Pressure Cooking Fruitcakes Back to Fruitcakes Menu   Always use a rack when cooking fruitcakes. Add enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the fruitcake pan. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 90 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Fruitcakes made in a pressure cooker are dark, firm and very moist and may feel sticky to the touch, but the appearance is no indication of doneness. Take care not to overcook it and test for doneness by sticking a cake tester or thin wooden skewer in the thickest part of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Set the pan on a cake rack and let the fruitcake cool for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn it out onto a lightly oiled rack to finish cooling. Glazing And Decorating After cooking, the tops of fruitcakes can be glazed and decorated with a fanciful pattern of colorful fruits and nuts if desired. Before the fruitcake is glazed, plan the decorative pattern in advance. Select the fruits, and this is a good time to use glace, candied fruits, and nuts and layout the pattern on a sheet of paper first. FRUITCAKE GLAZE 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup corn syrup Juice of 1 lemon Peel of 1 lemon Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue boiling until it reaches soft ball stage. Brush the glaze over top of cake, immediately arrange fruit and nuts on top and then brush on a final coat of glaze. The fruitcake must be cooled completely before applying the glaze. Brush the hot glaze over the top of the fruitcake and quickly add the fruits and nuts according to the pattern you designed. When you've completed the decorative pattern on the top of the fruitcake, brush a second glaze of the hot glaze over the pieces of fruits and nuts. Allow the glaze to dry before wrapping.