Ah, Fruitcake — the iconic holiday dessert, dense with dried fruits, nuts, and often a boozy kick! 🍒🎄 While it has a reputation for being “intense,” a well-made fruitcake is moist, flavorful, and absolutely worth it. Here’s a classic, reliable recipe:
🍰 Classic Fruitcake
(Makes one 9×5-inch loaf or 2 small loaves)
🧂 Ingredients
Dried fruit mixture:
- 2 cups (300 g) mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, chopped dates, dried cherries, dried apricots)
- ½ cup (75 g) candied citrus peel, chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) rum, brandy, or orange juice
Cake batter:
- 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk
- 1 cup (120 g) chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prep the fruit
- In a bowl, combine dried fruit and candied peel with rum, brandy, or juice.
- Let soak for at least 1–2 hours, or overnight for richer flavor.
2. Preheat oven
- Preheat to 325°F (160°C).
- Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. Make the batter
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in soaked fruits (including liquid) and chopped nuts.
4. Bake
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- If top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
5. Cool and age
- Cool in pan for 15–20 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Optional but traditional: brush with extra rum, brandy, or orange juice and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in a cool place for 1–4 weeks — aging improves flavor.
🌟 Tips & Variations
- Nut-free: Skip nuts and increase fruit by ½ cup.
- Chocolate twist: Add ½ cup chopped dark chocolate or cocoa powder for a chocolate fruitcake.
- Mini fruitcakes: Bake in muffin tins for giftable portions.
- Extra moist: Baste with alcohol once a week for up to a month.
If you want, I can give a super moist, lighter fruitcake recipe that’s easier to eat and doesn’t feel as dense — perfect for those who shy away from traditional heavy fruitcakes.
Do you want me to do that?
