Sunday, December 7, 2014

Greenstein's Bakery - English Fruit Cake

ב''ה


This fruit cake was very good. Its really an apple-cake with some dried fruit thrown in.


Mis en place. Someone wanted the apple... (and took a bite...)

'Omi Girl' was with me for moral support (despite the apple incident.)

Dried apples, prunes, apricots and medjul dates.

Some step or other...

I added some rum to the hot water when soaking the dried. 

The apple-cake part of the deal.

O.K. Here is my one complaint. The flour got in the nooks and crannies of the fruit and nuts and stayed there, even after baking. Thus, there were tiny flour pockets in the cake around some of the gemstones underneath the earth. It did not really affect the taste, however. Was there a reason to add these to the dry ingredients? If they were added to the wet ingredients it would probably not have happened.

The batter or some such.


 I could not bring myself to put rum on this perfectly decent cake.
 כַּאֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא הַתִּירוֹשׁ בָּאֶשְׁכּוֹל, וְאָמַר אַל-תַּשְׁחִיתֵהוּ, כִּי בְרָכָה בּוֹ
'...as you find the grape on its vine, and say, don't ruin it for it (already) great...'
Isiah 65:8

'The Mims' made a lovely pumpkin swirl cheesecake. When I asked her where she got the recipe, she said, "the internet." I'll have to send a thank you note to Al Gore.



22 comments:

  1. It sounds like one of Rose's very precise measurements - as in 'add in one apple minus a bite'

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    1. ב''ה

      I can totally imagine that recipe. :)

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  2. Aw, I always love seeing your smiling helpers! I think the dried fruits and nuts are added to the flour in an effort to keep these dense pieces from sinking to the bottom of the batter. The flour coating is supposed to keep them suspended better.

    My husband was using my iPad, and even though I've logged him out, Blogger is insisting that I comment as him. :-(

    -- Lois B @ Polishhousewife.com

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    1. ב''ה

      Thanks for the explanation. I suppose it may be a trade off then.

      Delete
  3. Hang on! One apple less a bite (I see kids are the same the world over!) plus three banana's? Did you put banana in your cake? Do tell.

    On the fruit and nuts into the flour - that is supposedly to stop the fruit and nuts dropping to the bottom of the cake. I am not sure it matters if there is loads of fruit in the cake...

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    1. ב''ה

      That's funny. No, the bananas sort of just snuck in the picture. Sounds good though.

      Delete
  4. Hi Mendy, I think you're right, this fruitcake is an apple cake with some dried fruit thrown in, and apple cake happens to be one of my favorite, mix-em-up cakes. Your photos are super with all your family. Your daughter has a sweet face. I feel as though I'm standing right next to you. As Marie said, I'm not yet an alpha baker (just an alternate), but I'm baking along side of you. I posted my cake on www.thefinercookie.com. Anyway, all the best.

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    1. ב''ה

      You one of us as far as I'm concerned. I put you on my blog role. I was unable to comment on your post, I think (maybe its Safari?) Anyway, you two look like a cute couple and I enjoyed your post.

      Delete
    2. Thank you Mendy. And sorry about the tech difficulty. There have been a few other problems, so I will pass on your message to my host. Hopefully by next week things will be resolved.

      Delete
  5. Great looking cake Mendy. The apple "thief" looks adorable. Your wife bake a beautiful cheesecake - pretty swirls.

    I was wondering why we add the fruits to the dry ingredients as well, but my cake didn't have a lot of hidden flours. Thanks Lois for the answer :)

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  6. The cake looks terrific, and I love the family touch along with it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

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  7. Omi Girl looks totally innocent. I think it was the dog.

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  8. your fruit cake looks great and your post is nice, now who is this little girl she's such a sweetie.

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  9. Great post Mendy! I always love you include your family in all your posts. That cheese cake looks awesome! Can all of you finished up that cheesecake and also this fruitcake?

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    1. ב''ה

      Thanks. Yeah with a family like ours we make short work of these cakes. Getting people to eat veggies, though, that's another story. :)

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    2. Hi Mendy! LOL! That's great.. I have to beg my family to eat my cake.. people here now very health conscious.. doesn't want to eat sugar anymore! Yes, the newspaper works.. i didn't wet mine.. but i know some people do when they bake madeira cake. I think the newspaper works better than the silver cloth cakestrip imo!

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  10. Such sweet and beautiful children! That cheesecake looks divine. I liked how the fruitcake could be rummed up or left plain. It's great both ways.

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  11. PS - the cheesecake looks amazing! Now for the fruitcake - I agree, it's more of an apple cake. And I totally would have added dates if I had any in the house. Maybe next time. Hope you'll stop by and visit my post.

    Patricia @ ButterYum
    http://www.butteryum.org/roses-alpha-bakers/2014/11/6/tbb-english-dried-fruit-cake

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  12. I'm stealing your idea of adding rum to the water to soak the dried fruit. Nice post.

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  13. great photos Mendy! the flour is added to the nuts and fruit to keep them sell suspended. i don't remember having the problem of it getting stuck in the nooks and crannies but maybe you just need to mix it longer. you could try adding a little rum to one or two pieces just to see what the flavor profile and texture would be like in comparison to the non-rumed!

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