Old English Fruit Cake With Rum!

Of the many memories that are near and dear to me, its the memory of Christmas time at Nannies that really warms my heart. All of us children would have so much fun playing while the adults mingled together, it was the best. Cousins, Aunties, Uncles friends and neighbors everybody was welcome. You might even see a mummer or two as there was always a song and dance to spread the Christmas cheer.

Mummering originated in England and Ireland and the earliest record of mummering in Newfoundland dates back to 1819. I think that’s about how old this fruitcake recipe is. Its every bit as deep and dark and delicious as I remember. I can see Nanny now with her scarf on her head cooking this on the stove. God forbid someone got a hair in their piece. After it cooled she would wrap it in cheesecloth that had been soaked in either rum or Brandy. Newfoundland Screech is the best in my opinion.

Here’s a link to the Telegram if you want to learn more about mummering in Newfoundland.

https://www.thetelegram.com/lifestyles/local-lifestyles/mummers-parade-keeps-newfoundland-christmas-tradition-alive-organizer-388472/

On with the cake!

This recipe has 3 videos I will place them below. One showing how to make this delicious cake, one showing you how to wrap the cake and one of the unveiling! I sure hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

How to make this yummy cake

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup chopped dried prunes
• 1 & 1/4 cup chopped dried dates
• 1 & 1/2 cup dark raisins
• 1 & 1/2 cup dried cranberries ( Rock recipes uses golden I couldn’t get them)
• 1 & 1/4 cup currents
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries to soak with the cherries
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup mollasses
• 1/2 cup kahulua or very strong coffee
• zest and juice of a large orange
• 1 cup glace cherries
• 1 cup candied citrus peel
• 1 & 1/2 cups of toasted pecans chopped
• 2 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp cinamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 3 Tbsp cocoa
• 3 eggs
• 1 & 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts or almonds
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Method:

The night before you want to make your cake soak your cherries, fruit peel and cranberries in 1/4 cup of rum or brandy.

The next day, toast pecans and then, in a large saucepan melt 3/4 cup of butter. Add raisins, dates, prunes, currents, sugar, molasses, spices, orange zest and juice.

Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 35-45 minutes. When cool enough stir in your slightly beaten eggs. You don’t want to cook your eggs; so be sure its cool enough and you work quickly.

Next, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Then, add ground nuts & fold it into your boiled mixture. When mixed together; Fold in cherries, citrus peel and 1/4 cup cranberries that have been soaking overnight in 1/4 cup of Screech rum bourbon or brandy. Add pecans.

Pour into greased and floured pan. Decorate with more pecans and cherries. Bake at 300 for about 2 hours. or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

When cold, poke a few holes in the top with a toothpick. This ensures that the rum will get into the cake. Pour 1 Tbsp. rum over top.

Wrap your cake in cheesecloth that has been soaked in 1/4 cup of Screech. Presoak cloth every week with 1/4 cup of screech for 4 weeks. Store in a cool dark place.

The following 3 videos are part 1,2 & 3. The cake is absolutely amazing! I sure hope you try it!

Wasn’t that fun! Making this cake brings back so many memories of my dear grandmother and growing up in Newfoundland.

I sure hope you give this recipe a try. It is a keeper 100 %. Its also so great to be able to keep traditions alive including these yummy recipes.

Thank you for liking, commenting or subscribing to my channel. It is a goal of mine to ensure these recipes are never lost and will continure to warm the hearts of of loved ones for centuries to come.

Thank you in advance for your donation it allows me to take the time to create these educational videos and to keep the website up and running.