Golden brandy fruitcake

Here's another total treasure from my mother, RuthAnn Lavin, just as she sent it to me.  She's been making this fruitcake forever, and even people who claim to hate fruitcake like this one.  Mostly I think that's because the cake is more dominant than in most recipes.  My old hippy fruitcake recipe is much more fruit than cake, dark and HEAVY, but this cake actually has cake in it.  Imagine that!  It's not devil's food light, but it's really good and moist.


I'm sure the brandy doesn't hurt either ;-)


Golden Brandy Fruit Cake

1 1/2 C Golden Raisins
2 C Blanched Slivered Almonds (1#)
1 C Sliced Dried Apricots (8oz)
1 C Halved Candied Cherries (8 oz) - I use both red and green when I can get both
1 1/2 C Dried Candied Pineapple
4 Large Eggs
1 C Shortening
1 C Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
1 C Apricot Brandy
2 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Mix almonds and fruit together and soak in a little brandy.  Set aside.  Mix  together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Grease Bundt pan well and flour lightly.  Cream shortening and sugar and then beat in eggs.  Add vanilla.  Blend flour mixture alternately with creamed shortening and sugar mixture and then blend in Brandy.  Add almonds and fruit and mix well.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake about 2 hours.  Keep a shallow pan of hot water on lowest shelf of oven while cake is baking.  Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out cake and cool completely.  Wrap cake in brandy-soaked cloth and store in air tight container in refrigerator.

I was given this recipe from a woman who grew up in California and she said it came from a California Cook Book of some kind.

Good Luck when you make this cake.  The cake is not a cheap one and sometimes I have trouble finding the dried fruits before Thanksgiving, which is when I prefer to  make this cake because then the Brandy has time to really penetrate the cake mixture.