MAMA IRENE'S MINCEMEAT FRUITCAKE

 

 

 

From the time that I was a little girl, at Christmas, I would walk down the long hallway and by the dark dining room table filled with cakes and pies, to get to my grandmother's kitchen. There, in that old farm kitchen were produced some of the best Lane Cakes, fruitcakes, and pecan pies in the South.

 



My grandmother, Lillian Irene Murray Rogers, in front of her home.



 

Mama Irene's desserts were the epitome of what traditions were made of, and she was the perfect grandmother. Very much a lady, very much involved in her church, Eastern Star and her community, and very loved. So every chance I get, I like to honor her.

 

This fruitcake, along with a white fruitcake that my mother made, are two of my favorite fruitcakes during Christmas. Now, I must admit to you that this is not a moist fruitcake, but it's great for dipping in tea, and it has a crust that is absolutely fabulous to eat! This cake has the perfect amount of spice from the mincemeat. Divine, is what I should say about this cake. Then again, that's how I feel about it, because I'm not just eating cake, I'm eating a memory.

 

Mama Irene's Mincemeat Fruitcake

 

 

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (1-pound) jar mincemeat

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped pecans (I toast whole pecans in the microwave for about a minute and then chop them before adding to the mixture)

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla (or Grand Marnier)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

 

Add the first 4 ingredients to a sifter and sift into a small bowl. Set aside. To a large bowl, add the mincemeat, raisins, pecans, sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. Fold in the flour mixture. Line the bottom of a tube pan with parchment. or waxed paper. Grease the pan. Pour in the fruitcake mixture, evening off the top. Bake in a low, 325 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2hours, depending on pan size, or convection oven (my cakes take about an hour). When the cake is done, let it rest for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan. I use an instant read thermometer and my cake was done at about 192 degrees.

 

I put an icing of confectioners sugar, butter and orange juice on each slice. You can also make a hard sauce that would be perfect with this cake. If using the icing, use 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, mixed with a half stick of very soft butter, and enough orange juice or Grand Marnier to make it spreadable.

 

                                                           Merry Christmas!