Mincemeat Fruitcake – Virtual Recipe Exchange

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First, a little story about this mincemeat fruitcake recipe

Back in the ’70s, I was a young bride establishing my own Christmas traditions. Everyone seemed to be sharing fruitcakes, which were almost always awful. The joke was that it was the same fruitcake, just given to someone else the following year.

But then I found a recipe on the back of a Mincemeat jar. It made the most wonderful fruitcake! Soft and moist, full of flavor, terrific with ice cream or as a stand-alone. It became my share-with-the-neighbors gift that I made every year.

Until 2002. That was the year our house burned to the ground, taking my recipe collection with it. My cousin quickly replaced my Fannie Farmers, but it didn’t have the recipe in it. I’d like to say I was devastated, but I wasn’t. It was a very confusing holiday, a story I will tell another time. I didn’t really feel the loss until the following year. I never made them again.

When this year’s recipe exchange came up, I was going to present my husband’s Chocolate Chip Bacon cookie recipe. But I decided instead to try to track down the fruitcake recipe. It was easier than I thought! A simple google search found it on The Recipe Link.

So, without further ado, here is:

Nonesuch Mincemeat Holiday Fruitcake recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 2/3 cups (28 oz. jar) None Such Mince Meat
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 cups (1 lb. jar) mixed candied fruit
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Hubby would like me to remind everyone that this is NOT a gluten-free recipe, nor is it for the lactose intolerant. If you have nut allergies, omit the walnuts.

Here is a trick I learned in Home Ec class. (If telling you I was a bride in the ’70s didn’t give away my age, the fact I had a Home Ec class surely would.) Always gather your ingredients ahead of time and make sure they are fresh. That way you avoid this:

Here are my ingredients

Mixing Steps

Butter a springform or 90-inch tube pan. Line with waxed paper. Butter again. (I didn’t. I used Pam nonstick cooking spray and flour. It might have looked nicer if I followed the recipe.)

Sift flour and baking soda. Combine eggs, mincemeat, condensed milk, fruit, and nuts. Add the eggs one at a time. This is technically a quick bread since it has no yeast. It rises because of the interaction of the acid in the recipe and the baking soda.

I didn’t sift the flour either. I don’t think you NEED to anymore, but I admit it might have made this fruitcake a bit fluffier.

Fold in dry ingredients. Don’t mix too much.

Pour into pan. Did you notice the ramekin covering the hole in the pan? It keeps everything neat and clean. Get it into the oven quickly – don’t let it sit too long.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Place the bread in the middle of the oven. Bake for 2 hours, or until the center springs back when touched, and the top is golden. Your house will smell wonderful.

Cool on a wire rack. Turn out; remove the wax paper if you used it.

A quick icing

Hubby whipped up a quick icing for me:

• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tsp milk (you could use OJ or even brandy if you wanted)
• up to 1/2 tsp flavored extract. Add one drop at a time until you get the flavor you want.

Drizzle over cake.

Eat it hot with ice cream if you like!

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