Christmas Booze Loaf

5 DAYS PRIOR TO BAKING CAKES:

Chop up all the fruits for the fruit base. Place in a large bowl; add Angostura bitters, cherry brandy and rum. Leave in a cool corner, covered, to soak up the liquor.

ON THE DAY OF BAKING CAKES:

Pour the soaked fruit and remaining liquid into a blender and blend until smooth & sauce-like.

PREPARE BROWNED SUGAR:

Brown sugar until caramelized, adding hot water gradually. Mix well and leave to cool. Be extremely careful not to burn this!

AND, NOW FOR THE CAKES:

Preheat oven to 250 F (no, that’s not a typo).

Cream the butter, sugar and eggs (added one at a time), mixing to incorporate.

Add lemon extract, lemon zest, almond extract and vanilla extract.

Mix together dry cake ingredients (flour, baking powder, mixed spice and nutmeg) and nuts, if using.

Gradually add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture.

Gently add in fruit base and browned sugar mixture.

Pour batter into 3-5 greased loaf pans that have been double-lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 3+ hours. (After 2-1/2 hours, check cakes every 10 minutes to make sure the tops do not burn)

Once you remove the cakes from the oven, soak the top of each cake with equal portions of the remaining bottle of rum.

After several hours, all the alcohol will be absorbed and the cake will be moist.

~NOTES~

This IS potent, so enjoy in moderation.

For those who avoid alcohol for religious or personal reasons, fruit base can be marinated using fruit juice (eg, apple, grape, etc) instead.

Remaining spice mix should be stored in cool, dry place.