Apricot and Cherry Modern Fruitcake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 17, 2021
Yield
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Cake
1½ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) dried apricots (1 cup chopped fine, ½ cup halved crosswise)¼ cup dark rum 1 cup dried cherries 1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour 1¼ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt ½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar ⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon grated orange zest ¾ cup walnuts, toasted and choppedSoak and Glaze
⅓ cup dark rum 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons apricot jamInstructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan. Arrange halved apricots cut side down, perpendicular to pan edge, in tightly packed ring around bottom of pan. Microwave rum in bowl until steaming, about 30 seconds, stir in chopped apricots and cherries and let sit for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooling.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Whisk brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs in large bowl until thoroughly combined and thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in melted butter until combined. Whisk in vanilla, lemon zest, and orange zest. Gently whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Using rubber spatula, fold in rum-soaked fruits and walnuts.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cake, invert cake onto wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, and remove pan.
- Combine rum and orange juice in bowl and microwave until steaming and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Measure out 2 tablespoons rum mixture and whisk with apricot jam. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, discarding solids, and set apricot glaze aside. Using skewer, poke 15 to 20 holes over cake. Brush warm cake with remaining rum mixture and let cool completely, at least 3 hours. Brush apricot glaze over cake and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve. (Cooled cake and glaze can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, separately, and stored at room temperature for up to 1 week. Brush with apricot glaze just before serving.)
for the cake
for the soak and glaze
Yield
Serves 10 to 12Ingredients
Cake
1½ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) dried apricots (1 cup chopped fine, ½ cup halved crosswise)
¼ cup dark rum
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Soak and Glaze
⅓ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Ingredients
Cake
1½ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) dried apricots (1 cup chopped fine, ½ cup halved crosswise)
¼ cup dark rum
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Soak and Glaze
⅓ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Ingredients
Cake
1½ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) dried apricots (1 cup chopped fine, ½ cup halved crosswise)
¼ cup dark rum
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Soak and Glaze
⅓ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted an updated, more refined take on this stodgy cake, with complementary fruits, balanced booziness, and a moist but not overly dense texture. To do away with the neon-colored glacé fruits of cakes past, we landed on a combination of tart dried cherries and sweet apricots; as the fruit cooked in the cake they turned translucent, giving them a naturally glacéed effect. We made a rich, sturdy batter that was able to support a full 2 cups of fruit as well as ¾ cup of crunchy walnuts. Orange and lemon zest and vanilla rounded out the flavors. We found that a small amount of rum in the batter along with a rum and orange juice soak gave us the boozy flavor we were looking for without being harsh or making the cake soggy. As a decorative touch we laid halved pieces of dried apricots around the bottom of the pan before pouring in the batter so that the finished cake would have a festive fruit crown, and we finished it with a simple apricot glaze.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan. Arrange halved apricots cut side down, perpendicular to pan edge, in tightly packed ring around bottom of pan. Microwave rum in bowl until steaming, about 30 seconds, stir in chopped apricots and cherries and let sit for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooling.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Whisk brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs in large bowl until thoroughly combined and thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in melted butter until combined. Whisk in vanilla, lemon zest, and orange zest. Gently whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Using rubber spatula, fold in rum-soaked fruits and walnuts.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cake, invert cake onto wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, and remove pan.
- Combine rum and orange juice in bowl and microwave until steaming and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Measure out 2 tablespoons rum mixture and whisk with apricot jam. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, discarding solids, and set apricot glaze aside. Using skewer, poke 15 to 20 holes over cake. Brush warm cake with remaining rum mixture and let cool completely, at least 3 hours. Brush apricot glaze over cake and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve. (Cooled cake and glaze can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, separately, and stored at room temperature for up to 1 week. Brush with apricot glaze just before serving.)
for the cake
for the soak and glaze
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