberries
2 cups diced, dried apricots
2 cups sliced almonds
1 ½ cup applesauce
⅔ cup vegetable oil
1 cup barley malt or molasses
⅛ cup vinegar

Icing

⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar
Cold water
Lemon juice
Apricots, orange peel or almonds for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease and flour 10-cup bundt pan.
To make fruitcake: In large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices until well combined. Add all fruits and nuts to flour mixture, and toss until well coated.
Blend together applesauce, oil, barley malt and vinegar. Working quickly, mix wet ingredients into dry, stirring only until mixed thoroughly. Pour batter into pan and place in center of oven.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until done. Cool cake completely on rack.
Meanwhile, to make icing: Place confectioner’s sugar in bowl, and whisk in enough cold water to form thick paste. Add 2 to 3 drops lemon juice. Drizzle icing over cake in swirls or an attractive pattern, add garnish if desired and serve.

Wine Suggestions
Not every year is a vintage year for Port, but 1997 was just such a stellar year. For over 200 years, the House of Sandeman has been making world-class Port originating in Spain and Portugal. Try a vintage Port or Sandeman’s Founder’s Reserve Port.