Christmas \ Fruit cake weekend

[john H]

Thanks to everyone for their input and recipes. Sorry for taking so long for posting the recipe I use and not being more active, work is getting in the way!!!!!!! Straight days and weekends in  :o LOL.

awakephd I'm sure it will be great. Like you said just brush the cheese cloth just watch it will get soggy in the center if you use to much. If that happens let it air out for a few hours and it will reduce into a heavenly rich fruit cake. :P

John

[awakephd]

Helpful advice, thanks. Right now it is wrapped in cheesecloth, moistened with 1+ tbs of brandy, then sealed up in plastic. I plan to unseal and re-moisten at least once per week.

[john H]

Helpful advice, thanks. Right now it is wrapped in cheesecloth, moistened with 1+ tbs of brandy, then sealed up in plastic. I plan to unseal and re-moisten at least once per week.

Any update awakephd? :P

[awakephd]

Thanks for asking! The fruitcakes are now consumed - I saved one into February, but finally couldn't resist finishing it off. They were a bit dry and overdone, as noted above, but still quite tasty. As dry as they were, they absorbed quite a lot of brandy before they really seemed to be appropriately moistened ... but still didn't taste over-brandified. :) I look forward to trying again, this time putting the batter into two pans rather than three, and watching the cooking time more closely.

I should have taken some pictures ... not sure why I didn't. Next time ...

[jhend]

Made another batch of Christmas cake about  a month ago anyone else made any this year? The last batch lasted about 1 1\2 years and was heavenly at the end.

[TravisNTexas]

Have not made Fruit Cake before, but my dad used to.  I have a question about the instructions though.  Why three layers of brown paper?  Is brown paper important, or could parchment paper be used?  Thanks for posting the recipe.  If I hurry I can get some made in time to be ready by Christmas!

[TravisNTexas]

I have a John H. Recipe fruit cake in the oven!

[jhend]

Sorry for the late reply. Not sure why they use brown paper other than it is a very old recipe and maybe that was all they had. I also noticed brown paper is thicker so maybe helps in keeping the moisture in.


Keep me posted on how it is going.

John   

[jhend]

Hey TravisNTexas how did your fruit cake turn out?

[TravisNTexas]

Wow, blast from the past :)  It turned out very well indeed, thank you!  And thanks to John for posting the recipe in the first place!