World’s Best Fruit Cake
Classic fruit cake made with soaked unsweetened dried fruit. A festive, flavorful, and moist fruit cake to enjoy all holiday season. This family recipe will make you a fruit cake convert! This post is sponsored by All-Clad.
If you recognize today’s dessert, you deserve a pat on the back!
As hard as it is to believe, I first shared this fruit cake recipe back in 2013. It has been a holiday staple in our household for as long as I can remember. Christmas isn’t Christmas without several slices of my mom’s famous fruit cake!
Nearly six years have passed and since then, it has become one of the most popular holiday recipes on A Beautiful Plate.
If you’re a fruit cake cynic, hear me out! This is the best fruit cake in the world – and the only fruit cake that I’ve ever loved and enjoyed.
While this recipe has received rave reviews and become a staple for many readers, I’ve teamed up with All-Clad to showcase their new Pro-Release Bakeware Set and Silicone Tools, and give this fruit cake recipe a new and improved update for the holiday season.
This fruit cake recipe features their All-Clad Pro-Release Loaf Pan. All of the All-Clad Pro-Release bakeware pieces feature oversized, easy-to-grab handles, and a nonstick (PFOA-free) finish that releases baked goods effortlessly.
This fruit cake batter is sticky and packed with dried fruit pieces, which means that it can be prone to sticking, and thanks to the ceramic, easy release coating, I didn’t have to grease or line the loaf pan with parchment paper. The fruit cakes just slid out without issue. The holidays are hectic enough without worrying about your baked goods sticking!
If you’re looking for durable and high-quality bakeware for yourself (or to gift to others!), I highly recommend checking out the full All-Clad Pro-Release Bakeware Set! You can get more information here.
All-Clad also came out with a wonderful collection of silicone tools that pair with the bakeware set. Their durable handles and platinum silicone heads, which come in a variety of shapes, are great for any baking project (or savory preparation) and have quickly become my favorite baking tools.
The bones of the original fruit cake recipe have remained the same, but it has been re-tested thoroughly.
Several ingredients have been revamped and simplified to make it easier to prepare in your own kitchen.
I’ve also added custom metric measurements to make it accessible to everyone. As you know, I’m a huge advocate for baking scales, particularly for baking. It reduces clean-up and common user errors, such as over measuring flour.
Let’s get baking!
Why You’ll Love this Fruit Cake Recipe:
The words ‘world’s best’ and fruit cake are generally not seen as compatible with one another. After all, fruit cake is one of the most ridiculed baked goods in existence!
You know those ones that are sold in the stores or sent as gifts at this time of the year? The ones that contain the neon candied fruit pieces? I despise those fruit cakes too!
Most fruit cakes are dry, overly sweet, and bland in flavor.
This fruit cake is not your average fruit cake recipe. It is the BEST! Made with wholesome, real ingredients, this fruit cake is moist and perfectly balanced in flavor.
The Story Behind The World’s Best Fruit Cake:
This fruit cake recipe has been passed onto me from my mom. It was first inspired my British grandmother’s recipe. My mom has tweaked and perfected it over the years.
At one point, my mom even attempted a very short-lived fruit cake business – that is until she realized that it is one of those expensive desserts to make (dried fruit and booze!) and she would have to charge a fortune to break even.
With that said, this fruit cake is absolutely worth it!
How to Make The Best Fruit Cake:
This fruit cake recipe, which yields two standard loaf cakes, is all about the dried fruit. We’ll be using only unsweetened dried and fresh fruit for this recipe.
This fruit cake contains a ton of dried fruit. Don’t be alarmed! This recipe uses a wide variety of tart and sweeter dried fruit: golden raisins, dark raisins, figs, prunes, cherries, apricots, and peaches.
To cut the sweetness and add amazing flavor, we’ll soak the dried fruit mixture in dark rum the day before baking. Note: I recommend soaking the fruit for a minimum of 12 hours or as long as 24 hours.
The dried fruit will hydrate and plump up and soak up all of the dark rum during this time. Don’t skip this step!
The soaked dried fruit is folded into the fruit cake batter the following day.
For added flavor, we’ll also be adding orange and lemon zest, orange juice, fresh grated Granny Smith apple, slivered almonds, and diced crystallized ginger (one of my favorite additions!).
You can even add bittersweet chocolate, which is my dad and sister’s favorite variation!
The fruit cake batter is transferred and divided between two loaf pans and baked in a loaf tin at a low temperature for nearly an hour and a half.
If you’re using the loaf pan I’m using from All-Clad, no need to grease the pan or add any parchment paper!
Since this cake has a such a large ratio of dried fruit, we’ll allow the fruit cakes to cool completely in the loaf pans before removing them.
How to Store Homemade Fruit Cake:
After the cakes have cooled, we’ll wrap them tightly in cheesecloth soaked in medium sherry or triple sec. Have I mentioned that this cake is boozy? Because it is.
This step contributes additional moisture, as well as allows the flavors in the cake to meld and deepen over time. The alcohol cuts sweetness and makes this cake so fragrant and delicious!
Some people recommend aging fruit cake for at least a month prior to serving or gifting, but this is not required for this fruit cake. I recommend at week at minimum. However, even just a few days make a huge impact!
These fruit cakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks (or longer!). I recommend re-soaking the cheesecloth every week or so, or whenever it is dry.
Commonly Asked Fruit Cake Baking Questions:
When should I starting baking fruit cake?
