REFRIGERATOR FRUIT CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the raisins, apricots, figs, ginger, and brandy (sub whiskey or apple cider if you like). Cover and let soak for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, stirring a few times during the soak.  Preheat the oven to 300F. Butter or spray 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans with baking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pie spice, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. With a spatula, fold in the candied cherries, nuts, and soaked fruit. Divide the batter evenly among the two baking pans.  Bake for 2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the cake to release it from the edges. Remove and place them on a cooling rack. Generously brush tops and sides of the cakes with brandy or whiskey (you can also use simple syrup). Cool completely. Store the cakes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 6 weeks.

Steps:

• Combine fruit, honey and brandy in large bowl, cover, stand overnight.
• Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan forced) to slow. Line base and sides of deep 19cm-square cake pan with three thicknesses baking paper, bringing paper 5cm above sides of pan.
• Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until just combined, beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined between additions. (Mixture may curdle at this point, but will come together later).
• Add butter mixture to fruit mixture with flour, mix thoroughly with one hand.
• Drop dollops of mixture into corners of pan to hold baking paper in position, spread remaining mixture into pan.
• Drop cake pan from a height of about 15cm onto bench to settle mixture into pan and to break any large air bubbles, level surface of cake mixture with wet metal spatula.
• Bake cake in slow oven about 4 hours. (Cover cake loosely with foil during baking if it starts to overbrown. Give the cake quarter turns several times during baking to avoid it browning unevenly.)
• Remove cake from oven, brush with extra brandy. Cover pan tightly with foil, cool cake in pan.