Wendy Ra­hamut

Fruit­cake-it's a tra­di­tion here in Trinidad and To­ba­go, and this is the time to start think­ing about your Christ­mas kitchens and your fruit­cakes. Lots of us have recipes that have been hand­ed down from gen­er­a­tion to gen­er­a­tion, and each of us with our own ver­sion of the best fruit­cake ever. Some may pre­fer a light fruit­cake with no al­co­hol.

Oth­ers may pre­fer a dense, moist, dark fruit­cake, redo­lent with the sher­ry and rum in which the fruits were soaked in for al­most one year (hence the name Black Cake). Or some may choose a cake heavy with lots of can­died fruits and no al­co­hol or brown­ing agents. What­ev­er your de­sire this Christ­mas here are some favourites for you to broad­en your reper­toire with.

OLD FASH­IONED FRUIT­CAKE

• 3 3/4 cups mixed can­died peel

• 1/2 cups raisins

• 2 cups cur­rants

• 2 cups pecans or wal­nuts chopped and toast­ed

• 1 cup each red and green glace cher­ries, halved

• 1/2 cup dark rum

• 1 3/4 cups all-pur­pose flour

• 1 tsp bak­ing pow­der

• 1 tsp cin­na­mon

• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

• 1/4 tsp nut­meg

• 1/4 tsp all­spice

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup un­salt­ed but­ter

• 1 cup brown sug­ar

• 3 eggs

• 2 tbs mo­lasses

• 2 tsp vanil­la

Line two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans or 2 nine-inch round cake tins with brown pa­per twice, grease the last lay­er and flour.

In a large bowl com­bine mixed peel, cur­rants, raisins and cher­ries. Pour on rum and let soak overnight. Toss with 1/2-cup flour.

Pre­heat oven to 250F.

Com­bine the rest of the flour with the cin­na­mon, nut­meg, all­spice, cloves and bak­ing pow­der.

With an elec­tric mix­er, cream but­ter with sug­ar un­til light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time beat­ing well be­tween each ad­di­tion. Add vanil­la and mo­lasses.

Fold in flour mix­ture.

Fold in fruit mix­ture and nuts.

Turn bat­ter in­to pre­pared pans and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, un­til a tester comes out clean.

Cool in tins. You may pour an ad­di­tion­al 2 tbs of brandy or rum over cakes af­ter bak­ing.

• Makes 2 cakes

LIGHT CHRIST­MAS FRUIT CAKE

This light fruit­cake is de­li­cious and is sure to be en­joyed by kids and grownups alike!

• 1 cup but­ter or mar­garine

• 1 cup gran­u­lat­ed sug­ar

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup can­died cher­ries, fine­ly chopped

• 1/2 cup mixed peel

• 1/2 cup chopped wal­nuts or al­monds, (op­tion­al)

• 2 cups all pur­pose flour

Pre­heat oven to 325 de­grees. Grease, line and flour a nine inch round pan.

With an elec­tric mix­er, cream but­ter and sug­ar un­til light and creamy, about five min­utes. Add eggs one at a time beat­ing well be­tween ad­di­tions.

Fold in flour and fruits. Pour bat­ter in­to nine inch round pan.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Cool.

BEST EVER CHRIST­MAS CAKE

• 1 lb raisins

• 1/2 lb cur­rants

• 1/2 lb sul­tanas

• 1/2 lb prunes

• 1/2 lb chopped wal­nuts

• 1/4 lb mixed peel

• 1/4 b cher­ries

• 1 2/3 cups dark rum

• 1 2/3 cups cher­ry brandy

• 1 lb but­ter or mar­garine

• 1 lb all pur­pose flour

• 3 tsp bak­ing pow­der

• 1 lb brown sug­ar

• 6 eggs

• 1 tsp Cin­na­mon and all­spice, mixed

• 2 tsp mixed essence

Seed and cut up fruits, ex­cept cher­ries in­to about 1/4-inch pieces.

Com­bine rum and cher­ry brandy and add fruits to mix­ture. Al­low to soak overnight or up to one week.

Pre­heat oven to 300F.

Cream but­ter and sug­ar un­til light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beat­ing well af­ter each ad­di­tion.

Sift to­geth­er flour and bak­ing pow­der, cin­na­mon and all­spice.

Drain fruits.

Add drained fruits to but­ter and sug­ar mix­ture.

Add cut up cher­ries and nuts.

Fold flour in­to fruits and mar­garine mix­ture.

Add mixed essence, mix well.

Grease and line two nine-inch cake pans with waxed pa­per, grease and flour pa­per.

Spoon cake bat­ter equal­ly in­to pre­pared bak­ing pans.

Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Pour ad­di­tion­al rum or brandy over cake when baked.

Cool in pans be­fore re­mov­ing.

Makes two nine inch round cakes.