Christmas Fruitcake from a cake mix

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MackerelCat
Posts: 7257
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Christmas Fruitcake from a cake mix

Post by MackerelCat »

This is way easier than from scratch and makes a delicious, moist cake without the need to dampen it with liquor.

Fruitcake from cake mix

Ingredients:

1 package spice cake mix
1 package (3 3/4) ounces instant lemon pudding mix
1 cup apricot nectar or one package dried apricots or canned apricots (See NOTE)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup chopped dates
1 16 oz. container fruitcake mix chopped fruit
1 cup chopped pecans
2 Tb. flour
Handful of pecan halves

Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. I also cut a doughnut shape of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan and grease and flour it, for ease of removing the tube from the bottom of the baked cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together fruitcake mix, pecans and dates. Stir in the flour until the ingredients are coated. This prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, apricot nectar,* and vegetable oil. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about two minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in the fruit and nuts.

Turn batter into the greased and floured pan. Decorate the top with pecan halves. Bake until a skewer comes out clean, which is at least 50 to 55 minutes. I had to put a sheet of foil over the pan and bake another 15 minutes.

Cool for 15 minutes in pan and remove from pan to cool completely on a rack.

For best flavor, wrap and store in fridge for 24 hours before serving.

*NOTE: If you cannot find apricot nectar, you can whiz up canned apricots in the blender to make 1 cup of puree and add to cake as a substitute. If you cannot find either the nectar or canned apricots, chop up a small bag of dried apricots and stew in boiling water until soft. Whiz them up in the blender and add ice cubes to dilute and cool the resulting apricot sauce.

If you don't have a spice cake mix, use a yellow, golden or butter cake mix, and add these spices: 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground nutmeg,, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground allspice. Add a pinch of ginger if you like it.
Mackie
rinty
Posts: 1919
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 3:54 am

Re: Christmas Fruitcake from a cake mix

Post by rinty »

Mackie I would KILL to be able to buy Spice Cake mix...........it and White cake mix are not to be had over here even in shops selling US stuff x. I imagine it would make a very nice cake with those additions. I used to make mine ( when I could get it !!! ) in a bundt cake pan for nicer presentation x
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MackerelCat
Posts: 7257
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Christmas Fruitcake from a cake mix

Post by MackerelCat »

rinty wrote: Wed Dec 23, 2020 12:59 pm Mackie I would KILL to be able to buy Spice Cake mix...........it and White cake mix are not to be had over here even in shops selling US stuff x. I imagine it would make a very nice cake with those additions. I used to make mine ( when I could get it !!! ) in a bundt cake pan for nicer presentation x
Rinty, try amazon.co.uk for a boxed mix. It's expensive, but I saw both Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker yellow cake mixes on there that you can turn into a spice cake. That's what I did for my fruitcake, as there was not a box of spice cake mix to be found in the stores here.
Mackie
rinty
Posts: 1919
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 3:54 am

Re: Christmas Fruitcake from a cake mix

Post by rinty »

I have been googling away and think I have found a website that sells all kinds of stuff.
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