Citrus Fruitcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most fruitcakes contain citrus fruits in one form or the other be it mixed peels, citrus zest or juice. This fruitcake however does not just contain citrus fruits, these fruits take center stage. Among all the other amazing ingredients, it contains orange juice, citrus mix peel and orange, lemon and lime peels. It also contains Grand Marnier, an orange flavored liqueur, which is used to bake and age it. If you are ready for a citrus explosion in your mouth during the holidays, this is one fruitcake which is sure to give you that, and more. This is a personal recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

(1) 260 Grams All Purpose Flour (2 Cups)

(2) 65 Grams Almond Flour (1/2 Cup) (See Note 1)

(3) 200 Grams Granulated White Sugar (1 Cup)

(4) 3 Large Eggs

(5) The Juice of 1 Orange (See Note 2)

(6) The Peels of an Orange, Lemon and Lime

(7) 1/4 Cup Grand Marnier

(8) 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

(9) 100 Grams Blanched Almonds (Chopped) (3/4 Cup)

(10) 400 Grams Citrus Mix Peel (2-1/2 Cups)

(11) 300 Grams Golden Raisins (2 Cups)

(12) 200 Grams Dried Apricots (About 1-1/2 Cups)

(13) 200 Grams Dried Pineapple (1-1/2 Cups)

(14) 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

(15) 226 Grams Unsalted Butter (1 Cup)

NOTES:

(1) If you do not have access to almond flour, you can add an extra cup of all purpose flour to the recipe. I have a post here on how to make your own almond flour.

(2) 1 orange yields about 1/3 cup of juice.

(3) If you do not have access to the dried fruits listed above, you can use a combination of any dried fruits you have. I would choose light colored fruits as opposed to dark colored fruits like prunes and dates.

PROCEDURE:

(1) Chop any large dried fruits into bite size portions. Combine all the fruits, mix peel and almonds together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

(3) Grease an 8 inch round cake pan with a removable base and line the sides and bottom with parchment paper. The parchment paper should extend at least an inch above the sides of the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) In a large bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder.

(5) Next make citrus sugar. Peel the skins of the orange, lemon and lime. Be careful not to cut into the white bitter membrane of the fruits. Place the fruit peels along with the sugar in a food processor and process until all the peels have been blended. If you do not have a food processor, use a grater to remove the zests from the fruits and add these to the sugar. The latter procedure will however give you a weaker citrus flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) Juice the orange and add the juice to the grand marnier.

(7) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the citrus sugar and butter at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Next, with the mixer running at low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Follow the eggs with the orange juice and grand marnier mixture. The batter would separate at this point. That’s fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Next, add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just until combined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10) Next add the mixed fruits and nuts and fold these into the batter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11) Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and press it down so it is tightly packed in the pan. Optional, you can arrange some blanched almonds around the top of the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 2 hours or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Total baking time = 3 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12) Remove the cake out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Leave it this way to cool down completely before taking the cake out of the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(13) This cake is best aged for at least 3 months. My liqueur of choice is Grand Marnier. Cognac or other orange flavored liqueurs will also be great. I have a detailed post here on how I age my fruitcakes. Do check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To find other fruitcake recipes such as my Traditional Christmas Fruitcake and my Caribbean Black Fruitcake, click here.