FRUITCAKES: Special occasion or not, I love it anyway!

This cake seen to be special, for the fact that most of the time we make it for Christmas. But you know me, I don't care about the occasion, haha, as long as it's delicious.

Last month I got an e-mail from someone, who wanted a recipe for a fruitcake that is not too sweet. Fruitcake is very sweet from the dried fruits but this recipe uses a lot of nut too and I use less sugar than the original recipe. I use only 220g of sugar but if you want less sweet you can use only 200g of sugar.

For the dried fruits you can use 2½ pounds of your favorite dried fruits, anything that you like, but don't forget to cut them into the same size. And for the fruits I let it stand for 1 week before using it (last time I make Light Fruit Cake: Easy Festive Cake! I felt so lazy I didn't want to wait for any minute ^ ^).

FRUITCAKES

MAKES TWO 8-INCH CAKES

2½ cups (15 ounces)	Raisins
2½ cups (15 ounces)	Golden raisins
2 cups (9 ounces)	Dried currants
2 cups (11 ounces)	Dried sour cherries
2½ cups (9 ounces)	Dried cranberries
1 cup (5 ounces)	Dried apricots, cut into ¼ -inch dice
¾ cup	Honey
1 cup	Cognac, Armagnac, or other brandy
3 sticks (1½ cups)	Unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2¼ cups	Bread flour, plus more for pans
1 tablespoon	Coarse salt
1½ teaspoons	Ground ginger
1½ teaspoons	Ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon	Ground cloves
1½ cups (5 ounces)	Walnuts, coarsely chopped
1¼ cups	Sugar ( I use 220g)
7	Large eggs
1½ cups	Apricot jam
	Assorted nuts and dried fruits, for garnish (optional)

In a large nonreactive container (glass, ceramic, or plastic), combine the dried fruits, honey, and Cognac; set aside to macerate at room temperature for at least 24 hours, or up to 2 weeks, covered with plastic wrap.

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Generously butter and flour two 8-by-3-inch round cake pans; tap out any excess flour, and set aside. Sift the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves into a large bowl. Stir in the walnuts, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour-nut mixture and the drained fruit mixture; stir to evenly distribute fruits and nuts.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool completely. Invert cakes onto rack to re move from pans. Reinvert, top sides up.

To decorate cakes, combine the apricot jam with ½ cup water in a small saucepan; stir until melted and combined. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.

While jam is still hot, brush it liberally over cakes. Garnish cakes with additional dried fruits and nuts, if using, and top with a final coat of hot jam.

FRUITCAKES: Special occasion or not, I love it!