I am not an accomplished pastry chef, and this time of year who wants another time-consuming recipe. This ridiculously easy recipe is an amalgam of several I consulted.
The first and most important step is inspired by my grandmother. Every year at this time, my grandmother took a fruitcake sent by a client of my grandfather, poured liqueur over it, and stored it for a year before serving.
Rather than wait a year, I soaked dried organic fruit from MOON overnight in 2/3 cup of liqueur. I used Amaretto, which is almond-flavored, but you can use orange-flavored Cointreau or any other fruit- or nut-flavored liqueur or brandy you happen to have around.
For this recipe, I used four cups of mixed dried organic fruit, equal portions of organic raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and apricots. Use any combination that appeals, and take from the bulk bins only as much as you need.
The next day, keeping this simple, I prepared a yellow cake batter, using an organic non-GMO cake mix from MOON. By all means, if you prefer, make your own batter from unbleached flour, baking powder, butter, and eggs.
As I beat the batter, I added one teaspoon ground nutmeg, one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon, and one-quarter teaspoon allspice. The key with any spices, but especially with spicy food like fruitcake, is to use fresh spices.
I sniffed our old nutmeg and allspice, found them lacking in aroma, and set them aside. MOON lets you buy only as much spice as you need.
I once helped a Miami University student find suitable herbs and spices from MOON’s bulk bins for a chicken dish he wanted to make. He spent a grand total of 25 cents.
To the batter, I added the soaked fruit, plus one cup of chopped organic pecans, and mixed thoroughly.
I prepared two loaf pans by generously buttering the surfaces and covering the bottom of the pan with a piece of wax paper.
I baked the cakes for around 100 minutes at 300 degrees. I cooled the pans on wire racks for one hour before removing the cakes from the pans.
I have stored the fruitcakes for several weeks in a tin, rather than in the fridge. Definitely don’t freeze them.
Organic and Fair Trade dried fruits and nuts are available in bulk at MOON Co-op Grocery, Oxford's consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. MOON Co-op, located at 512 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. Visit MOON on the web at www.mooncoop.coop.
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