whole wheat fruitcake

Description:

This fruitcake is healthy and delicious. If you don’t like fruitcake, you just may change your mind after trying this one.

 
 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsulphured dried apricots

• 3/4 cup orange juice

• 1 cup dried figs

• 1 cup dried apples or dates

• 1 cup apple juice

• 2 cups currants

• 2 cups chopped walnuts, or pecans

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour

• 1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs

• 1/3 cup sunflower oil

• grated peel of 2 lemons & 1 orange

or 1/2 cup fruitcake fruit

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

• appox.1/2 to 1 cup red wine

• brandy and apricot jam for soaking

 
 

 
 

Directions:

Prepare loaf pans by greasing and lining them all the way to the top with parchment paper or brown paper. Grease the paper, too.

Place the apricots and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes ro rehydrate. Meanwhile, chop the figs and apples or dates

Drain the apricots, reserving juice in a 1-cup measure. Put the figs and apples in the same saucepan along with the apple juice, bring to the boil, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then drain, adding any extra liquid to the 1-cup measure. Meanwhile, chop the apricots.

Combine the chopped apricots, figs, apples, currants, and nuts in a large mixing bowl.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Sift the flour with the spices, baking powder, soda, and salt.

Combine the eggs, oil, lemon and orange peel, vanilla, and sugar. Add the wine to the reserved fruit juice in the 1-cup measure, up to the 1-cup mark, and stir into the egg mixture.

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, then stir this batter into the fruits and nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake on the lowest rack of the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Test by inserting a table knife in the center of the cake. It will come out clean when the fruitcake is done.

 
 

after fruitcake is cooled, soak cheese cloth in brandy and wrap cakes or make a sauce with 1/2 cup each brandy and apricot jam, eat till jam is melted and brush fruitcakes. repeat every week for up to one month. Enjoy!

For those who don’t want to use alcohol, you can easily substitute orange juice and brandy flavoring for the brandy and concord grape juice for the wine. 

 
 

 
 

Pasted from <http://juliehughes714.googlepages.com/christmasfood?version=draft>