Holiday Fruit Rum Cake
by Chef Tom Fraker
of Melissa’s Produce
Chef Tom set out to create a fruit cake that would not be the brunt of jokes. He has succeeded!
Instead of artificially colored candied fruit, he uses dried fruit. The texture is more dense than a muffin, but not hard like a brick. It’s moist and full of flavor. The rum, of course, is a fun addition.
Ingredients:
3 oz. pkg Dried Cranberries
3 oz. pkg Dried Blueberries
3 oz. pkg Dried Tart Cherries
3 oz. pkg Dried Pineapple Rings, diced
2 oz. pkg Dried Strawberries, diced
1 T All-Purpose Flour
1 pkg Yellow Cake Mix
1 pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 Eggs
1/2 C Whole Milk, cold
1/2 C Rum
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350º
Butter and lightly flour a 10-inch loaf pan or muffin tin.
Toss the dried fruit with the flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake)
Mix together the cake mix and the rest of the ingredients until creamy
Fold in the dried fruit and pour into the prepared loaf or muffin pan
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
Cool for 5 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack
