• Fruitcake Hater’s Fruitcake
• Why Small Cakes?
• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Chop Fruit
• Zest Orange and Lemon
• Cream Butter
• Next: Dry Ingredients

It is unfortunate that the fruitcake has gotten such a bad wrap. Always the last lonely item left on the Christmas party cookie tray, the perfect white elephant gift, fodder for endless holiday jokes.  Fruitcake has an image problem.  Yet, in reality one should consider a gift fruitcake a great honor, a sign of being held in high regard because .... they are expensive!  Even if you make them yourself they are costly.  What does a plate of cookies with red a green sprinkles cost?.. not much.  The fruitcake really deserves better.  Done well, with high quality ingredients they are a wonderful holiday treat.. an acquired taste perhaps, but still terrific.

Read a little history and background on this holiday heavyweight.  I’ve written elsewhere about my fruitcake exploits. 

The following recipe is one that I’ve used for a number of years that seems to appeal to even the most ardent fruitcake hater.  My kids love it and friends and family actually look forward to the cakes every year.  My version uses real dried fruit instead of the candied variety.  The type of fruit one adds is really up to the baker.  See the list of fruits I use below but what one adds is limited only by what you can find in your local store.  The mix I use provides a variety of tastes, textures and color, important elements for an appealing fruitcake.  The mélange of spices, brandy and molasses fills the whole house with a delightfully aroma while baking.  Since this recipe uses no eggs it is also suitable for liberal sampling during the baking process!

Why Small Cakes?

My fruitcakes are small, enough to serve a bit size piece to 6-8 people.  I make them small because fruitcake is such an acquired taste that I prefer to give as a small taste treat and not overwhelm someone with a large loaf.  A good friend of mine makes an excellent traditional cake in large bread loaf size.  They weight a couple pounds each and are fabulous but suitable for only the true fruitcake lover.  However, since the fruitcake can last a long time one could slice off a few pieces, wrap up and put away for another time.  I’m not disciplined enough to do this and inevitably consume them in short order.  I suggest small but one could use this recipe to make several large loaves.  The baking time would change dramatically to at least 2-3 hours (a good thing for developing taste).

Equipment

8 mini spring form pans 4-1/2-inches in diameter, 1-1/2 inches deep. 
grater/zester
mixing bowls of various sizes - measuring cups and spoons
juicing device (I use the simple glass kind)
pastry brush- spatula- wooden spoon
Mixer:  I use a Kitchen Aid Mixer Pro . You will not be able to mix this recipe with a small mixer.  A smaller Kitchen Aid or the like may not be able to handle the final steps.  Fortunately there is not a lot of mixing required, more like stirring at the final stages.  Early mixing of the wet and dry ingredients can be done with almost any mixer.  Adding of fruit and nuts could be done by hand (a strong one!) so don’t sweat it if you don’t have a big mixer. 

Ingredients

Makes 8 small cakes
300 degrees 65-70 minutes
2 sticks butter 1C
3 C unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mace
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 C brown sugar packed
3/4 C molasses
3/4 C brandy
grated zest and juice orange
grated zest and juice lemon

Dried Fruit
6-7 C coarsely chopped
Apricots - prunes - cranberries - cherries - dates - golden raisins - apples - (other -figs - pineapple)

Chop Fruit

Coarsely chop the dried fruit.  I like to use a Chinese clever since it easily cuts through the sticky fruit.  It is desirable to have large fruit chucks so when the cake is sliced the knife cuts through the fruit.  It is also a good idea to carefully chop the prunes and dates to make sure no pits or pit pieces are hidden inside.. you don’t want any surprises.

Zest Orange and Lemon

I try to use organic fruit when possible, either way wash and thoroughly rinse to remove any residue.

Add the brandy to the juice/zest mixture.  I have been known to add a bit of Triple Sec or other liqueur that might be hanging around too.  The type of alcohol is a matter of personal preference.  A friend of mine uses whiskey.

Cream Butter

Cream the butter and brown sugar and be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in well.

Add the molasses and whip until evenly distributed.  Next add the juice/zest/brandy mixture.  This will cause the creamed butter to separate.. don’t worry, mix for a minute or two.

Next: Dry Ingredients

Fruitcake: Dry Ingredients
Fruitcake:Baking
Fruitcake: Finishing

• Uploading Pictures to Flickr with iPhoto Plugin
• Alternate upload method

Uploading Pictures to Flickr with iPhoto Plugin

>> Download iPhoto Flickr Plugin and install.

>> Open iPhoto

>> If asked respond to all prompts OK or CONTINUE

>> If prompted select CONTINUE

Alternate upload method

This method works great and uses the webbrowser.  Edit photos and then go to the Flickr website

Fruitcake I know what your thinking… no way.  Learn how to make a fabulous “real fruit” fruitcake. You will love it!

Other Stuff

Flickr:Flickr Upload

• Coat
• Problems
• Maturing
• Delivery
• Back

Coat

Allow the cakes to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing the rings.  Allow to cool a bit more before removing the bottoms.

Carefully peel off the waxpaper.  Make sure you get it all since tiny pieces may adhere to the edges.

With a pastry brush liberally baste the bottom and sides of the cakes with brandy. Place upside down for 5 minutes or more until the brandy has soaked in.  The brandy will make the cake sticky so handle with care.
Finally coat the top with brandy and wrap each cake in clear plastic wrap.

Problems

Here is an example of what can happen if you don’t get all the voids compacted on the sides.  Big pockets form.  Don’t worry, just handle carefully after the cake is coated and wrapped so it doesn’t fall apart.  As the cake matures in storage it will compress a bit and will look better.  Hey.. if all else fails you will have to eat it yourself!

This is how they should look.

Maturing

I always set an ambitious goal of starting fruit cake baking in early Fall but never seem to get in the mood until mid-Nov around Thanksgiving time.  Ideally you want the cakes to mature and age a bit before you give them away.  A minimum of a month is what I suggest.  With time the tastes meld and texture of the cakes improve dramatically.

The individually wrapped cakes should be stored in a sealed container kept in a cool location.  I try to recoat with brandy at least one time during the aging phase.  Unwrap each and baste.  Wrap with fresh plastic wrap.  Since I make 40-50 cakes in batches of 8 it takes me a few baking sessions to get it all done.  I recommend labeling each batch so you can tell the oldest from youngest.

Delivery

Off to a Christmas party with gift for the host in hand; isn’t it cute!  Cakes can be wrapped with colored plastic wrap (available in most large grocery stores) with a nice ribbon or as in the above, wrapped with colored cellophane and tied with a bow (I leave this step to my wife).

Enjoy!

Back

Fruitcake: Dry Ingredients
Fruitcake:Baking
Fruitcake Home

• Pans
• Bake
• Next: Finishing Off

Pans

This year I decided to use spring form pans inside of the small loaf pans pictured above.  I’m very pleased with the results.  Spring form pans are very easy to work with and make a beautiful little cake.  For years I used small loaf pans. These work well but I’m going with the spring forms from now on.  Be advised that dark baking pans (the non-stick coating kind) tend to brown the sides more than plain metal pans.  If you use them be careful that the outside doesn’t get too browned.  One year I ended up keeping almost the entire batch because they were over-done on the sides (they still tasted great).  Light pans may be a better option but they seem to be harder to find.  My first cakes were made with the light disposable aluminum foil-like pans that work quite well.  With care they can easily be reused.

In the batch I made for this demo I tried lining the spring form pan bottom with wax paper with very good results.  I highly recommend using waxpaper.  Although the spring form pans are non-stick the bottoms still tend to stick even when greased.  Often a chunk of fruit will be on the bottom and cause sticking problems and make separating the cake from the bottom disk difficult.  The extra effort of wax paper liner is well worth it, you don’t want to have big chunks of cake missing from the bottom of these beautiful cakes.  Just cut the liners by tracing rings with a exacto knife or razor blade.

Hand stir the fruitcake batter a few more times turning it up from the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well mixed.  Don’t forget to scrap the sides.

If using a waxpaper liner gently place the batter mixture into the center in order to not dislodge the liner.  I suggest using a wooden spoon and spatula.  Scoop some batter with the spoon.  Place the point of the spoon with the batter attached directly on the center of the bottom disk, this will hold the paper in place while scraping the batter off into the ring.  When you have the proper amount in the ring press around the edges forcefully to push the batter and fruit down to so no voids form.  With so much fruit and nuts in the mix it is easy for pockets to form on the edges.

I bake on heavy aluminum commercial trays.  A heavy tray will insure even heating.  The construction of the spring form pans naturally creates a small space between the bottom disk and the tray giving some added protection from over browning on the bottom.  I use tiles on the bottom rack in my electric oven to even-out the intense heat from the heating coils. 

Bake

Baking is done in a cool oven of 300 degrees.  I rotate trays after 30 minutes.  In my oven total baking time is 65-70 minutes.  You want the cakes baked well but not heavily browned.  Large cake recipes can bake for 3 hours at 300 degrees.  Long baking does help develop taste but these small cakes cook more quickly so keep an eye on them.  Give them more time in 4-5 minute intervals.. a lot can happen in five minutes near the end so watch out.

Don’t they look great.. and what a smell!

Next: Finishing Off

Fruitcake:Finishing
Fruitcake: Dry Ingredients
Fruitcake:Baking
Fruitcake Home

• Dry Ingredients
• Mix It Up
• Next: Baking

Dry Ingredients

Add all spices and dry ingredients and sift together to insure even blending.  If you don’t have a sifter stir throughly to blend.

Mix It Up

Slowly add the flour to the batter mixture and mix until smooth.  Don’t over mix, just enough to make a smooth batter.

Slowly add the chopped dry fruit.  Stop mixer as need to insure even distribution.  This will step will put a lot of strain on the mixer so be careful if you are using a small one.

Slowly add nuts.

Next: Baking

Fruitcake:Baking
Fruitcake:Finishing
Fruitcake

• The Holy Art of Prosphora Baking
• A Few Thoughts
• Resources:
• Getting Started
• Cutters and Prosphora Stamp
• Dissolve Yeast
• Mix and Knead
• Hand Knead
• Next

The Holy Art of Prosphora Baking

A word to the beginner…

Baking is an art.  That means, just because you followed the recipe doesn’t mean the bread always comes out the way you intended.  Just like singing or painting icons, it takes some practice and still there will be mistakes.  Go easy on yourself as you learn.  Don’t pour holy water in the dough or make long prayers in front of your first loaf, since you will more than likely be feeding it to the birds or wishing you could put jam on it as you eat your mistakes.  You are not in the 5th century, so you don’t bake bread daily.  If you do bake every day, then your prosphora probably comes out pretty reliable.  For those of us in this century, it takes years to acquire the skill...and still we have problems.  After all, yeast is a living creature.  Most of all, enjoy learning!  It is the Christian calling to grow in the life with God, and so try to grow as a baker and continue developing your skills all your life.  Learn from your mistakes, glorify God for your successes and never cease to relish the feel of well-kneaded dough!
Fr. George Aquaro .... Prosphora.org

A Few Thoughts

As Fr. George so eloquently describes above prosphora baking is not a precise science, it requires patience and perseverance to get things just right. The interaction of yeast and flour is key.  Depending on the type of yeast and flour (and the time of year) these two key ingredients can react very differently.  I use a very “lively” high gluten flour and a dry bulk commercial yeast.  My initial prosphora baking adventure failed due to not understanding how these ingredients interact (along with a big dose of pride).  I continued to experiment until things turned out right.  The reader’s experience will undoubtedly be different from mine.

I am by no means an expert baker.  I offer this brief tutorial to help those interested in learning how to bake prosphora “Russian Style”.  In the “Slavic Orthodox” tradition the faithful “offer” small prosphora in commemoration of the living and reposed during the Proskemide Service.  They then take the “blessed” prosphora home to consume with holy water during the week to break the nightly fast. Prosphora used for the Eucharist is made in the same way but in a larger size.

A few suggestions:
Don’t skimp on quality, buy good flour, not the cheapest thing you can find.  If you have foul tasting water use filtered or bottled water.  Make sure your yeast is fresh.  If you buy in bulk keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  If you don’t bake a lot buy only what you need for a few batches.

There are, of course, as many recipes and techniques as there are prosphora bakers.  Consult some of the resources below and explore a few of the other recipes and methods available online.

May God Bless and Reward Your Efforts!

