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1-1/2C. flour
1-1/2t. baking powder
1/4t. salt
Mix well and add:
1C. whole Brazil nuts 1C. dried pineapple chunks
1/2C. walnut halves 1/2C. dried cherries
1/2C. pecan halves 1C. dried apricots
1 6oz. bar semi-sweet baking chocolate broken into bite-sized pieces
Line loaf pan with tin foil and grease generously or line with parchment paper. Pour ingredients into pan and shake down. Let sit to settle for one hour before baking.
Bake for 2 hours at 300 degrees. Be sure to test in middle. It is very dense and may need a little longer.
Remove from pan and peel off foil before completely cool. Refrigerate tightly wrapped to store.
I guess you'd call them a 9"X5" standard pan. This will not make a deep loaf. Maybe three and a half inches high.
I've noticed the longer it sits the better it tastes so it's never too early to bake.
I use a non-shiny aluminum and still need to add extra oven time so be aware that your glass may do the same.
I copied this little note from a web site for you:
[SIZE=4] [/SIZE] [SIZE=4][/SIZE]Oven-proof glass & ceramic: Glass transfers heat quicker than shiny metal (which deflects it), which shortens baking time, which causes bread to be undercooked in the center and overcooked outside. This doesn't mean glass doesn't work. If you love light-colored, slightly-softer sandwich-type bread, glass is great. Just lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. This gives the bread enough time to cook through to the center without burning it on the outside. Tip: Want to bake in glass, and get a dark, crispy crust similar to that of bread baked in an aluminum pan? Place the the glass pan on a pizza stone. It will deflect and control the heat!
This is advice for table bread so I'm not sure how apt it is for fruit bread. You may have to do a little research.
For reasons unknown, as I've never really eaten one, I feel the urge to make some kind of fruitcake this holiday season.
Yours looks good! Do you ever soak it with rum or other alcohol, as so many fruitcake recipes suggest?
I'm not sure whether I want to go this route, but I do know I like the idea of a variety of regular dried fruits, not the technicolor candied kind.
No, Debsi, I've never been a fan of the rum or brandy cakes. But I was thinking the other day that for those who like them I don't know why a person couldn't treat this loaf in a similar manner.
I just like the way this looks on a cookie plate and since I don't use chocolate in any of my other Christmas cookies I think this is a bonus for the chocoholics in the crowd.
Please let me know, anyone who makes it, how it turns out for you and if it meets your expectations. Hope you enjoy it.
I don't see a reason why you can't substitute whichever dried fruits are your favorites but this particular combination provides a variety of colors.
No, Debsi, I've never been a fan of the rum or brandy cakes. But I was thinking the other day that for those who like them I don't know why a person couldn't treat this loaf in a similar manner.
I don't see a reason why you can't substitute whichever dried fruits are your favorites but this particular combination provides a variety of colors.
Thanks for all the info. One more question, are the nuts all put in the batter raw or do you toast them first?
No, I don't toast the nuts and I think you could use almonds instead of Brazil nuts.
I just took mine out of the oven and discovered it was over baked. I have a new range which apparently works better than my old one. Duh.
PLEASE NOTE: Watch the baking time on this. I had adjusted to my old stove and I think it is now too long. I'd suggest starting to test shortly after an hour of baking.
I suppose it's a matter of taste and mine isn't ruined but I think a little softer would have been better. I'm going to work on a way to soften the loaf up. Any suggestions?
Do you think if I put it in a bowl, added some sliced orange separated by waxed paper and covered with saran wrap it would infused the loaf with moisture?
Can't hurt, I'd reckon. Why not soak it in some booze? Rum, maybe brandy? My first episode of Julia Child's was her making a cake that she 'imbibed' with Grand Marnier thinned in a bit of plain sugar syrup.
Ah, don't you miss her? What an enjoyable character she was!
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