French Recipe Journal: Mamie’s Candied Fruit Cake

Mamie (Grandma) makes it, Papy (Grandpa) eats it!  What is it?   Grandma’s Candied Fruit Cake – the Cake aux Fruits Confits de Mamie, bien sûr (of course)!  Candied fruits are often associated with Christmas season in the US but in the Art of the Home family it is year-round!  The running joke is that even though it is recommended to wrap the cake and eat it the next day, “ici, on ne sait pas faire” (here, we don’t know how to do that).  In fact, it’s lucky if there are any leftover at the home of the gourmands (la maison des gourmands).  So here is the recipe from Art of the Home recipe journal – translated in English for you.  Enjoy and bon appétit!

French Desserts: Candied Fruit Cake (Cake aux Fruits Confits)

Art of the Home Recipe Journal – Art of the Home Cahier de Cuisine

Art of the Home Recipe Journal

Grandma’s Candied Fruit Cake

• Prep. time: 30 minutes
• Cooking Time: 1 heure

Ingredients: 150 g of candied fruits (make sure to soak them with a small glass of rum during 1/2 hour), 150 g of butter (1 and 1/2 stick or 3/4 cup), 125 g of sugar (1 and 1/4 cup), 3 eggs, 250 g of flour (about 2 cups), 1 pack of baking powder (about 11-14 g depending on the pack you use)

1. In a mixing bowl, put in your softened butter and mix in the sugar.  Add the whole eggs (one by one).  Mix the dough well between each egg.
2. Add in the flour (sifted is better) and baking powder.  Mix well until you obtain a nice soft and supple dough.
3. In a separate bowl, coat the candied fruits with a little bit of flour and mix them in the dough, including any leftover rum.
4. Pour the dough in a buttered loaf cake pan.  The dough will rise as it bakes.
5. Baking time is in 3 steps:
• Place in a 425°F pre-heated oven for 10 mn.
• Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 mn.
• Lower oven temperature again to 300°F until your cake is done – 20-25 mn.
6. Confirm it is ready by inserting y by inserting the tip of a knife.  Unmold.  Cool off.

The little +
* Before putting in the oven, make a line down the middle of the cake and butter it up (for more details check our baking tip for loaf cake).
* Make sure you give a nice coat of flour to your candied fruits and only add them in the dough at the last minute.

Art of the Home Cahier de Cuisine

Cake aux Fruits Confits de Mamie

• Preparation: 30 minutes
• Cuisson: 1 heure

Ingrédients: 150 g fruits confits (à mettre à macérer avec 1 petit verre de rhum pendant 1/2 h), 150 g de beurre, 125 g de sucre en poudre, 3 oeufs, 250 g de farine, 1 sachet de levure chimique

1. Dans un saladier, mettre le beurre ramolli et ajouter le sucre en poudre.  Incorporer les oeufs entiers (un par un).  Bien battre la pâte entre chaque oeuf.
2. Verser la farine et la levure et bien mélanger jusqu’à ce que la pâte soit lisse.
3. A part, mélanger les fruits confits dans la farine et les verser dans la pâte ainsi que le rhum restant.
4. Verser la pâte dans un moule a cake beurré.  La pâte va gongler en cuisant.
5. Pour la cuisson, 3 étape:
• Mettre à four chaud 220°C pendant 10 mn.
• Baisser le four à 180°C pendant 30 mn.
• Baisser le four à 150°C jusqu’à la fin de cuisson 20/25/ mn.
6. Piquer avec la lame du couteau pour vérifier la cuisson.  Démouler.  Laisser refroidir.

Le petit +
* Avant de mettre le cake au four, faire une entaille et la beurrer.
* Bien rouler les fruits confits dans la farine et ne les mettre qu’au dernier moment dans la pâte.