Individual Hazelnut Fruitcakes
Makes approximately 12 fruitcakes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- ¼ cup hazelnut liqueur
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 ¾ cups 7 ¾ ounces dried figs, cut into small dice
- 1/3 cup crystalized ginger, cut into small dice
- 1/3 cup candied orange peel, cut into small dice
- 1 ½ cups hazelnut liqueur for soaking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the hazelnut liqueur. Mixture will be very loose.
- In a medium bowl, combine both flours and salt, and blend well.
- Add flour mixture to butter and sugar and blend on low speed until well combined.
- Pour batter into a large mixing bowl. Add nuts, figs, ginger, and orange peel, and using a rubber spatula, blend the mixture together.
- Spray an individual bundtlette pan (with six 1-cup bundtlettes) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Fill each bundtlette with slightly more than ½ cup of batter, spreading evenly with an offset spatula or knife.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a small knife inserted into a cake comes out clean. Repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the bundtlette pan again with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes. Gently pry each bundtlette out of the pan with a small sharp knife. Allow the cakes to cool completely. Cakes will be firm.
- Pour the 1 ½ cups of liqueur into a square baking pan. Place up to 4 cakes into liqueur and using a pastry brush, brush the liqueur over each cake, rotating the cakes so that the liqueur soaks in.
- Wrap each cake in a square of aluminum foil and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to a week.
- Bring cakes to room temperature before serving.