Annotated Recipe: Fruitcake

No, really. People do eat fruitcake. McMillan’s Bakery in Westmont sells more than 700 pounds of the ­Christmas classic every year. Perhaps it’s because the bakery’s 40-year-old family recipe combines the traditional sweet, liquor-soaked fruits with a light batter that belies the dense stereotype of holiday punch lines.

1 c. red glacé cherries
1 c. green glacé cherries
1 c. glacé pineapple wedges
1 c. golden raisins
1 ¼ c. Grand Marnier
½ c. salted butter
¾ c. granulated sugar
1 c. cake flour
⅛ tsp. baking powder
Pinch table salt
½ c. whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
1 c. whole pecans, toasted

Drain glacé fruit, and soak fruit and raisins in Grand ­Marnier in a covered container at room temperature for four days, turning the container over daily. Preheat oven to 350° ­Fahrenheit. Prepare a 10-inch-round springform pan by lining it with parchment paper. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter-sugar ­mixture and mix for two minutes, until no lumps remain. While mixing, add milk and eggs slowly and continue mixing for two minutes, until batter is smooth. Drain Grand Marnier-soaked fruit, and fold fruit and pecans into ­batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature in pan on a wire rack, about two hours.