St. Nicholas Dried-Fruit Cake
Notes: Bake this cake at least 1 day or up to 2 months ahead; cool and wrap in cheesecloth or a thin towel saturated with orange-flavor liqueur. Chill airtight, and about every 10 days, moisten cloth with more liqueur. Serve thin slices of cake plain, with vanilla ice cream topped with rum-plumped raisins, or with rum-raisin ice cream. Wrap and continue to age extra cake.
How to Make It
Step 1
1
Lightly butter a 5- by 9-inch loaf pan. Line with cooking parchment.
Step 2
2
In a bowl with a mixer, beat 1 cup butter with sugar until fluffy.
Step 3
3
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended. Beat in molasses.
Step 4
4
Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and allspice. Add to egg mixture; beat just until blended.
Step 5
5
Set aside 6 to 8 apricots, 10 to 12 pecan halves, and 1 pineapple ring.
Step 6
6
Cut remaining pineapple into 3/4-inch pieces and add to batter along with the remaining apricots and pecans and the cranberries and cherries. Stir until well mixed.
Step 7
7
Scrape batter into parchment-lined pan, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; spread top level.
Step 8
8
Bake in a 275° oven until cake is firm in center when touched, about 3 hours. If it browns too rapidly, drape with foil.
Step 9
9
Cool in pan on rack at least 2 1/2 hours. Lift out cake; peel off parchment.
Step 10
10
Mix apricot jam with liqueur and brush over top of cake. Decoratively arrange reserved apricots, pecans, and pineapple in apricot glaze; brush more apricot jam mixture over fruit. Wrap airtight and chill at least 1 day.
Step 11
11
Nutritional analysis per 3 ounces.
Ingredients
About 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound (2 2/3 cups) dried apricots
1/2 pound (2 cups) pecan halves
1/2 pound dried lightly sweetened pineapple
1/2 pound (2 cups) dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 pound (2 cups) dried cherries or blueberries
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons orange-flavor liqueur
Directions
Step 1
1
Lightly butter a 5- by 9-inch loaf pan. Line with cooking parchment.
Step 2
2
In a bowl with a mixer, beat 1 cup butter with sugar until fluffy.
Step 3
3
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended. Beat in molasses.
Step 4
4
Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and allspice. Add to egg mixture; beat just until blended.
Step 5
5
Set aside 6 to 8 apricots, 10 to 12 pecan halves, and 1 pineapple ring.
Step 6
6
Cut remaining pineapple into 3/4-inch pieces and add to batter along with the remaining apricots and pecans and the cranberries and cherries. Stir until well mixed.
Step 7
7
Scrape batter into parchment-lined pan, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; spread top level.
Step 8
8
Bake in a 275° oven until cake is firm in center when touched, about 3 hours. If it browns too rapidly, drape with foil.
Step 9
9
Cool in pan on rack at least 2 1/2 hours. Lift out cake; peel off parchment.
Step 10
10
Mix apricot jam with liqueur and brush over top of cake. Decoratively arrange reserved apricots, pecans, and pineapple in apricot glaze; brush more apricot jam mixture over fruit. Wrap airtight and chill at least 1 day.
Step 11
11
Nutritional analysis per 3 ounces.
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