by Dana Leilehua Yuen
This dark, moist, and rich fruitcake is made with dried, rather than candied, fruits. It is the descendant of a family recipe dating back to the 1700s.
- 1/4 pound butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup marmalade, cooked very dark
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon mace
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups mixed chopped dried fruit
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped candied citron or other candied citrus
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two loaf pans with baker’s parchment and butter it well.
Cream together the butter, sugar, and honey, and beat until light. Add in the lemon extract and eggs and continue beating. Stir in the marmalade and blend well.
Mix together well the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, mace, cloves, and salt; beat into the first mixture.
Fold in the fruit and nuts, making sure that each piece is well battered. Spoon into the pans and bake at 325f. for 1 hour, then reduce heat to 300f. and bake an additional 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
When removed from the oven, set on racks to cool, sprinkling with brandy or rum to keep moist. Once cool wrap each cake well in cheesecloth and place in a container with an air-tight cover. each day for one week, moisten thoroughly with brandy. Following the first week, moisten thoroughly with brandy each week for four weeks. Then moisten with brandy each month until next Christmas.