Deep Dark Secret Fruitcake

Ingredients

• 7 lemons
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cardamom pods, cracked
• 2 whole allspice berries
• 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1 1/2 cups dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1/2 cup dried peaches, chopped
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup glace cherries
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1 cup hazelnuts, skinned
• 2 cups flour
• BATTER:
• 2 cups butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 3 1/3 cups flour

Directions

Five days before baking: Peel zest from lemons in strips. Juice 3 lemons; set aside. (Reserve remaining lemons for another use.) Place lemon strips in a saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Drain. Repeat 2 more times. Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, water, corn syrup, 1 cup sugar, cardamom pods and allspice in a saucepan. Simmer for 45 minutes. Pour into a bowl; set aside to cool. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and the wine in the saucepan. Boil until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Remove zest from syrup and chop finely, just to a point where there are still small chunks. Combine wine syrup, lemon syrup and chopped lemon zest in a large bowl. Remove and discard whole spices. Add dried cherries, blueberries, currants, peaches, raisins, glace cherries, ginger and nuts to syrup; stir well. Let soak at least 5 days, stirring once or twice a day.

Baking Day: Line five 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pans with bakers' parchment. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Stir fruit/nut mixture. Add the 2 cups flour; mix well. Set aside. The batter: Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine wine and corn syrup. Combine cocoa and flour. Add wine mixture and cocoa mixture alternately, in 3 additions, to egg mixture, mixing well after each addition. Fold fruit mixture into batter. Spoon into prepared pans. Bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Test with a cake tester in center of cakes. When it comes out clean, the cakes are done. Cool cakes in their pans until just warm to the touch, then remove; peel away the parchment. Wrap the fruitcakes tightly in wine-soaked cheesecloth, if desired, then in plastic wrap, then in foil. Store in a cool place for at least 4 weeks. Flavors will develop and cakes will become rich and moist.

Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: Meal Master
Submitted By: Shelly Black
shellack@aol.com
Deep Dark Secret Fruitcake