Brandied Fruitcake

Brandied Fruitcake

Makes 2 cakes

butter for pans

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

4 ounces unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup molasses

½ cup milk

2 cups mixed candied fruit

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

2 cups brandy

two large pieces of cheesecloth

1. Liberally butter two 9-inch springform pans. Line with parchment paper and butter again. Heat oven to 275 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves and mix together. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand-held mixer, cream the 4 ounces of butter. Add the brown sugar and beat until light. Add the eggs and beat well. Blend in the molasses. Stir in the flour mixture. Add the milk and beat until smooth. Stir in the candied fruit and walnuts and combine well.

4. Evenly divide the batter between pans. Bake for about 1½ hours until tops of cakes look dry but not brown. Transfer to cooling racks and let stand for 5 minutes. Release the springform and peel off parchment paper on sides. Let cool for thirty minutes and slowly pour brandy on tops. When completely cool, remove cakes from the pan base and peel off parchment paper on the bottom.

Enjoy!