Since this fruit cake only improves in flavor as it sits, the sooner the better! I recommend wrapping it with cheesecloth (soaked in alcohol) for one to two weeks, at minimum, for best flavor before serving or gifting.
Can I substitute or use other types of dried fruit?
I’ve included my favorite ratios in the recipe below – as they offer a good balance of tart and sweeter fruits – but you can adapt it to make it your own. If making substitutions, I highly recommend measuring by weight to avoid any issues.
Can I make this fruitcake without alcohol?
While the flavor will not be the same or as originally intended, you can try soaking the dried fruit in orange juice (or even apple juice or hot steeped tea, such as Earl Grey). I haven’t personally tested this variation, but functionally it will plump up the dried fruit in the same way. You will need to skip the soaking of the cake as well, which is absolutely fine, but will result in a less complex flavor, slightly drier cake (though this cake is very moist!) and will reduce its storage life slightly.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This cake yields two loaf cakes. Perfect for keeping one to yourself and another for gifting (or saving for later, your personal choice!).
Since this cake is very dense and rich, one loaf cake goes a long way. We use a serrated knife to cut it into thin slices or cut regular slices in half. It tastes fantastic on its own or with a smear of salted butter!
Can I bake this fruitcake in a smaller loaf tins, round cake pan, etc.?
This cake has only been tested using loaf pans, but several readers have had luck with preparing this recipe in a bundt or tube pan – roughly it will take around 75 minutes minimum. Please watch bake time carefully. Please know that baking times and results will vary. I do not recommend making equipment substitutions, as I haven’t personally tested these adaptations.
Hope this fruit cake recipe becomes a family staple! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d love for you to leave a review in the comment section below.
Thank you All-Clad for sponsoring this post!
World's Best Fruit Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Soaked Fruit Mixture:
- 1¼ cups (200 g) dark raisins
- 1¼ cups (200 g) golden raisins
- 2 cups (320 g) mixed unsweetened dried fruit, chopped (note: I like to use equal parts peaches and apricots - pears or apples are other great options!)
- 1 cup (160 g) dried unsweetened black figs chopped
- 1 cup (160 g) dried unsweetened tart cherries chopped
- ¾ cup (120 g) dried unsweetened prunes chopped
- ¾ cup (6 oz; 180 mL) dark rum
Fruit Cake Ingredients:
- 1½ cups (180 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (4 oz; 115 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (160 g) packed light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
- ½ cup (120 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and coarsely grated
- ¾ cup (90 g) slivered almonds (or chopped pecans or walnuts)
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) finely diced crystallized ginger
- one batch soaked fruit mixture see above
- ⅔ cup (100 g) chopped bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips optional
For Storage:
- medium sherry or triple sec for soaking
Decorative Glaze (Optional):
- ¼ cup (72 g) apricot preserves
- ¼ cup (60 mL) water
- whole pecans for garnishing
Instructions
- The Day Before Baking: Combine the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl. Add the dark rum, cover, and allow the mixture to soak at room temperature for a minimum of 12 hours, or ideally 24 hours prior to preparing the fruit cake batter.
- Prepare the Fruitcake: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) with a rack in the center position. Set aside two 8x4-inch All Clad Pro-Release Bakeware Loaf Pans. If using these pans, you do not need to line or grease the pans prior to adding the batter. Equipment Note: This fruitcake can also be prepared using 9x5-inch loaf pans. If using other types of pans, lightly grease and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and light brown sugar together over medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating just until each egg is incorporated. The mixture will look slightly broken, that’s ok.
- Over low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just absorbed. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the lemon zest, orange zest, fresh orange juice, grated apple, slivered almonds, diced candied ginger, soaked dried fruit mixture (along with any liquid if it hasn’t already been absorbed), and chocoate (if using). Stir mixture with a large spatula, scraping the edges and bottom of the bowl several times, until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. It is a very thick, fruit heavy mixture.
- Transfer and divide the batter evenly among the loaf pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth the batter into an even layer. Set the loaf pans on the center rack, several inches apart from one another. Bake - rotating the pans halfway - for 75 to 90 minutes or until the batter is set and the tops are golden brown. The edges of the cake may also start to pull away slightly from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely before removing from the pans.
- Storing and Aging: Once the cake has cooled, carefully remove the cakes from the loaf pans and set upright. Soak two large pieces of cheesecloth in medium sherry or triple sec (*they should be lightly damp, not soaking wet when you wrap the cakes, so you may need to squeeze out any excess liquor). Wrap each cake tightly. Cover loafs with wax paper and foil before transferring to a large Ziploc bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 to 8 weeks (it can often last even longer). You can serve this cake right after it has cooled, but the flavors improve greatly with time (I recommend several days or up to a week, at minimum). Unwrap and re-soak the cheesecloth once a week.
- For Garnishing: If desired, you can top the fruitcake with a light apricot glaze and whole pecans before serving. Note: I don't recommend glazing the cake if you wish to continue to wrap and age the fruitcake. To Prepare the Glaze: Combine the apricot preserves and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a light simmer, stirring until the glaze is shiny and thin. If it is too thin for glazing, reduce to desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, add a teaspoon of water. Brush the tops of the fruitcakes with apricot glaze and garnish with whole pecans.
- Serving Notes: Slice fruit cake with a serrated knife. Serve on its own or spread with a small amount of salted butter.
Tips for Success:
- Be sure to use unsweetened dried fruit for best results.
- Many readers have had success substituting different varieties of dried fruit in this recipe; if doing this, please keep in mind the tartness and sweetness of various fruits for good balance.
Commonly Asked Questions:
- When should I starting baking fruit cake? Since this fruit cake only improves in flavor as it sits, the sooner the better! I recommend wrapping it with cheesecloth (soaked in alcohol) for one to two weeks, at minimum, for best flavor before serving or gifting.
- Can I substitute or use other types of dried fruit? I’ve included my favorite ratios in the recipe below - as they offer a good balance of tart and sweeter fruits - but you can adapt it to make it your own. If making substitutions, I highly recommend measuring by weight to avoid any issues.
- Can I make this fruitcake without alcohol? While the flavor will not be the same or as originally intended, you can try soaking the dried fruit in orange juice (or even apple juice or hot steeped tea, such as Earl Grey). I haven’t personally tested this variation, but functionally it will plump up the dried fruit in the same way. You will need to skip the soaking of the cake as well, which is absolutely fine, but will result in a less complex flavor, slightly drier cake (though this cake is very moist!) and will reduce its storage life slightly.
- How many servings does this recipe make? This cake yields two loaf cakes. Perfect for keeping one to yourself and another for gifting (or saving for later, your personal choice!). Since this cake is very dense and rich, one loaf cake goes a long way. We use a serrated knife to cut it into thin slices or cut regular slices in half. It tastes fantastic on its own or with a smear of salted butter!
- Can I bake this fruitcake in a smaller loaf tins, round cake pan, etc.? This cake has only been tested using loaf pans, but several readers have had luck with preparing this recipe in a bundt or tube pan - roughly it will take around 75 minutes minimum. Please watch bake time carefully. Please know that baking times and results will vary. I do not recommend making equipment substitutions, as I haven't personally tested these adaptations.
This post is sponsored by All-Clad. Thank you for supporting brands I love and use in my kitchen.
730 Comments on “World’s Best Fruit Cake”
I made in individual loaf pans and get 8 smaller loaves. Because of the booze and wrapping I left my last batch out for two weeks. You mention wrapping and storing in refrigerator. Why? That takes up a lot of room. Is it ok to leave out and then I can freeze?
Thank you.
These are intended to be stored for a long amount of time and don’t have any sort of royal icing topping, so they need to be stored in the fridge for safety.
You should sell these online! Haven’t had a good one since my mother-in-law passed away. She kept the fruitcake in her Pittsburgh basement and added alcohol for at least a month before gifting. The best fruitcake ever!! So many store-bought brands are dry and disappointing. This recipe sounds like a winner! Thank you for sharing.
Just made this recipe and so excited. My great grandmother used ginger in hers too!
How do you wrap/store in the refrigerator until Christmas?
Hi Shan! Please see the recipe box for full instructions. It should be wrapped in soaked cheesecloth, then we wrap tightly in foil. You can also put this in a Ziploc bag too.
This is an amazing recipe.
Ive used it as a reference to develop my own recipe over the years. I mad2 loaves to share with friends and family over the holidays last year and recieved 2 requests to make enough to sell next season and i had one fruitcake hater conver to the dark side lol.
For my 2 cups (320 g) mixed unsweetened dried fruit i did 1 cup each apples and apricots
I subbed
1 cup dried unsweetened black figs for 1 cup sweetened dried pineapple
and 3/4 cup dried unsweetened prunes chopped for 3/4 chopped glazed cherries
And instead of the full amount of the 2 types of raisins i added an bit of a dried blueberries and mulberries to the mix
I used grand marnier for the alcohol content and i cut the sugar down a tiny bit to account for the sweetened and glazed fruit but i didnt really measure it and it all worked out fine.
I aged it from early october to xmas with the grand marnier following all the sort of basting info according to instructions here and other tips online.
This recipe is incredible. Never would have been able to get the taste i wanted without this to guide me.
How fine should the larger fruits be chopped? Since the recipe uses raisins, should the chopped pieces be similar size or smaller, e.g.¼ or ⅓ inch?
Hi! Good question. Feel free to use the images in the post above as a guide. I wouldn’t make anything bigger than a 1/2 inch in size, ideally.
The goal isn’t necessarily to make the other fruits equivalent to raisin size (plus raisins can come in all sorts of sizes these days!). I would go in the 1/4-1/2 inch parameter based on your preference, but I personally always make the other pieces bigger than the raisins I’m using. Hope this helps!
Excellent. I used my angel food cake pan
This recipe sounds lovely! For many years I made a fruitcake full of nuts and dried fruit without the usual peel and candied fruit, and sent it to my brothers and sisters. They all liked it, but I wasn’t satisfied; it didn’t have the genuine fruitcake taste. Eventually I began to add a modest amount of candied fruit and peel, well soaked, and that made the difference. I like the idea of a grated apple in the batter – I’m sure it adds additional moisture and a touch of tartness to balance the sweetness.
How long in the oven ? What temp for fan forced?
Thank you
Hi Emilia – please see the bottom of the post (or click the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top) for the full printable recipe, which includes all of these details and more. I don’t use convection for baking this cake, but you could. You would want to reduce the temperature if doing so by 25F and watch the bake time carefully, as it may be done sooner. Thanks!
Is there a substitute for the apple? My brother has chrones and can’t have apples, pears or stone fruit
Hi! You could substitute another dried fruit of choice – just make sure you use the same weight conversion. 😊 I enjoy the tartness of the apple, but maybe use more figs? Trying to think of more options because stone chits are a large category! 😅
This is my first fruitcake, the recipe says to let it rest for minimum 2 weeks. Could this survive 4 weeks if the cheese cloth is rehydrated when dry?
Thank you!
Hi Ali, think there is a misunderstanding. Ideally, the fruit cake rests for 2 weeks (cooled then wrapped) minimum before serving to help the flavor develop – but it can be stored for far longer (rehydrate the cheesecloth as you mentioned if doing so whenever it feels dry). I’ve had fruitcake that’s months old and it still tastes fantastic. Hope this helps!
I traditionally have made dried fruitcakes for four decades. I use a lot of the same indredients that you use as well. I eventually decided to mix it up a bit and made one type with all tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple, light raisins, coconut) and flavors heavy on the ginger (dried, candied and fresh), mace and coconut cream for a light colored cake batter with cashews and rum.
The second type was made with more like this recipe, traditional spices, molasses, raisins, prunes, unsulphered apricots, figs, cranberries, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, ground roasted walnuts and and a combination of sweet port in the batter and a brandy bath.
Both were very well received, the next year when I only made the dark cakes I had some very unhappy friends and relatives.
Hello:
Can you say how much of each tropical fruit to use?
Also what do you mean by, “flavors heavy on the ginger (dried, candied and fresh)? What is mace? What do you do with the coconut cream? This cake sounds really good and I would like to make it. Thank you.
Hi laura,
Im planning to bake this came next week. Anyway I’m going to be out of town for 17 days. Is it ok to bake the cake and refrigerate it but not feed it for that long?
Hi Lily! Yes, I would bake it, let it cool, wrap it with the soaked cheesecloth (follow instructions), and then do it once again when you come back. It will be fine.
Hi Laura. thank you for your recipe.
I can’t wait to bake your “World Best Fruit Cake” in next 1-2 weeks! As I have already pre-soaked loads of dried fruits in Dark Rum about 4 months ago, can you please advise what would be the approximate weight ( in grams) for “one batch” as mentioned in your recipe ?
Hi – I have the fruit mixture listed in the first section of the recipe. That is what I mean by “one batch”. You can add up the grams and see what you’ve made and substitute it for weight!
Awesome tasting..I have an extra loaf that’s already aged in the fridge..do I let it come to room temp before I cover with traditional marzipan and royal icing?.. this is first time I’ve covered with marzipan a feuit cake kept in the fridge so I’m curious…
Hi Etta – no, you can add that marzipan and royal icing over the chilled loaf. It doesn’t matter either way!
I forgot last year to leave a raving review for this recipe! I used everything exactly as written and it has dispelled my family’s belief that all fruitcakes are paperweights or just trash. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I always try to tell people that it can convert fruitcake haters into lovers, but it’s hard to convince them until they make it themselves. So glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve made this fruit cake several times not and it turned out great! It’s been perfect to use as gifts.
I just made it to start again it for Christmas however I didn’t realize my new oven cooks hot. The outsides are slightly burnt. Is there any way to save the loaves?
Hi Emma! Is it already baked and out of the oven? Assuming it is. You could use a serrated knife and just trim those areas off. They honestly might not taste bad, the bitterness would most likely be balanced by all the dried fruit. However, it really depends on the level of “burnt” that we’re talking about! Hope this helps.
Thanks for sharing the fruitcake recipe. I have made this with your recipe, and trust me that was amazing…mouthwatering.
I’ve made this many times now. I’ve used a few different dried fruits to replace some not available to me at times.
But if you follow the author’s advice and use the same volume, all is well!
It’s quite wonderful.
Can spiced rum or white run be used instead of dark rum?
Hi Dennis, if the rum is tasty enough that you would take a sip of it on it’s own (and you think it complements the taste of a cake), I say go for what you like! That said, I prefer to use dark rum here.
When I did the baking, did you convert bake or regular? My oven will convert recipes if you choose convect bake so it will automatically lower temp or adjust cooking time.
What do I recommend?
Thanks
Jeff Jackson
St. Louis, mo
Hi Jeff. The temperature is not listed for convection setting. If you do use that setting (don’t recommend that, especially of this cake and the length of time it is in there), you’d want to reduce the listed temperature by 25F. Hope this helps.
Hi I have a question. Can I use mirror gel glaze instead of the apricot?
Hi Denise. I don’t recommend this – the cake is highly textured, so the mirror glaze would not set smoothly on top, and that type of flavor profile doesn’t really suit this cake. Hope this helps!
It really is the Best in the World.
2023 will be the fourth time I’m making it for Christmas. For year 2 used the 2 loaves way to early. Baked 2 more between Christmas and New Year’s. Thanks so much for your work on this. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
When I use reader mode so I can follow the recipe, the list of ingredients does not show up making this an impossible fruitcake to make.
Hi, I’ve tested this and this isn’t true, but I suppose if you’re using some different type of software, this could be the case. Please consider supporting content creators who provide free content. I’ve provided a jump to recipe button, as well as a print button, but advertisements are how I pay for my website expenses. Thanks.
Recently I’ve learnt of “welsh cake”, a tradinional cake prepared by Welsh folk that settled in the argentinean patagonia. Each family had its own variation of the recipe; there are eggless variations that, as the legend goes, can last for years; they say this cake was used as a layer in wedding cakes, the newlyweds would keep it and eat a piece regularly over a long time to renew their vows. Your recipe is similar some of the ones for “torta galesa” (welsh cake) that can be found online. The “welsh cake” is dark. I would like to share some some variations that I’ve seen: add molasses for a deeper color and taste, try to soak the fuits in stout or orange liqueur, vary the spice profile by adding cardamome and/or clove, use cocoa powder or coffee instead of chocolate, add cranberries and maple syrup. I can’t wait till the weather gets colder to try some of these variations.
SUPERDELICIOUSSSS ILOVEIT!!!
Dear Laura: How did you get a hold of my Mother’s Fruit Cake reciept? We cut it down from her father’s reciept, he made it for a crowd of 15 people. It was the more traditional with candied fruit and dried fruit and nuts. We had a lot pf fun figuring it out but from what I recall yours is very close to what we came to. Unfortunately I’ve lost both his and her (our) reciepts. I’m going to make your reciept this Christmas time, will start after Halloween. Maybe I’ll do it both candied and dried. My Grandfather, however, used and insisted on Brandy.
Thanks for sharing the metric measurements , it is always s helpful .
My pleasure! It is what I strongly recommend and use as my base whenever I’m baking, but particularly helpful for things like dried fruit!
hi Laura, i love this recipe. i made it last year and gave it to some of my friends as presents and they love it. they asking for it again and looks like i have to make it them. i am abit confused with the amount of soak mixed fruits. it looks so little when i mixed them up. since this is for two loafs, can i increased the amount and still make two loaves. please advised. thank you
Hi David, are you using a scale to measure the fruit and is there a chance you might have missed an ingredient? It is actually a LOT of dried fruit (so your comment about it seeming like a small amount is a red flag that something may have gone wrong).
I don’t recommend adding more – it’s possible but it’s a huge quantity as is and it will impact the ratio since you’re not adding any more batter to go alongside. Hope this helps! I don’t currently have a video for this recipe but hope to add one in the coming months.
Can we use silicon loaf baking pans? Will it make a difference?
You definitely could but I’m guessing the bake time will be different (silicone doesn’t hold heat the way that a metal baking pan would). I can’t say for sure what that time difference would be, if you do have a normal loaf pan – I’d still recommend using that to be safe.
I love fruitcake since I was a little girl. I cant wait to make this fruitcake.
Are black figs preferred over Smyrna figs? I am not seeing the sun dried black figs as readily available.
Any dried figs will work! I tend to go for black mission figs, but it’s definitely very adaptable!
Excellent fruitcake – got two thumbs up from my fruitcake critic. My only criticism is that, while giving nutrition information per serving, the recipe does not specify the size of a serving (at least I couldn’t find the info).
Hi! The serving sizes are based on roughly 12+ slices per loaf cake – but are estimates, as I am not a nutritionist and they are calculated with a standard nutrition calculator. This is hard to quantify or specify particularly for this dessert. I like small thin slices and other people may prefer thicker pieces. The best way to tailor this information to you would be to decide what you consider a serving and calculate the nutrition using a separate calculator.
Making it this year for the first time. Thinking of using dates instead of prunes . Have you tried that?
Hi – dates are in my opinion much sweeter/one note than prunes. With the quantity of raisins in this recipe, I think they wouldn’t be as good and texturally are definitely not as ideal. That’s my personal opinion but it’s your choice, of course!
Hi
I want to make this but am having trouble finding plain dried fruit ( with out sugar! ) even in the ” natural ” stores . Any suggestions as to where to source dried pineapple, figs, cherries etc that don’t have a sugar added?.
Many thanks!
Selections can really vary depending on where you live! I tend to find a lot of great dried fruit at Trader Joe’s – I would also recommend searching online and you may be able to order it all the way. Alternatively, you can definitely use sweetened dried fruit, it’s just not my first choice. Hope this helps!
I made this for the first time this past December. I loved the complexity of the flavors. I soaked the fruit in rum and wrapped it in Jim Beam orange liqueur infused Kentucky Bourbon. Everyone who tried it liked it better than my Tennessee fruitcake cookies, except my husband. I left out the chocolate because I never had it in fruitcake, but I’m going to try it next year. I like that it uses real dried fruit, not artificially colored candy syrup coated fruit. Thank you for sharing. I don’t buy Granny Smith apples so I used a honey crisp apple.
100% the best fruitcake ever, easy, made it as directed came out perfect and by far the best taste ever. Already planning a fruitcake making get together next November.
Laura, recipe looks outstanding. Missed Christmas but planning on an Easter presentation of this fruitcake. One question in the fruit section:
2 cups (320 g) mixed unsweetened dried fruit, chopped (note: I like to use equal parts peaches and apricots – pears or apples are other great options!) are saying you like 1 cup peaches 1 cup apricots and as an alternate you also like/use pears and apples or are you recommending 1/2 cup of all four fruits. Sorry for dumb question.
Thanks for any help you can offer. All the best. Phil
Thank you!! And not at a dumb question at all. Yes, I was implying equal parts of peaches and apricots, otherwise mix and match to achieve the same amount with dried fruit. Some people really struggle to find dried peaches, so other options – that are similar-ish in texture and flavor – would be pears and apples or something like that. It could be equal parts of two, or equal parts of 3 or 4 kinds. Apologize if that is confusing, but the general idea is that it is flexible and adjustable.
Dried apples are generally more tart than peaches, for example, so this is where you might want to play around with the ratios depending on what is available to you and what you prefer. As long as you keep to the gram total/measurement of 320 grams, you can absolutely make this cake your own and get good results! Dried fruit can be expensive and the selection can really vary from place to place, so I wanted to provide alternatives and ideas if people want to make adjustments. Hope this helps!
This is very good and has been enjoyed by everyone I have given it to. I did find that I needed to increase the amount of soaking rum because the fruits absorbed it all in minutes . I doubled the rum . I also added a few candied cherries for a little color .
This is excellent! I will be making this every holiday! Thanks for posting.
Hi ,
My name is Sherin and I made your recipe for Xmas this year . I have to say this is indeed the best fruit cake I have had . My entire family finished the entire cake in one go and these are people who usually don’t like fruit cake . Thank you for sharing this . Usually people are so hesitant to share these kind of recipes and keep it as family secrets. I appreciate that you were willing to share this . May Jesus bless you and your family this Xmas and years to come .
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe!! I’ve dreaded fruitcake for years. My family absolutely hated it, and while we would eat the obligatory bite when someone gave us one, they all made their way to the trash in short order.
This year, on the evening before Christmas Eve, my father-in-law asked me to make a fruitcake for him for Christmas. My first thought was, “Santa’s skipping me this year.” Then I decided to give it a whirl because after all, it’s Christmas and he never asks for anything.
After spending the rest of the evening doing research I decided to make this recipe even though I was short on time. I couldn’t find dried black figs, peaches or unsweetened cherries, so I found dried figs,(no clue what type) sweetened cherries and subbed the recommended peaches for dried apples and pineapple. I let the fruit soak in Captain Morgan’s original spiced rum for approximately 18 hours and mixed them every couple hours to try to prevent the bottom fruit from absorbing most of the alcohol.
On Christmas morning, once I made the batter, and cooked the cakes we left one at home and had to “let them cool” on the hour drive out to my in-laws. When we got there my father-in-law only waited about 15 minutes before cutting into the cake!! No time to soak it or let it set! He loved it! So did my daughter, husband, mother-in-law and myself! This is definitely not your run of the mill fruitcake. It’s delicious! They want me to make it every year!
When I got home, I soaked cheesecloth in triple sec and wrapped the second cake. Can’t wait to see how great it tastes after a couple days!
This was very good! It’s very similar to the fruit cake that my mom made when I was a child. Her recipe is lost, sadly, so I was happy to find something so similar. She always used bourbon in her fruit cake but I prefer triple sec, so I soaked one in bourbon and one with triple sec. And I used brandy instead of rum to soak the fruit.
Can I have the measurements for only one Bach fruit cake mix.
You’d have to divide the gram measurements – but the egg quantity will be tricky and require a 1/2 egg.
Can any other alcohol be used for soaking the cake ?
Our family loves Triple Sec or medium sherry, but you could use rum or something like that, if you prefer. I think the triple sec balances the flavors of the fruit cake really nicely and neither are too strong that they are overwhelming. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much Laura for your reply . Honestly, I was just being lazy to go buy triple sec 🙈
It is my first try with Christmas fruit cake and I could not resist to try a little before soaking the cake and it turned out amazing . Waiting for a week to pass to enjoy it with the enhanced flavour now .
My mom always used bourbon. I prefer triple sec but both are good.
I made this wonderful fruitcake last week and couldn’t wait to have a slice! Let’s just say, I made a brand new batch yesterday…..my family finished the 2 loaves within days!!
It was the best fruitcake I’ve EVER had! Definitely will be my go-to recipe from now on! Thank you for sharing it with your followers.
Delicious well balanced fruitcake unlike any other I’ve tried. A very fun project that with some time and care yields an outstanding reward. Will make again next holiday season. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi there, I’m making this for the second year and I noticed that my first batch is crackIng. Any thoughts?
Sue
Strange – my only thought is that either some of the measurements were off (I recommend using a scale, always!) or the fruit was not diced small enough. I haven’t heard this issue before and this recipe hasn’t been changed or edited at all in the last year, so it is identical to what you prepared last year. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I love a well-tested recipe!! Success!
My father-in-law LOVES this fruitcake! He favors more fruit over batter. This is my second year making it. A few notes: Last year I couldn’t find dried peaches so I doubled up the apricots. I also used walnuts instead of almonds, excluded the chocolate, and forgot to add orange juice. He ate one loaf right away and I aged the second loaf in triple sec. They both tasted great and had just the right amount of booze.
This year, I found dried peaches and will hopefully not forget the orange juice. Either way, I’m sure it’ll be perfect! Thank you for the easy to follow directions and giving the weight/amount conversions. It’s so helpful since I don’t have a scale yet.
Really want to try this, but in the absence of time, was wondering if I could use a mini loaf pan? If so, how long would I bake it for? How do you tell if they’re done? Same temp?
Thank you so much, looking forward to this!
You definitely can, but I can’t give a specific bake time because every mini loaf pan can vary and I haven’t tested it with that size. I would say check at 25 to 30 minutes and go from there!
Thanks again, Laura, for your speedy reply to my email Monday. I found some cheesecloth in my stash, boozed up the fruitcake with triple sec we had, and we can’t stop eating it. Did manage to let it soak 24 hours! Will definitely make it again!
Many, many thanks Laura for this beautiful recipe. I made it last Christmas and again this week. I doubled the ingredients and made one VERY large and very heavy cake in my 28 x 22 cm tin. It just fitted !! I dropped the temperature to 140°C and then to 130°C when I rotated and checked it. The cake was absolutely perfectly cooked in exactly 2+ 1/2 hrs. Sooo dense, fruity and luscious; my husband is delighted with it. Yes, he has started on it already! He can never wait. Also I never ever keep my cake in the fridge. I just brush it generously with brandy when it comes out of the oven and then store it in a large upturned plastic container topped with apricot glaze, almonds and glace cherries.
This recipe looks awesome, ive started with my dried fruit yesterday and going on to make the cake right now. So excited.
just one ques – is there any reason why i couldn’t marzipan and ice the cake in a couple of weeks time so i can decorate it for a xmas party? Thanks
You absolutely can! This is a very traditional British fruit cake and that is typically how it is decorated, our family just isn’t a huge fan of royal icing or marzipan, so we don’t bother. Feel free to do this and hope you love it!
This is my second time to use this recipe. Almost 1400 grams dried fruits and nuts added on the batter. Instead of using 2 small pans, I used 20 x 20 non stick pan and everything goes well. Set the oven temperature to 180C for 60’and 160C for another 30′. The cake came out amazing. Thankyou for wonderful instruction.
I made this fruitcake last night, I am so excited to try it in a few weeks! I am concerned that it might not be boozy enough for my liking before Christmas hits… do you think it would be OK to rewrap the cake every 5-6 days instead of every 7? It would get at least one more infusion that way. Thanks for sharing!
Excited to hear what you think! Honestly, this cake is pretty boozy – you should really only rewrap the cheesecloth once it’s getting pretty dry, otherwise you could risk over soaking the cake and it becoming sort of crumbly. It’s your choice though! Hope you enjoy it, happy holidays!
This sounds like a better recipe than the store bought jellied fruit. But I didn’t see what temperature it should be baked. I definitely will try this recipe.
Also can I freeze it, how, and how long?
Hi! Please refer to step 2 in the full recipe box at the bottom of the post (for preheating and temperature info). You could freeze the baked and soaked fruitcake but honestly it stores so well and for so long in the refrigerator that I don’t see the benefit or reason to, but 3-6 months.
Just responding to keith’s comment from nov 21. Lofl, keith (who might be a woman), I suggest you assess your psychological problem before you begin assessing fruitcake.
Hi! Is it ok if I’m leaving the soaked fruit in the fridge for a while? Prepared it but apparently I won’t be having time to bake the cake right away 🙁
Yes that’s fine! It can also just be out in a cool dry space too.
Can gluten free flour be substituted?
It has not been tested with gluten free flour, so I cannot say for sure and guarantee a similar result or texture. If you do wish to experiment, use a 1:1 substitute like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup brand.
I love this, its amazing.
Amazing! Very similar to my family recipe, and I love the added ginger. I use a little more flour, and I use blackstrap molasses. Thank you very much for the wonderfully detailed recipe and instructions. I can also say that Cointreau is excellent for soaking with Brandy.
Heavenly!
Hi,
I don’t have unsweetened fruits, will sweetened dried fruits work? Thanks.
It’s not ideal – it really benefits from tarter dried fruit – but it would still work!
How do you think it would turn out if I use Bourbon VS Rum? (Had a bad experience with Rum as a teen & still shy away from it!!)
This could definitely work!
Is it possible to reduce the number of eggs or substitute 2-3 of the eggs? Thank you!
No, sorry! This cake needs eggs to help bind everything together because there is a LOT of dried fruit and not very much dry ingredients. Remember that this recipe yields 2 loaf cakes, not one. There is a possibility another option could work, but I cannot recommend it in good faith because it hasn’t been tested that way and I would never want you to go to the trouble of preparing this (and paying for the ingredients) for it to not turn out.
I’m excited to try this! If I were to substitute the all-purpose flour for gluten free flour do you foresee there being any issues with that?
I think it should be ok, but I haven’t tested it to know for sure. I would DEFINITELY use a 1:1 substitute blend, like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup.
I have made this recipe for the last few years, only alteration I’ve done is different alcohol and usually more than recommended, I have made large and mini loafs and just realized I had a mini loaf from last year in my refrigerator, it is just as good or maybe with age better.
I tried this and I must say, it’s far FAR away from “World’s Best” fruitcake. Actually, it sucks. It’s ugly to look at and doesn’t taste like any fruitcake I’ve ever had. Now I’m sure some like this, especially the person who’s cals it “World’s Best”. That’s certainly ok, but a disclaimer needs to be added. I ended up wasting time and money on a very lame fruitcake. I will keep and bake my own recipe, it’s sooooo much better and beautiful to look at too. 1 star for effort, but really that’s to many.
This is a family recipe, so your comment is pretty rude. “Best” and taste is always subjective and clearly hundreds of other people disagree with your assessment – so I’m sorry you didn’t like it, but I’m not sure why you strayed from your own recipe if you clearly already have a strong favorite. Happy holidays!
Wow. Such an unnecessarily cruel comment. Do you not understand the gravity of words and the impact they have on people? I honestly doubt that you even made this fruitcake. Are you trolling online, looking for opportunities to be cruel for no reason? Seriously, such pointless cruelty and disrespect.
