Tropical Fruit Cakes

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup rum or 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups mixed dried tropical fruit
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts or 1/2 cup brazil nut
• 1/3 cup rum or 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup rum or 1/4 cup pineapple juice

Recipe

• 1 grease and lightly flour eight 1-cup fluted tube pans or six 4-1/2x2-1/2x1-1/2-inch individual loaf pans and set pans aside.
• 2 in a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• 3 in a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, add brown sugar; beat until combined.
• 4 add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (the batter may appear curdled).
• 5 combine 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, the corn syrup, ginger, and vanilla.
• 6 add flour mixture and rum mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
• 7 fold in fruit bits and nuts.
• 8 spread batter in prepared pan.
• 9 bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes for fluted tube pans or 30 to 35 minutes for loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
• 10 cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. remove from pans; cool at least 1 hour on racks.
• 11 poke holes in cakes using a wooden toothpick or bamboo skewer.
• 12 soak eight or six 8-inch-square pieces of double thickness 100-percent cotton cheesecloth with the 1/3 cup rum or pineapple juice and wrap each cake in rum- or juice-soaked cheesecloth.
• 13 wrap each cake tightly in foil or seal in a plastic bag.
• 14 chill in refrigerator for 24 hours.
• 15 remove foil or remove cakes from bags; drizzle with 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice. rewrap with foil or return to plastic bags and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
• 16 remove cheesecloth before serving.
• 17 if desired, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. makes 6 or 8 cakes (24 servings).
• 18 make-ahead tip: prepare tropical fruit cake as directed through until the 24 hr chill, except refrigerate up to 5 days. (or prepare tropical fruit cakes as directed through up to 24 hr chill, except do not sprinkle with powdered sugar. place in self-sealing freezer bags. seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months.)
• 19 to serve, thaw frozen cakes in freezer bags in the refrigerator overnight. serve as directed.