Peter Serko

Resources:

Prosphora.org It’s not pretty but a very good resource.
Prosphora Stamps
Foolproof Recipe The basic “Russian Style” recipe I used in this demo.  There are many others on the website.
Technical Baking Tips This is a must read for anyone learning to bake prosphora.

Other
Background on Prosphora in the Liturgy
Greek Style
Proskomedia Service with pictures and movies
The Prokomede Service

Getting Started

Assemble all the ingredients and equipment to be used and say this prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, who has said: Without me you can do nothing! O Lord, My God, with faith I accept your words. Help me, a sinner, to prepare the bread of offering, that the works of my hands may be acceptable at the Holy Table and may become through the works of Thy Holy Spirit, the communion of ‘`Thy Most Pure Body for me and all Thy people.” In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Make the sign of the Cross blessing all ingredients.

Cutters and Prosphora Stamp

Dough cutters can be just about anything of the proper dimension: soup cans, drinking glass, etc.  It is best when making Russian style prosphora to have two cutters of different diameters, smaller for the top piece that holds the imprint.  Shown above are a nesting set of biscuit cutters along with a small prosphora stamp: IC XC NIKA “Jesus Christ conquers”.  The above stamp and a matching larger one (used for prosphora for the Eucharist) were purchased at Prophora.org. 

Dissolve Yeast

⇒  Yeast should be dissolved in warm water (110-120°F) mixture and left for about 10-15 minutes for the yeast to begin to work.

Mix and Knead

⇒  Gradually add flour to mixer and stop when a light batter is achieved.  Beat for 5-6 minutes. 
⇒  Change to dough hook and slowly add more flour and allow mixer to knead the dough.  Add small amounts of flour to keep dough from sticking to hook or sides. 

Of course, if you don’t have a mixer you will do all the above by hand.

Hand Knead

⇒  Hand knead for 3-4 minutes to attain a dough that is smooth and fairly dry (hand and fingers don’t stick).

Next

Orthodox:Divide Flatten Roll Cut

Orthodox:Assemble Raise Bake Finished

• Divide
• Flatten and Roll
• Cut Layer One
• Layer Two and Stamp Imprint
• Next

Divide

Prosphora is made up of two layers.  Larger diameter bottom and a second layer of smaller diameter which has the stamp imprint. 
⇒  Divide the dough 2/3 for the bottom layer and 1/3 top layer (the top layer rounds are smaller diameter and thinner thus will go farther).

Flatten and Roll

⇒  Flatten and press dough into a circle using finger tips.  A uniform shape at this stage makes rolling and cutting easier.
⇒  Roll the dough out to a uniform thickness, rotating and dusting with flour as needed.  Don’t make the bottom layer to dusty or dry since it will eventually adhere to the top layer. 

Cut Layer One

Depending on usage and your own preferences (and your priest’s) thickness of prosphora can vary.  Ones used for the Eucharist are wider and thicker.  Those for offerings are much smaller. 

⇒   Bottom layer thickness pre-baked about 1/2 -5/8 inches thick, top layer 3/8-1/2 inches.

Layer Two and Stamp Imprint

⇒  Layer two should be rolled a bit thinner than layer one (bottom) and dusted lightly on both sides.  Dusting makes it easier to lift the stamp off without sticking and will prevent the rounds from sticking to the work surface during imprinting. Don’t overdue the dusting, a little goes a long way.

⇒  Press stamp firmly making sure to center the imprint.  Don’t press too hard, a light firm touch is all that is needed.
⇒   Reuse leftover cutting scraps by forming dough ball and kneading until smooth and uniform.  I often use the leftover scraps for the top layer since the dough will be a bit drier and stiffer making it easier to cleanly press the stamp.  However, after more than one reuse the dough will produce a very different finished product.  Many are quite acceptable so by all means give it a try. 
⇒  Remember this dough has been blessed so don’t throw in the trash (if possible), I toss in the compost which ends up in my vegetable garden.

Imprint should be clear and uniform.

Next

Orthodox:Assemble Raise Bake Finished
Orthodox:Making Prosphora

• Brush and Assemble
• Raise
• Bake
• Finished
• The Good
• The Bad
• Bag Them
• Thaw Them
• Previous Sections

Brush and Assemble

⇒  Lightly brush the bottom layer with water enough to make the dough a bit sticky, don’t soak.

