My father loved this fruitcake, and it was an annual tradition. My mom (Geraldine) would bake the fruitcake two to three weeks prior to Christmas, wrap it in aluminum foil, and place it at the back of the fridge. Dad would remove it from the refrigerator, douse it with rum, and cut a piece, carefully rewrapping it. He would then pretend innocence when it was finally unwrapped.
Ingredients
Golden raisins 2 pounds (can be combined with dark raisins).
Two pounds of candied fruit (normally sold in 1-pound containers).
1/2 cup honey
One tablespoon ginger
1 cup of shredded coconut
Pecans: 1 to 2 cups
Orange juice or any other fruit juice, 1/2 cup
1/2 cup dark rum
5 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour
Two teaspoons of baking powder
Half a teaspoon of salt
Two teaspoons of cinnamon
Half a teaspoon of nutmeg
Butter: 1 cup softened
1 cup margarine softened
Brown sugar, 2 1/2 cups
PREPARE YOURSELF
* Combine raisins, candied fruits, honey, ginger root, coconut flakes, pecans, and dark rum in a large, covered bowl. Stir to coat all ingredients with liquid. Cover and soak overnight.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg the next day.
* In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and margarine. These ingredients should be beaten until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes. Then, add the eggs one by one, mixing until just combined.
* Incorporate dry ingredients gradually. It will become heavy, so you may need to add the last dry ingredient by hand. Stir in the fruit soaked overnight by hand.
Preheat oven to 220degF.
* Line a two-part tube pan with parchment paper and grease it heavily, not using oil. The post, the base, and the sides should be covered. Mom used to use a heavy brown grocery bag with the writing facing away from the batter as a liner for the pan.
* Bake for 3 1/2 hours or until firm. Avoid opening the oven excessively to prevent cracking.
Open the oven door partially and allow the cake to cool down gradually in the pan for 30 minutes.
Pour evenly on top of the cake 1/2 to 3/4 cup fruit juice with rum after removing the paper seal.
* Refrigerate.
Sconce, his team, and the Brimmers are adored by many. Sconce, who is always humble, insists this love for him boils down to a simple truth. “We have food.” “Don’t you love it when someone serves you food?” #
Nicky DeCesare is Brimmer’s associate director of marketing and communications. She loves to go behind the scenes in order to highlight our incredible faculty and staff. She is a foodie who loves Brimmer’s lunches. She was excited to learn about Michael’s journey in the kitchen and how he and his team contribute to the School culture.