Gingerbread and Fruitcakes

What comes to mind when I say "fruitcake"??

Im guessing probably.. gross, hard, disgusting, brick, and the list goes on!  Im here to change your mind about fruitcake!

 In our family we make a "fruitcake" recipe every year that was passed down from my great grandma.  Although Im pretty sure a good way to describe this cake is that of a "harvest cake" than fruitcake.  There are no real candied fruits like that of a fruitcake, except the maraschino cherries.  Instead it is filled with raisins, dates, cherries, and walnuts.  With the addition of cloves and cinnamon, the house smells amazing when it is baking.  Today was the first round of fruitcake baking, and I can finally say it smells like Christmas!

I took it upon myself this year to "clean up" the recipe.  Not that the original was horribly bad, but I could do a couple things to make it healthier.  Then I wouldn't feel so bad when I eat a whole loaf of it! :)

Now beware … this "fruitcake" is addicting!!

First, here is the original recipe..  and yes I asked permission to leak this to the public!  We even have the recipe framed on the wall in my great grandma's handwriting!

Amazing Fruitcake

1.5 c. Raisins
1.5 c. Dates, chopped
2 c.  Sugar
2 c. Water
5 Tb. Shortening
3 c. All purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp.  Cinnamon
2 tsp.  Cloves
1 tsp.  Salt
1 c.  chopped nuts
1 c. maraschino cherries, drained, cut in half

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
1.  Combine raisins, dates, sugar, water, and shortening in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir until sugar and shortening have melted and then turn off heat and remove saucepan.  Allow mixture to cool

2.  While fruit mixture is cooling combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl.  When the fruit mixture has cooled stir into flour mix.

3.  Pour into a greased loaf pan
4.  Bake for about 1 hour and 15 min, until knife comes out clean when stuck into the center

Pretty easy right??

There are only a few things that I had to change up.  I changed the flour to whole wheat flour ( used a combo of whole wheat and AP so that it would not be too dense.  If you have whole wheat pastry flour you can use that instead of the combo)  and for the sugar I used a combo of honey and coconut sugar.  My next feat will be trying to do it with almond flour.  I chose to leave out nuts (not a huge fan of nuts in my sweet things) and the cherries since that are not that clean of a food.  I did use shortening but I used an organic kind of palm oil shortening.

"Cleaned Up" Fruitcake 

1.5 c. Raisins
1.5 c.  Mejdool Dates, chopped
1 c. Honey
1 c. Coconut sugar
2 c. Water
5 Tb.  Organic Palm oil Shortening
1.5 c.  Whole wheat flour
1.5 c.  All purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Cloves
1 tsp. Salt
1 c.  Chopped walnuts

Same instructions as above!

 As I speak it is being devoured!! Must be a hit :)

Of course while it is baking it gives you time to do some gingerbread house making.  I have to say this is the first time we got it to stand up!  lol  Usually it ends up falling down at some
point!