Sunday, December 4, 2011

Gumdrop Cake

Have you guys started planning out what Christmas baking you're going to do? I loooove making my list and would love to hear what you guys are planning on making or have already made. So far I've made:
+Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
+Snickerdoodles
+Pecan Tassies
+my grandma's shortbread
+this gumdrop cake!

gumdrop cake


I plan on also making my grandma's chocolate coconut snowballs, and maybe some other things. But anyway, onto the gumdrop cake. We were waiting in line at the grocery store and I came across this recipe in a Canadian Living holiday magazine. Gumdrop cake!! That sounded exciting. I've never baked with gumdrops. And it has a jar of maraschino cherries, which I love. Basically it's like a different version of fruitcake, though I've never made fruitcake and have rarely eaten it. But that's what I think.

gumdrop cake


The recipe they printed in the magazine was a bit vague so I was scared how it would turn out but I'm happy with the results. The cake is tinged pink from the maraschino cherry "juice". I wasn't sure how I'd like gumdrops in a cake but it turns out I love them - at least in this style of cake. The cherries and raisins are great too, the cherries more than the raisins. I was wary of the almond extract as I detest that fake almond flavour, but I went with it. And it turned out successfully. It's not something you'd want to eat a lot of given its strong flavour and sweetness, but to have a little nibble, it's great and something different.

I love giving out Christmas baking, but I'm just wondering - is anyone else as OCD as me about it? I can't handle putting different types of cookies with different textures, dryness levels and flavours all in one tin. The mint from the mint chocolate cookies might make the snickerdoodles minty! Or the shortberad might absorb moisture from the pecan tassies and make them dry! I love how a mixed tin of cookies looks, but I have to put them in separate bags first, then into the tin. What do you do? Anyone have a good solution to my cookie mingling problem?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Perfection Pound Cake with Lemon Curd
All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake
Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Strawberry Sauce
Toasted Pecan Eggnog Ring

Gumdrop Cake
Adapted from Mrs. P. Ramsay in Victoria (found in Canadian Living holiday magazine)

The original recipe stated "1 package of raisins, 1 package of gumdrops and 1 jar of maraschino cherries". Not sure what size was intended to be used, but I just used what was available at the store and have noted the sizes I used in the recipe.

375 g package raisins
375 mL jar maraschino cherries, drained with juice reserved, and sliced in half
200 g package gumdrops
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup milk plus juice from the cherries (I used unsweetened almond milk)
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Soak the raisins for 1/2 hour in hot water. Drain well. Mix together the raisins, cherries, gumdrops and 1 cup of the flour. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a bundt pan by buttering it, making sure to get into all the crevices. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla extract, almond extract, milk and juice from the cherries. In another separate bowl, whisk together the 3 1/2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and liquid mixture, starting with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the fruit mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes, then 300F for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan before turning it out.

9 comments:

janet @ the taste space said...

Wow - that definitely sounds like a decadent fruit cake. I HATE all those fruit bits in fruit cake so this is intriguing.. glad it turned out after all that!

Maybe you can do levels of your cookies? One level of this, then put a piece of wax paper to separate it from the other? The way you can share a variety of cookies but they don't intermingle? I agree that I'd be scared they'd spread their flavours and moistness. ;)

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Must say I'm not a huge fan of gumdrops but I do like being introduced to new types of ingredients in baking. Glad you enjoyed the results!

Jabba said...

I am planning too and super stoked! I'm thinking of making rum soaked cranberry shortbread, brown sugar cookies, a toffee/chocolate bar from a Chipits recipe and maybe some fudge. Oh and my late mother-in-law's shortbread. Yeah, I'm going all out this year.
If you are worried about the flavours transferring, you could put your cookies inside those cupcake papers to separate them?

Joanne said...

Maybe you need a cookie bento box! Or you could put a few of each kind of cookie in cupcake liners so that they could sit next to each other without danger of touching.

I love teh sound of this cake! Those gumdrop bits must make it so fun to eat!

Johanna GGG said...

sounds bizarre - but interesting - I've made this year's fruit cake and can't wait to taste it but feel I should let it mature so am being patient! It's only my second time making a proper fruitcake so I am still a bit wary - but I think fruitcake makes a good old fashioned present.

I am not in the habit of making cookies for christmas gifts - though I have made some edible christmas gifts over the recent years! I am like you with storing the cookies that I make if I make more than one - they do affect each other - maybe that is why the traditional bought tins of cookies always had the funny crinkly paper between the different sorts of cookies

Anonymous said...

can you fedex some overseas? =P

- Linda in Hong Kong

grace said...

what a pretty cake! until now, i had no use for gumdrops in any way. :)

eatme_delicious said...

I love hearing about what you guys are baking! :D Thanks for the suggestions for how to deal with my cookie problems. Though if I put them in liners next to each other, the moisture will still migrate over time. :(

Online Foods Menus said...

Superb & Gorgeous ! This is amazing. Gumdrops are just lovable to chew !