Rose's Heavenly Cake, Page 79: Fruitcake Wreath.
I couldn't decide if i wanted to bake this since nobody in my family likes fruitcake except me and even i usually couldn't eat more than a tiny slice of fruitcake each time. However, i did soak the fruits 8 days earlier, just in case i change my mind. But as the weekend came, I felt uneasy like I'm not doing my homework if I didn't bake! So i finally decided that i should just go ahead with it. Now i can say for sure that I am very glad that i baked this as this is one of the BEST fruitcake i have ever tasted! Not exaggerating when i say that it is the BEST!
Recipe is simple. The only time consuming part is soaking the fruits in rum for 8 days. Mixing the batter is so easy. Omitted pecans and only added 160g of walnuts (whatever i had left). Did not realised i have to use "dark" brown sugar until i pour all the brown sugar into the mixing bowl with the butter :P. No fruitcake wreath pan so i used my pyrex glass bowls instead. Yield about 7 bowl-cakes for me. I think i overbaked since the top came out a bit too dark and was a bit burnt on top - so i think about 40 mins baking time should be sufficient. Since i didn't have the cake shaped like a wreath, I decided to cover 3 cakes with mazipan & decorate in fondant - into wreaths. :) I did cut the glaceed cherries into tiny pieces (candied peel came in tiny pieces in a pack) & my walnuts was toasted & "de-skinned" (if there is such a word?)
VERDICT: Like i mentioned earlier, this is the BEST fruitcake i have ever tasted. I thought i wouldn't like the rum but the rum compliments the glaceed fruits very well and brushing the cake with rum also didn't make the cake too "rum-my". The glaceed fruits was just right and not overly sweet. Overall, the cake tasted unique and special..not like the usual over-the-top or sickening sweet fruitcake that i've always eaten. The cake is rich & moist but yet you won't feel sick of it. My husband and my daughter usually do not like fruitcake suddenly became fruitcake lovers!! :D I gave my mom and sis' family some to try and they all gave the thumbs up! My mom who's 81 loves it a lot and wanted to keep the cake till Christmas.....I told her to eat it all and i'll bake more for her when i return from Japan (oh..and can you believed it? she asked me to brush more rum the next time Oo). :D
Somehow i find this cake very addictive! The more i eat, the more i want to eat! And after i had a slice, i keep thinking of another slice.... What's so amusing is before this, i had the impression that i had to eat this cake by myself. Now? Everybody in my family adores Rose's fruitcake, so it's almost gone by now as i am typing this! It's amazing isn't it? I have to bake more when i return from vacation (yes, i'm addicted!!). And for those who didn't bake this, you have no idea what you are missing, so better pick up your baking pans, turn on your oven and start baking it now!! ;)
Rose's book, ie, Rose's Heavenly Cake is seriously worth every $$ for all the amazing recipes in there! Everyone should own a copy imo! Disclaimer: opinions expressed here are just my own and i am not in anyway paid, whether in monies or in kind to say good things about her book. :)
