1050. Orange Fruit Cake

Meet the fuitcake who you will actually like: Orange Fruitcake. I don't know if you're anything like me, but I tend to buy somewhat more dried fruit than I will actually use. So I end up with small quantities of various perfectly edible dried fruit. This recipe is the perfect delicious way you can use up those little nuggets. What really makes the cake special is the orange-infused batter enveloping this colorful gems. The cake is much more fruit than cake, allowing it to have a long shelf life when stored properly.
As you know, dried fruit tends to lean towards the tougher side. Mixing them in a bowl with a touch of water then microwaving the lot makes them the perfect soft consistency for the cake, while still sturdy enough to not dissolve into the batter. The addition of nuts is optional, but a wonderful textural and flavorsome component. If you have a giant 12-cup bundt, I suppose you could use that, but I opted to make two mediocre-sized bundt cakes, which is perfect because you have more to share, plus they keep for weeks.

Ingredients: (makes two bundts)

5 cups chopped dried mixed fruit (cranberries, apricots, pear, prune, fig...)

1/2 cup water

3/4 cups candied red cherries

1 cup butter. softened

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 large eggs

3 3/4 cups flour

1 cup orange juice

2 cups walnuts

Glaze:

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Method:

To prepare the fruit: Combine the dried fruit (except the candied cherries) with water in a bowl. Cover and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stir, then set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 330F. Butter and flour two bundt pans; set aside

To prepare the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the eggs one at time. Stir in the flour alternately with the orange juice. Add the undrained fruit, the candied cherries, and the nuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pans, filling them about three-quarters full. 

Bake the cakes for 70 to 80 minutes. When done, the cakes will be a light golden brown all over, and a cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean.

Prepare the glaze: stir together the orange juice and powdered sugar while the cakes are baking. Set aside to rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar.

Remove the cakes from the oven. Wait about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack. Brush the warm cakes all over with the glaze, continuing to brush until you've used it all. When completely cooled, wrap well and let rest at least 24 hours (or for up to a month, brushing with flavored syrup weekly), before serving.

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