If your baking sheet is well seasoned it may be best to cover with aluminum foil to prevent the loaves from picking up any oils and coloration off the baking sheet.  I usually need to cover mine since they are well seasoned.  If you use a non-stick pan, no problem.

⇒  Place top round on-center on bottom layer with the imprints facing the same direction. 

Note: Some recipes call for allowing the top layer to raise separate from the bottom and then assembling before baking.  This never made much sense to me and would take up too much room in the kitchen so I’ve never done it that way.

⇒  Prick prosphora with toothpick making the sign of the Cross all the way through both layers.  This will insure that they will stay connected and will release moisture preventing too much rising.

Raise

⇒  After 1+ hour in warm location covered with a towel they are ready to bake. 

Raising will be longer in cool kitchen.  Don’t skimp here, if dough has not raised enough in pre-bake phase it will raise too much/quickly in the oven and the prosphora will be more likely to get misshapen.  I pushed the pre-bake raising too much for this demo and had a number of duds.

Bake

⇒  Place in middle rack of 350 degree oven bake for 10-12 minutes.
⇒  Watch carefully until you are certain of how quickly your oven bakes. Adjust baking time accordingly.

Prosphora should only be lightly colored when done, preferably not at all. 

Finished

The Good

Now this one looks good. Layers have merged but still look distinct.  Imprint is clear and uniform.  If you can’t see the imprint than you probably should cut back on the amount of yeast.

The Bad

This prosphora had an air bubble that caused it to rise too much on one side.  Check each layer for tiny bubbles and prick with toothpick to lessen the chances of this.  Also allowing the proper amount of pre-bake rising is important too.  1-1.5 hours should be enough if room is warm.

Bag Them

With proper care prosphora can be kept in the freezer for sometime. I usually make a double batch which is about a months worth of prosphora for our small church community. 

⇒  Use a heavy ziplock bag with a paper towel inside to absorb moisture, remove as much air as possible.  Put bags into another bag, seal and put in the freezer to reduce chances of freezer burn.

Thaw Them

⇒  Remove from freezer several hours before needed and spread on cooling rack. 
⇒  Dab any accumulated frost and moisture with a paper towel. 
⇒  Place in airy basket and cover with cloth. 
Avoid microwaving at all costs!

Previous Sections

Orthodox:Divide Flatten Roll Cut
Orthodox:Making Prosphora

Although Slavonic is far from extinct in its usage, there is a natural pressure in America to use English in the Divine Services. English speaking converts and even many “cradle Orthodox “, immigrants and American-born alike, have little understanding of Church Slavonic. Having spent my youth hearing Slavonic every Sunday, it is only now in adulthood, and some twenty years away from the Church, that I finally have come to understand the Divine Services after participating in services in English. Early in my return to the Church I found myself constantly saying “oh… this is what that means” as I regularly discovered something new in the services. Like it or not, services in English are crucial to bringing American Orthodox in step with traditional Orthodoxy. However, it would be a great tragedy for us to loose touch with this fundamental part of our spiritual heritage.

In reality few of us have the time, motivation, nor perhaps the ability to assimilate a new language, particularly one as esoteric as Slavonic. Yet, some might welcome the chance to learn a prayer or two in Slavonic. The Church Slavonic E-Tutor was developed with this in mind. Its purpose is to help make Slavonic more accessible and, God willing, promote interest in preserving its usage.

The Church Slavonic E-Tutor

How E-Tutor Works

The E-Tutor takes a simple approach. Common prayers are displayed in Church Slavonic as they appear in service books with an accompanying audio track broken down into short phrases. Short phrases make it easier to repeat words and hear vocal nuances. The audio track is activated by placing the cursor on a phrase and clicking with the mouse.

The E-Tutor includes the Slavonic Alphabet with English letter equivalents as well as explanations of a few basic rules one must know in order to read it. At this stage the E-Tutor does not provide help with grammar or word definitions.

Many users will simply want to memorize the prayers rather than learn to read Slavonic. The E-Tutor will make this process much easier since the audio track can be repeated over and over until one masters the prayer. The E-Tutor does not use transliteration to assist in word pronunciation.

Find out more about the program