Saturday, December 3, 2011

President's Cake...anti-fruitcake




This is my inaugural address. I'm the president of No Fruitcake Land. As a kid I remember chopping the giant chocolate bars and cutting up the jelly candies to put in the cake. I think I snitched a few or two. This year I am finally posting a recipe that has been in my family at least one generation. It is my mom's original recipe from our childhood, based on the fact that she just didn't like fruit cake. When I have a giant bakery and am famous, I will be sure there is a President's cake in every household. Until then, just be assured you saw it here first. And no, I didn't give you all my secret tricks for perfection... I gave you my mom's!! Have fun with this and hopefully it will become a tradition!
Geneve's President Cake. (Because she made the recipe what it is!)
6 eggs
1 lb unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour
1 T plus 1tsp baking powder
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp salt
3 8oz bars symphony or Hershey's milk chocolate, cut into chunks (I use Guitard)
1/2 lb chopped pecans
1/2 lb "orange slices" candy, cut into thirds and tossed in 1/2 cup of the 4 cups flour
8 oz maraschino cherries, chopped (drained of juice of course)

Soften butter and cream butter and sugar until light in color, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at at time until the mixture is a light lemon color. Blend the flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the mixture alternately with the orange juice (mixed with the extracts). Grease and flour 4 8x4x3 loaf pans. Place a thin layer of the batter on the bottom of the pans. Add the goodies to the batter. Batter will be very stiff, but place in pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done. Let the cake stand for 24 hours before cutting!!! Cut with a very sharp knife. Serve and enjoy.

Now if you make cookies with the batter, you don't have to wait he 24 hours. See the genius in this. Cupcakes are gorgeous with this batter too! No frosting needed, just a dusting of powdered sugar. Oooo laaa laa. Now you are officially ready for the Holidays... whatever one it may be!

2 comments:

gayle brosnan-watters said...

So, Tess, can I make this into a gluten free cake by using a gluten free flour mix?? I am not celiac, just sensitive to gluten.

Unknown said...

Looks yummy! May have to give it a try!