Recipes

Executive Pastry Chef Chris Ford, Wit & Wisdom, Four Seasons Baltimore

INGREDIENTS:

For Cake:

7 oz                        High quality butter (room temperature)

7 oz                        Light brown moscavado brown sugar (or any light brown sugar)

½                             Vanilla bean

4                              Eggs

7 oz                        All purpose flour

1 tsp                      Baking powder

1 lb                         Fruit mix (see recipe below)

½ cup                    Toasted pecans

For Fruit Mix:

3 oz                        Dried figs

3 oz                        Dried apricots

3 oz                        Candied lemon peel

3 oz                        Dried currants

4 oz                        Dried golden raisins

½                             Vanilla bean, split length wise and scraped

High quality brandy, to cover

METHOD:

For Fruit Mix:

1. Roughly chop figs, apricots and lemon peel into small pieces, about the size of a pea.
2. Combine all fruit and vanilla bean together and mix.
3. Cover with brandy and let sit for as little as 24 hours and up to 2 weeks. The longer the fruit sits, the better it will become.

For Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until creamy and smooth.
3. Add brown sugar and vanilla bean and cream for 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
4. Add eggs one by one, making sure each addition is emulsified and incorporated completely.
5. Sift flour and baking powder together, then add to batter, mixing just long enough to combine.
6. Add fruit mix and pecans at the same time and mix for 1 minute on low speed until batter is complete.
7. Bake at 325°F until toothpick inserted comes out clean (Can be baked in small or larger loafs).
8. Store at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap overnight, serve the following day. The longer the fruitcake sits, the better it will become.