I started a bit of holiday baking, today…

A bit, because we do not do the insane baking of years past.

We had a lot of fun doing it, but, at the same time, it was all we did for weeks before Christmas.

It’s more fun being retired and doing a few things…

Today, was Apricot Macadamia Nut Fruitcake.

The original recipe came from Bon Appetit magazine years and years ago. It’s totally untraditional and totally delicious.

I made just one – gone are the days of making 4x the recipe – and set it off to age in some brandy.

Apricot Macadamia Nut Fruitcake

adapted from Bon Appetit

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter: 170 grams
• 1 cup sugar: 200 grams
• 3 eggs, separated: ~150 grams (average weight of one large egg is about 50 grams)
• 1/2 cup milk: 120 milliliters
• 2 tablespoons apricot brandy: ~30 milliliters
• 1 tablespoon vanilla: ~15 milliliters
• 1 3/4 cups flour, sifted twice: ~220 grams
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped: ~150 grams
• 1 cup golden raisins: ~150 grams
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, lightly chopped: ~125 grams
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar: ~1 gram

Preheat oven to 275°F. Grease and flour a 6 cup Bundt pan or 8″ round cake pan and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat yolks in small bowl and add to butter mixture. Mix well.

Combine milk, brandy and vanilla and add alternately with flour in 4 batches, mixing well after each addition. Stir in apricots, raisins and macadamia nuts.

Whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into batter. Spoon into prepared pan and bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean (about 2 1/4 hours). Cool completely in pan.

Sprinkle a bit of apricot brandy on top and serve. Cakes can also be made in advance, wrapped in apricot brandy-soaked cheesecloth, wrapped in plastic and aged. YUM!!

I’m also going to make a traditional fruitcake, this week. I’m just about the only person I know who likes it, but that’s okay…

I think we may start the Christmas Decorating tomorrow… Back in our youth, it was always the day-After-Thanksgiving-Decorate-A-Thon. We’ve slowed down there a bit, as well.

On a positive note, we did get the Christmas cards in the mail.