Fruitcake Phenom is Here!

Until recently, when anyone mentioned fruitcake, I would smile and back away slowly.  My memories of fruitcakes, the ones  that arrived in the mail every December, in a beautiful  “NM” tin, consist of opening the tin, tossing the fruitcake, then using the decorative tin to bring cookies to holiday parties. Wrong? Probably so, but in my mind, no fruitcake was worthy of eating until now.

To begin, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Next spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray, AND place a sheet of parchment in the pan.

You will also need:

·         1 ½ sticks of softened butter

·         2 cups of sugar

·         3 cups of all-purpose flour

·         2 tsps. baking powder

·         1 tsp. baking soda

·         Dash salt

·         4 eggs

·         ½ cup milk

·         2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix these ingredients until well blended. This is a basic cake, but what happens next takes it to a whole new level.

In a blender, add 3 pitted apricots, juice from one whole lemon, ¼ cup of orange juice and ½ cup of milk. Blend until liquefied, then add to the other ingredients. Mix well and pour batter into prepared 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, remove and allow to cool before frosting.

Both buttercream and cream cheese frostings compliment this cake fabulously. You can make or buy your favorite and add a creative touch by decorating with freshly sliced apricots!