Brandied Pineapple Cream Cheese Fruitcake

Brandied Pineapple Cream Cheese Fruitcake

Fruitcake lovers will delight in this recipe that does not require the cake to be made weeks in advance like our Grandmas did, in fact a couple of days in advance is all you will need for this cake to be perfect. Fresh, ripe, golden pineapple for moisture and a cream cheese batter for richness is the key to this easy recipe. Plenty of brandy gets soaked in too, just to make it extra festive. If you choose, the brandy is not at all necessary to enjoy this beautiful cake just as it is.

This is a very large cake, which I first developed to fit an enormous tube pan that I received as a gift one Christmas but you can half the recipe for about an 8 inch spring form pan or bundt pan. I've found this recipe is enough for a large 12 inch spring form pan or a large tube pan or 3 standard loaf pans (ideal for gift giving) or like I do, one 10 inch spring form pan plus one standard loaf pan. Some lucky friend will be the recipient of the smaller loaf sized cake.

In a medium saucepan combine and simmer very gently for 20 minutes:

1 cup water
1 cup sultana raisins
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup currents

Cool completely. When cool, transfer to a large bowl then add and mix together well:

2 cups fresh golden pineapple, diced small (about 1/4 inch)

2 cups glace cherries, cut in quarters

2 cups mixed glace citrus peel or mixed glace fruit

Cream until light and fluffy:

1 1/4 cups butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
8 ounces cream cheese (1 cup)

Add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together

4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Fold about 2/3 of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Fold in the fruit mixture, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. Do not over mix. When you get the cake batter into the pan, you can decorate the top with glace pineapple rings or other glace fruits if you like.

Bake in a greased and floured tube pan or a 12 inch spring form pan or about three loaf pans at 325 degrees F for about an hour and a half or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking times may vary on this recipe depending upon the amount of moisture contained in the fruit mixture. The loaf pans should take about an hour, larger pans can take 1 1/2 hours or a bit more. The toothpick test is your best indicator that the cake is baked so watch it carefully and continue to test until fully baked. Because of the long baking time, I usually buffer the heat on the pan by wrapping the side and bottom in several layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. This helps the cake to bake more evenly.

Let cool in the pan for at about a half hour then brush on 

1/4 cup brandy

Turn onto a wire rack and brush the bottom with another 1/4 cup brandy. When completely cooled, use a wooden skewer to pierce the cake several times and brush the entire cake with another cup of brandy. Immediately wrap the cake in several layers of plastic wrap and store it in a cool dry place for a couple of days at least before you plan to serve it.

Best stored in an airtight container or cake tin.