Japanese Fruit Cake 2
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 6 eggs (save 2 whites for icing)
- 4 cups cake flour (after sifting)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk or 1 cup buttermilk plus 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (8 ounce) box seeded raisins
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Light Layer (optional ingredients)
- 1 (8 1/4 ounce) can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
Dark Layer (optional ingredients)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts or citron
- 2 ounces fig preserves, with syrup drained
- 2 ounces blackberry wine
Filling
- 4 oranges
- 1 grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups water (use coconut milk, if it is sweet)
- 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 2 cups candied cherries
Instructions
- Cake: Cream sugar and butter until smooth.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until light.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add alternately with milk to batter.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Divide mixture in half. Add optional ingredients as desired to each half of batter.
- Add raisins and spices to dark half of batter only.
- Pour into 6 layer pans that have been greased and floured.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Use 2 dark layers and 1 light layer for one cake and 2 light layers and 1 dark layer for the other cake. Alternate color of layers.
- Filling: Cut oranges and scoop out segments.
- Add remaining ingredients except nuts and cherries. Bring to boil and cook until thick, stirring continuously.
- Add nuts and cherries. This goes between all layers and on top of cakes.
- Frost sides of each cake with 7-minute icing.
This is a seasonal cake. In order to make it at times other than Christmas, omit cherries from filling and instead of fresh coconut, use 1 cup canned coconut.