kikicooks

coming soon to the internets near you.

it ended up being a lot easier than i thought, mostly just chopping.

and mixing

and then baking

actually, the hardest part was remembering to douse it in rum every week for a month or so. fruitcake definitely requires planning.

it was totally worth the effort, so delicious and pretty too.

would you like to make a fruitcake of your very own?

this is another recipe from martha stewart living, the december 2000 issue.

Backhouse Family Fruitcake

makes 1 eight-inch cake

1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan

4 ounces dried pineapple, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup)

4 ounces dried apricots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup)

8 ounces dates, pitted, chopped (1-1/2 cups)

4 ounces dried cherries (1/2 cup)

4 ounces whole blanched almonds (3/4 cup)

8 ounces brazil nuts (1-1/2 cups)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed

3 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons rum, plus more for dousing

1. heat oven to 300. brush 8-inch springform pan with soft butter. line bottom and sides with parchment; brush with butter.

2. combine fruit and nuts in a bowl; set aside. sift the flours, baking powder, and salt. in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. reduce speed; add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. add vanilla and rum.

3. in two additions, add dry ingredients to butter. scrape down bowl between additions. fold in fruit and nuts. pour batter into pan. bake until golden and set, about 2-1/2 hours. cover with foil if it colors too much.

4. cool on a wire rack. remove from pan; discard parchment. wrap in cheescloth or muslin. douse with 1/4 cup rum. store in a cool, dry place; douse with 1/4 cup rum weekly for at least 1 month before serving.

first, just let me say that although i followed all of the directions pretty closely i did not have a proper pan to cook it in. it doesn’t really say in the recipe either but you should use a shallow pan so you have more room for the dough. as you can see, my dough got all scrunched together. i also think it would have cooked better in a different pan. i also do not own an electric mixer so i had to do it all by hand, poor me. that said, it was pretty delicious and even better the next day. it turned out pretty good for my first time working with any type of dough besides store bought cookie dough, which by the way caused a nice footstompin’ hissyfit when i couldn’t get it to stop sticking to the counter, the rolling pin, me…

want the recipe?

 recipe from the november 2002 issue of martha stewart living

pear pandowdy

serves 8 to 10

msl note: in pandowdy, a spiced fruit filling is topped with mounds of biscuit dough and then baked, similar to cobblers. traditionally made with apples this version ofthe dessert features pears; dries cranberries add a tart note. the name is believed to refer to it’s rather old-fashioned appearance.

for the crust

3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large whole egg

1 large egg yolk

for the filling

4 large ripe bartlett pears (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons brandy (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for glaze

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1) make the crust: sift together flours, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl, and set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy.

2) add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, beating until well incorporated after each addition. add flour mixture,and beat on low speed until just combined. turn out onto plastic wrap; pat into a square about 1 inch thick. wrap well in plastic; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

3) turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; roll out to 1/4 inch thick. cut into 2-inch squares with a paring knife, transfer squares to a parchment lined baking sheet. cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.

4) preheat oven to 375. make the filling: peel and core pears, and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. place in a large bowl, and add dried cranberries, brown sugar, salt, pistachios, coconut, brandy, if using, and clove; toss until thoroughly combined. transfer to a 2-quart pyrex or ceramic baking dish. dot top with butter.

5) remove dough squares from refrigerator; place on top of filling so that they are slightly overlapping, leaving some filling uncovered. in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream; brush over dough. sprinkle with granulated sugar.

6) bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. remove from oven, and push crust partly down into fruit mixture. serve warm.