Not Your Grandma’s Fruit Cake

Ho ho ho!

We’re almost to the moment of truth – Christmas Eve! I admit, I like to experience true hustle and bustle so I’ve only started and finished my prep in the last couple of days with more baking still to go!

And the first thing I bake is always the Christmas Fruit Cake. This is not a 10 lb. brick of congealed fruits and batter and sugar. It is a dense cake but it’s more studded-with-sweetness fresh cake deliciousness! You will love love love it!!!

Ingredients: 1 cup soft butter, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp. almond extract, 8 eggs, 4 cups flour, 16 oz. light/dark raisins, 4 oz. red candied cherries, 4 oz. green candied cherries & 8 oz. candied pineapple.

Directions: Preheat oven 300°. Using 10″ tube pan, grease it with butter or cooking spray, then line the bottom & sides with wax paper – don’t forget to grease the middle tube.

Beat butter, sugar, almond extract until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time. On low speed, add flour. With a spatula, mix in raisins, cherries, and pineapple. Spoon into pan and bake for about 2 hrs 25 minutes – when tester comes out clean, it’s done. Let it cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then take it out and let it fully cool.

Tips: To get the bottom of the pan lined easily, buy tube pan liners. If there are almond allergies, use vanilla extract. You can find the candied fruit in the nut/raisin section of your local supermarket. Lastly, cut the cherries & pineapple chunks in half before adding in.

This cake says “Merry Christmas” as do we. Merry, merry Christmas to everyone!

Peace, Joy, & Love!

Annette & Joe