Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes Snow-Capped Fruitcake 3.9 (8) 1 Review By Martha Stewart Editors Martha Stewart Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter Website An article attributed to "Martha Stewart Editors" indicates when several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The Martha Stewart team aims to teach and inspire readers daily with tested-until-perfected recipes, creative DIY projects, and elevated home and entertaining ideas. They are experts in their fields who research, create, and test the best ways to help readers design the life they want. The joy is in the doing. Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 16, 2019 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Servings: 10 Giving fruitcake a winter-white coat transforms a humble classic into an upscale dessert. In it is a flavorful array of golden jewels -- dried pineapple, pear, and apple; crystallized ginger; golden raisins; and lemon zest. The cake is covered with rolled white fondant and aflurry of hand-cut snowflakes. Ingredients 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan 2 ¼ cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for pan 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted 1 ⅓ cups Armagnac 1 cup (about 4 ounces) dried pears 1 cup (about 2 ounces) dried apples 1 ¾ cups (about 5 ounces) dried pineapple ⅓ cup (about 2 ounces) golden raisins 1 ¼ cups sugar 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest 3 tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped 7 large eggs ¼ cup apricot jam Cornstarch, for work surface 2 ½ pounds rolled fondant Royal Icing for Snow-Capped Fruitcake Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-by-3-inch round cake pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and almonds in a medium bowl; set aside. Cook Armagnac and fruit in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid has absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely. Chop fruit into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in zest and ginger. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Transfer to a large bowl. Fold in flour-nut mixture with a rubber spatula. Stir in fruit. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs, about 1 hour 40 minutes. If cake browns too quickly during baking, loosely tent with foil. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool. Trim cake level with a serrated knife. Bring apricot jam and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; strain into a small bowl. Lightly brush cake with the jam syrup. On a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, roll 2 pounds fondant to 1/4 inch thick, brushing off excess cornstarch as needed. Drape fondant over rolling pin; center and place on cake. Starting at top, smooth fondant onto cake with your hands. Trim with a pastry wheel. On a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, roll remaining 1/2 pound fondant to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 4 small, 4 medium, and 4 large snowflakes. Brush underside of each snowflake with a damp pastry brush, and gently press onto cake. Decorate snowflakes with royal icing. Cook's Notes Cake can be stored at room temperature, tightly covered, up to 2 days. Print