Fast N Fabulous Chocolate Fruitcake Recipes

Steps:

• Put the butter, sugar, chocolate, brandy, vanilla and dried fruits into a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until everything has melted together. Remove from the heat.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep cake tin, 20cm round or 18cm square, with a double layer of baking parchment. Wrap a few layers of newspaper around the outside and secure with string.
• Mix the flour, almonds, cocoa and spice together. Stir the eggs into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture in the saucepan, followed by the flour mixture. Scrape into your prepared tin and bake for 1½ hrs- 1 hr 45 mins or until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin, then decorate (see 'Goes well with', right, for decoration ideas). Greaseproof-wrapped cake will keep for 2 months in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Line the sides and bottom of an 8 by 3 1/2-inch deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of reusable silicon baking parchment. When lining the tin with the parchment, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.
• Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange zest and juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
• Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.
• Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.
• To decorate, place the chocolate-covered coffee beans in the centre of the cake and arrange the gold stars around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole cake and sprinkle the top with edible glitter.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir wet ingredients together.
• In another bowl, combine dry ingredients. Stir into wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate.
• Divide batter between two greased 9x5 loat pans or one 10-inch bundt pan.
• Bake in preheated 300F oven for 70-75 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Removed from pans (pan) and cool completely.
• VARIATION: For double chocolate fruitcake - Reduce all-purpose flour to 2 1/4 cups. Add 1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder to dry inredients. Proceed as per recipe.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• Coarsely chop fruit, orange and lemon peel, ginger, and walnuts, then soak overnight in Southern Comfort.
• In a very large bowl (a very big KitchenAid mixer works well) beat together the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Add in flour, spices, and fruit-nut mixture.
• Put in a greased 10-inch square pan or put in greased mini loaf pans; do not fill pans more than 2/3 full.
• If using one pan, set it in a water bath to bake, but a water bath is not necessary for mini-loaves; bake at 275 degrees F for 3-4 hours (1-2 hours for mini loaves).
• Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean and dry.
• Optional: soak finished fruitcake (s), wrapped in cheesecloth, in additional Southern Comfort.
• Optional (preferred): let loaves"cure" for about 30 days in an airtight container in a cool place.
• Makes about 25-30 mini loaves or 3 to 4 full sized loaves.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F. Grease two loaf pans stir together flour and soda. Set aside. In large bowl combine eggs, mincemeat, eagle brand milk, chopped cherries and chopped walnuts. Add dry ingredients, mix well. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 1 hour 20_25 min. or until done. Cool 15 min.. Turn out of pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Wrap in foil well. Store in freezer or fridge.