There are a lot of recipies on the net I dont like.
I dont see the point of trolling around bashing them.
You would not make this comment face to face in front of the person.
please be a nice person.
Post your recipe if it’s so good.
Wow,Keith I’ve tried this recipe and I think it’s fabulous! Would love to try your recipe and directions.
Thank for providing a great FruitCake Recipe that others can enjoy without wasting time, fruits and our sanity!
Thank You
This has become our traditional family fruitcake. Every year I make it I have to increase the amount I make to satisfy our family. Amazing flavors, so complex and delicious. Very special.
I was wondering if I could feed the cake inside inside a seal a meal bag instead of wax paper and foil.
You still want to soak the cheesecloth and do those steps but the actual bag or container you store the cake in is of less relevance as long as it’s tightly wrapped.
Hi, how do I incorporate molasses into this recipe? Can I substitute the orange juice with a molasses and milk mixture? Please advise, thank you.
This recipe uses light brown sugar, which does contain *some* molasses, but not a lot. If you prefer darker, heavier molasses flavor, I would recommend substituting the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar and adding 1-2 tablespoons of additional molasses. While I haven’t tested that variation and can’t say for certain (molasses is heavily acidic and you’d also be adding liquids) I don’t see why that quantity added should be a big issue for this recipe.
Would there be a problem shipping the wrapped cake in cheesecloth/foil/plastic wrap or would that not work since it must be refrigerated? Thanks!
My mom does this regularly! It should be fine – I would send it priority mail at slowest and ideally it would be at a time of year in your climate where it isn’t too hot outside.
This is the best fruit cake recipe I have come across! I love cooking and after trying this recipe twice, I have adopted it and thrown out my recipe of 40 years! I did make some minor changes to suit my family, lessened the amount of sugar, w/o chocolate (put cocoa instead) and marinated the fruits for a month doubling the quantity of rum. Perfect for my family and friends – Thank you very much Laura, I intend to try the other recipes too.
ps: even my wife who is not too keen on fruit cake loves this one :0)
Hi! It’s time for me to make this cake again, but I got a slight problem. I cannot find sherry or triple sec. So, I would like to ask what could be a substitute of shery or triple sec? I live in the middle east, and these two are so difficult to find.
Btw, everyone loves this cake and they’re begging me to bake again this year. 😊
Can you find Grand Marnier or any other orange liquor? It’s hard to think of direct substitutes for either, but you could try brandy for wrapping! The flavors will obviously vary. So glad you’ve enjoyed the cake in year’s past. Thank you!
Thank you! Will try to find one.
The best recipe I’ve found so far. Making it making it again this year. One question though – Can I use rum instead of sherry or triple sec for wrapping
Sure! We like triple sec or sherry for flavor and it’s just a personal preference but absolutely.
You can substitute Port for the Sherry. Different flavours – Sherry is lighter; port is deeper / richer. Works well tho.
I am a horrible baker….but let me tell you now, THIS IS A GREAT RECIPE.
I followed the recipe to the T.
So far, I’ve made 6 fruitcakes this week….I anticipate many more as the years go on.
And, yes, the All Clad pans are a MUST!
This is wonderful. As the size of loaf tins can vary, how full would you fill each pan? 2/3’s. 3/4???
Hi Ray! This recipe specifically is designed for standard American 1 lb capacity loaf pan, roughly 9 inches x 5 inches. It will work for loafs pans that measure 8 x 4 inches as well (it does not rise significantly and is not at risk of overflowing). Based on these measurements, it fills about 3/4 at least up the sides of the pan, but again, this will be dependent on your loaf pan. If you scroll up in the post, there are photos of the batter unbaked in the pan.
How long can this age? Will the fresh apple start to cause it to spoil?
At least 6 to 8 weeks! (These details are in the recipe). As long as it is refrigerated and wrapped/soaked in alcohol, we have no issues. In fact, we’ve eaten it far later than that, but definitely use your best judgement if you do store it for a long time.
Hello! I made this fruitcake last year and my family and I enjoyed on Christmas Day.
I’ve always wanted to love fruitcake but felt it was something that we should detest and I wanted to prove it could be good and I really wanted to enjoy it. When I came across this recipe last year I just had to try. We are very glad we did.
This fruitcake is heavenly and we look forward to making it this year and for years to come. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
If anyone has ever had a bad experience with fruitcake, please give this recipe a try because it will surely change your mind!
I’m fascinated to see your method for storing the cake after baking.
I like to see what other people have as ingredients. Yours are really similar to most recipes.
I too have baked a fruit cake that my mother used to make, over the years I’ve added or subtracted ingredients.
I’ve never refrigerated my baked cake though, just “fed” it and kept it in a tin.
So interesting to read about other peoples methods.
My mother never refrigerated her fruit cakes, either. She would pour a little bourbon over the top and let it sit in a tin at room temperature. She’d add a little more bourbon or brandy every so often and it was always fine. I have done it both ways, refrigerated and room temp.
the last year i made another recipe , and i used amaretto instead and it really worked well, can i put tha cake in a plastic container????? thanks for the recipe, regards from Mèxico
Sure! If you’ve had success with amaretto feel free to use it! I would still wrap the cake well (using cheesecloth and foil as directed), but once that is done, you could definitely put it into a plastic container within the fridge. It needs to be refrigerated. