Variation might erase fruitcake’s reputation as holiday doorstop

Fruitcake gets some undeserved bad press. Personally, I love the stuff. A slice can evoke the holidays in me like nothing else, except maybe for the Norwegian Yule Cake my friend Anna makes with a lot of cardamom and fat juicy sultanas in it.

This fruitcake recipe ought to please the die-hard fruitcake eaters among us and appeal to the dubious as well. Ruth Thurston in Machias sent it along when we asked for carrot cake recipes awhile back. I set it aside – I never throw any of your recipes away – thinking I would try it out in December.

Ruth writes: “This recipe is similar to the carrot cake that I usually make with crushed pineapple. The carrots make the fruitcake more moist and delicious than ordinary fruitcake.” And how.

For once, I actually followed this recipe right to the letter. A couple of ideas did occur to me, though, as possible variations. For example, instead of 2 cups of raisins, how about 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of dried sweetened cranberries. Also, I would probably add a little clove to the cinnamon next time.

Carrot Fruitcake

Yields one tall, rich 10-inch cake.

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chopped mixed candied fruit

2 cups raisins

3 cups of flour, divided

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups finely shredded carrots

Confectioners sugar glaze, optional

Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Combine nuts, fruit and raisins with 1/2 cup flour and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt and remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour. Gradually add to the sugar and oil mixture, beating until you have a smooth but stiff batter. Add the nuts, fruit and carrots and mix well. Bake at 350? for one hour and a half or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

For the glaze:

2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drizzle of milk

Blend the butter and sugar together and add the extract. Stir until smooth and drizzle when cake has cooled.