Dessert: Southern Fruitcake Recipe | Myrecipes

Ideally, fruitcake should be made at least a month before you plan to serve it, but it will last for several months when stored tightly wrapped in the fridge.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Pineapple

Health and fertility benefits of Southern Fruitcake Recipe | Myrecipes

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Pineapples are loaded with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 1/4 cups chopped pecans
1 2/3 cups chopped pitted dates
1 1/2 cups raisins (you can use all dark or 3/4 cup each dark and golden)
2/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
2/3 cup chopped candied pineapple
2/3 cup candied cherries, halved
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup bourbon, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 °.
Coat 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray; line bottom and sides of pans with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with cooking spray.
Combine pecans and next 5 ingredients (through cherries) in a large bowl. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 1 cup flour to pecan mixture, tossing to coat.
Combine 1 cup flour, cinnamon, and next 4 ingredients (through ginger) in a small bowl. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour-spice mixture; beat at medium speed until blended. Add 1/4 cup bourbon and extracts, beating at low speed until blended. Stir pecan mixture into batter.
Spoon batter into prepared pans, pressing firmly to pack. Press a piece of parchment paper onto surface of batter in each pan.
Add water to a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish to a depth of 1 inch; place on bottom rack in oven. Place loaf pans on middle rack in oven. Bake at 250 ° for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove top piece of parchment paper. Immediately pierce cakes several times with a long wooden pick, and brush 2 tablespoons bourbon over each cake. Cool completely in pans on a wire rack. Remove from pans.
Cut 2 (18-inch) pieces of cheesecloth. Soak cheesecloth in 1/2 cup bourbon. Wrap a bourbon-soaked piece of cheesecloth around each cake, and place each cake in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and store in a cool place at least 24 hours.

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