The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

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qahtan's picture
qahtan

off topic

 put the almond paste on my Christmas cake today, not gonna put any thing unless I can find a nice peice of holly with a couple berries on it... qahtan

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

wished you would live closer, I have several berry-laden trees !  Hope you find some nice holly.

anna

clazar123's picture
clazar123

Is it a fruitcake on the bottom and almond paste on top? How is it made?

flournwater's picture
flournwater

"Baumkuchen"  -  it's a thrill to make.  Google the name and you'll come up a ton of wonderful stuff to read.  I prefer to use chocolate in place of the marzipan.

Hey, gahtan, how many layers???  Did you use a "spit" or sequential layers in the oven?

qahtan's picture
qahtan

This is not a layer cake it is just a rich fruit cakewith a layer of almond paste on the top. it should have a cover of icing and decorations, but the icing is to sweet,,,,,,   qahtan

dstroy's picture
dstroy

Is that like marzepan? You can make the berries and holly by coloring some of the paste too - then it can be eaten :)

PaddyL's picture
PaddyL

It's old fashioned fruit cake, or Christmas cake.  Am I right, qahtan?

flournwater's picture
flournwater

Well, Paddy, I think you may be right.  I just get so excited when I see any Chistmas cake I think of the Tree Cake (Baumkuchen) which is the most fun I've ever had with an oven.  Although I do make a fruit cake that people don't throw at the dog or save until next year to give it to someone else, fruit cake doesn't excite me too much.  Sorry if I got a bit overzealous with my response.

Stollen anyone?

qahtan's picture
qahtan

 Yes Paddy you are right,,,, a fruit cake, with almond paste on the top. no icing,,, far too sweet,,, no nt feed this, though I do some times....

  I do like the sound of Mini Ovens cake.... do you know any thing about such a cake  ot even what it is called.... qahtan

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

and so when I make mine (every 7 years or so) I put in only nuts and fruit that I like.  I want to have my slices reflect light, remind me of stained glass windows (spiritual factor) not be overpowered in raisins (maybe has 3 raisins) and enough nuts to make me squirrelly.  Moist, no salt and no added sugar; heaven and scientists know that the dried and/or candied fruit is sweet enough on it's own.  It is already too late this year to make mine.

I will have to settle for Kletzenbrot, which is really not suffering.  Not suffering at all and the best place to find it is at a Christmas market where it is sold by weight.  Can't wait to get back on the continent.

qahtan's picture
qahtan

Mini Oven would you like to post your recipe,  thank you... qahtan

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

The Betty Crocker Jeweled Fruit Cake and I made my own changes including a long brandy soak.  It is not good to use so many brazil nuts.  One nut per portion is about right.  My batter is more like a pancake recipe and can be stretched to the limit using twice the amount of fruit/nuts.  Check out comments on the link.

A version of the cubed cake dipped in chocolate might appeal to our Chocoholics.  I was thinking of stuffing a brownie recipe plum full after the suggestion of a chocolate fruit cake.  There is more than one way to cake a fruit.

Mini

qahtan's picture
qahtan

 would you like to post the recipe and method.. .... please.... qahtan

ww's picture
ww

the great maligned species. I love them. What would xmas be without them.

Going to make mine this weekend (i know, i know, so late, every year i make the same mistake).

Anyone has a good CHOCOLATE fruitcake recipe??? personally vouched for? I would like to try something diff this yr.

Mini oven: really? You don't add any sugar or molasses at all? I would love to do that, and usually cut the sugar by a lot but am afraid it will turn out dry and crumbly

jyslouey's picture
jyslouey

choolate fruit cake is easy and tastes great.  I made it for the first time after I saw her doing it on a televsion programme, I did a search on Google for the recipe and it was a huge success.  I halved all ingredients as it was a lot and since I've never ever made a fruit cake before, I wasn't sure if I could handle it.  I'm pleased to say everyone who tasted it thought it was very good.

ww's picture
ww

Mini oven,

might this be what you're looking for?

ok my omputer is preventing me from pasting the link, but google Nigella lawson chocolate fruitcake. She has one stuffed with prunes

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Looks good but I'm not into baking a chocofruit cake just yet.  Thank you. 

This year I'm putting my prunes in Stan & Norm's Hamentashen (book coming out in the spring.)  I've been doubling the recipe and rolling out the dough using a wine bottle & plastic tumbler cutting out 20g circles to fill.  I get 9 little cookies to a sheet in my little oven.   The cookies go to the office and we take them to our favorite local eating spots to share cheer with owners & friends. 

I bake cookies differently now.  All the cookies await the oven on parchment.  That's not new.  What's new is that the baking sheet is upside down (no ridges) in the middle of the oven and use a peel (cardboard) to load the cookies in and out.  This keeps the baking sheet hot and the baking times shorter and a more even oven temp.  The cookies cool faster too as the parchment goes onto the rack as well until cookies are set, no hot sheets to deal with so there is less chance of burnt fingers.  I do get airborn cookies if working too swiftly.  I bend up the edges of the parchment for ease of movement to the peel.

Mini Oven

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

There's fruitcake, then there's Texas Fruitcake. I'm not a fan of rich cakes, like most fruitcakes and German chocolate, etc., but these are special. :)

Maybe a homebaked fruitcake could change my mind, but it hasn't happened yet.

cheers,

gary

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

I still have the tin.  It's the first one I came across from the states that wasn't salty.  It was first given to a SIL (in Austria) and sooner or later it ended up at my house where it stayed until finished.  Yes, it was a very good fruitcake, I have to agree and large enough to come from Texas.  I always have a soft spot for pecans.  Hard to get pecans in Austria.