If you have yet to make your Christmas fruitcakes, you should start now, as they need to age to allow the flavours to develop. The success of a fruitcake depends on the quality of the candied fruit used. I've included recipes for candied pineapple and cherries. While the candied cherries will be misshapen, they won't have the garish, neon colour of most commercial brands.
Be sure to soak the candied and dried fruit in alcohol for two days.
Christmas fruitcake (pictured)
For this cake, I use equal amounts of dried and candied fruit, although the proportion can be varied. The dried fruit can include sultanas, golden raisins, cranberries and chopped apricot and dates. For candied fruit, you can use pineapple, cherries and lemon and orange rind. After chopping all the fruit quite small (about 5mm), put it together in a large bowl and drizzle with about 150ml of cognac, using more if the fruit is very dry. Mix thoroughly and put in an airtight container. Leave for at least two days, mixing occasionally.
This recipe is based on one in Jeffrey Steingarten's book, The Man Who Ate Everything.
500 grams unsalted butter, slightly softened
