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Try Something Different With Fruitcake This Year

Joan Drake Los Angeles Times Syndicate

Love ‘em or leave ‘em. That’s most people’s response to traditional holiday fruitcakes.

Those of us who shy away from them usually blame it on the chopped candied fruit. We like raisins and nuts, dates are OK, and we can tolerate (or discreetly remove) candied cherries if they’re left whole. But we don’t usually enjoy the chopped citron or orange and lemon peels.

Over the years, I’ve collected three favorite fruitcake-type recipes that satisfy the non-traditionalists. Even if you enjoy the traditional variety, you may want to give these a try.

Golden Raisin Cake

This take-off on an old Midwestern recipe has a texture between a cake and a quick bread. Use a large Dutch oven to steep the raisins and it can double for a mixing bowl. The cake freezes well, so it may be made well in advance of the holidays. For a festive touch, drizzle with white icing a couple hours before serving.

1 (15-ounce) package golden raisins

3 cups cold water

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened, cut into pieces

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup pecan halves

4 cups flour

Combine raisins and 2 cups water in Dutch oven or stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in remaining 1 cup water and baking soda. Add butter, stirring until melted. Stir in brown sugar, egg, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

Toss pecans with small amount of flour. Stir remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, into raisin mixture, mixing well after each addition. Fold in pecans.

Pour batter into well-greased 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until wood pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack about 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and cool completely before storing. Wrap in foil and freeze.

Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 498 calories, 11.85 grams fat (21 percent fat calories), 9 grams protein, 94 grams carbohydrate, 29 milligrams cholesterol, 237 milligrams sodium.

Joann’s Fruitcake

A neighbor in Houston, Texas, shared this recipe back in the 1960s. The finished batter is very thick - you’ll probably find it necessary to use your hands to work it together. Red and green candied cherries give the finished cake a holiday look, but can be omitted or easily removed before serving.

2 cups chopped and pitted dates

3 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla

5 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

3 cups peeled and grated Golden Delicious apples

1 cup raisins

2 cups broken walnuts

2 cups broken pecans

Red and green candied cherries

Pecan halves

Place dates in bowl and toss with cup sugar to coat. Set aside.

Cream butter and remaining 2-1/2 cups sugar together in very large bowl. Beat in vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in medium bowl. Stir 1 cup at a time into butter mixture. Add apples, sugared dates, raisins, walnuts and pecans. Mix well (dough will be very stiff).

Arrange candied cherries and pecan halves in bottom of well-greased 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Carefully add spoonfuls of batter, gently pressing to form a layer over the cherries and nuts. Add remaining batter.

Bake at 250 degrees 3 hours or until wood pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack about 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and cool completely before storing. Wrap in foil and store in refrigerator.

Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 702 calories, 32 grams fat (41 percent fat calories), 10 grams protein, 100 grams carbohydrate, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 278 milligrams sodium.

Bourbon Cake

Five bowls of varying sizes (six if you don’t wash and reuse the one for marinating the cherries and raisins in the bourbon) are required for this recipe. The finished batter is rather thin, so if you use a tube pan, be certain it doesn’t have a removable bottom. I’ve also successfully made the cake in a very well-greased Bundt pan.

2 cups red candied cherries

1-1/2 cups raisins

2 cups bourbon plus extra for soaking cheesecloth

5 cups flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

4 cups pecan halves (about 1 pound)

1 cups butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

6 eggs, separated

Combine cherries, raisins and bourbon in medium bowl. Cover well and let stand overnight. Drain fruits, reserving bourbon. Place fruits in very large bowl and set aside.

Combine flour with baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir 1/2 cup mixture into pecan halves in separate bowl.

Cream butter in large bowl with electric mixer. Add granulated and brown sugars, continuing to beat until light. Add egg yolks, beating until well blended.

Beat egg whites in separate bowl until stiff, but not dry. Set aside.

Add flour mixture alternately with reserved bourbon to creamed butter mixture. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour batter over soaked fruits, add floured pecans and fold together until well blended. Turn into greased 10-inch tube pan, lined with parchment paper, or very well-greased 10-inch Bundt pan.

Bake at 275 degrees 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until wood pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack about 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and cool completely before storing. Fill center with cheesecloth saturated with bourbon. Wrap in foil and store in refrigerator. Remove cheesecloth before serving.

Yield: About 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 794 calories, 38.74 grams fat (44 percent fat calories), 9 grams protein, 89 grams carbohydrate, 129 milligrams cholesterol, 367 milligrams sodium.