Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We made this last night and sliced it this morning - it was sooo good! We forgot the chocolate and I remembered while it was resting before baking - my daughter said don't worry, it will be fine without it, so we just nestled additional pecan halves on the top surface of our loaves and baked. Wonderful, soft, chewy consistency and definitely got a good rise after baking, without the usual collapse from cooling.
Slicing this thin and sharing several slices in each of the holiday cookie trays we are giving friends and family this year.
I couldn't find dried apricots in the store so I replaced with dried papaya chunks, turned out lovely.
Will be baking this recipe every Christmas for sure - two thumbs way up 👍🏻👍🏻
Just baked three loaves for this Christmas. Two of them are just fruit and nut, top decorated with halved pecans, and one loaf got a good dose of Guittard chocolate, sprinkled with real chocolate vermicelli before baking. Smells so good in the house. I had the dried fruits soaking in rum for several days beforehand, and this time I roasted the nuts before soaking in rum. Once I slice into the loaves, I'll try to remember to take some photos.
I got a note from lilymae that she had made it last year and was going to do it again this year.
Such a surprise to see I had missed all the additional posts to this thread. Must have gotten busy with last minute stuff and forgotten to come back.
I'm relieved that you had good luck. After overbaking last year I was a little leery that I might be leading you all astray. But as you have noticed, it's a forgiving recipe and also very flexible.
With all those expensive ingredients it's easy to get a little nervous about how it's going to turn out.
There was nearly nothing on the web about it a year ago but I see lots more entries now and I have revised my own recipe to better suit me with their help. I reduced the total amount of fruit to 2 C. and the same with the amount of nuts.
This year one hour at 350 degrees was sufficient. I blame my old oven for the poor advice.
Last year the loaf I made for a friend was without chocolate. I forgot, too! I called her the other day to check about that and she said she thought I must have known she prefers it without chocolate so that worked out fine.
I like to think this looks a little like a stained glass window when it's sliced and on a cookie plate.
So, I made this again today and it is looking at me and smiling..
I used the following for the fruit and nuts, leaving out the chocolate -
3/4 C each of almond slivers, walnut pieces and pecan pieces
1/2 C each of chopped dried pineapple, dried cherries, dried apricots and golden raisins.
I chopped everything, so nothing was too large and everything was pretty uniform in size. I stirred about one T of flour into the fruit, so it wouldn't stick together, before I added it to the batter.
Baked it in dark metal loaf pans for 80-90 minutes at 325. I covered it loosely with tin foil for about the last 15 minutes. Tester stick came out just about spotless.
I am so glad to see this thread bumped, I made some last Christmas & we loved it. I had the recipe on my fridge door, but we lost our home in the Camp Fire. Now I have the recipe again, I will make some for NYE Thank you.
Hullo, evening sun! I was surprised to see the bump.
Had just told my girlfriend I didn't think I'd be making it this year. (She soaked my overbaked one in spirits and said it turned out okay.) But then a slice of cardboard would probably be good soaked in spirits. Heh.
It's delightful that so many have appreciated it We always have the annual discussion about fruitcake and it's something that is not often compatible with today's palate. Yet here is this similar hundreds-years-old recipe which takes it's colorful place on the holiday table and actually is pleasing to the modern tongue.
I'm glad so many have enjoyed customizing it and making it their own. Happy Holidays, All!
IIRC my loaf in 2017 cost $12.00! But then sliced thin it goes a long way.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thank you.
