Use your favorite dried fruits (or our Yuletide Cheer Fruit Blend), plus candied cherries and nuts, in this light-gold, mildly flavored cake. See "tips," below for details on how to make the adorable, perfectly giftable mini Bundts pictured.
To prepare the fruit: Combine the dried fruit (except for the candied cherries) with liquid in a bowl. Cover and let the mixture steep overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease the loaf pans of your choice: two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pans OR six 7" paper bakeable loaf pans.
To prepare the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, corn syrup, baking powder, salt, and flavors.
Beat in the eggs one at time.
Stir in the flour alternately with the milk.
Add the undrained fruit, the candied cherries, and the nuts.
Spoon the batter into the lightly greased baking pans, filling them three-quarters full.
Bake the cakes for 50 to 80 minutes, depending on the size of the pans; smaller pans will bake for the shorter length of time. When done, the cakes will be a light golden brown all over, and a thin knife or toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven. Brush with brandy or the liquor of your choice while warm.
When completely cooled, wrap well and let rest at least 24 hours (or for up to a month, brushing with liquor or flavored syrup weekly).
Before serving, prepare the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and salt. Add water and Fiori and whisk to form a thick icing. Drizzle as desired over each cooled cake. Slice and serve at room temperature.
To bake this cake in a Bundt pan: Grease a 9- to 12-cup capacity (9" to 10 1/2") Bundt pan and prepare the cake batter according to the recipe instructions. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, filling it to 1" of the rim of the pan. Bake the cake in a preheated 300°F oven for 70 to 80 minutes, depending on its capacity. Remove the cake from the oven, wait 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a spatula and turn it out onto a rack. Brush the warm cake all over with simple syrup, brandy, or the liquor of your choice, if desired.
NOTE: This recipe yields about 10 1/2 cups of batter, so if you're baking in a smaller Bundt pan you'll have leftover batter to bake in a pan of your choice. We like to use a standard muffin pan or our mini loaf paper baking pans, which can be baked alongside your Bundt for 30 to 40 minutes.
To make this cake into bars: Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan. For extra insurance against sticking, line it parchment and grease the parchment. Spoon the batter into the pan and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean, or showing some moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting and serving.
To make three mini Bundt cakes: Prepare the batter as described and portion about 2 cups (473g) of batter into each lightly greased mini Bundt pan, filling them about three-quarters full. Transfer the remaining batter to a greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Bake at 300°F for 60 to 70 minutes for the mini Bundts; bake the loaf for about 75 to 80 minutes. When done, the cake should be golden brown all over, and a thin knife inserted into the center should come out clean.
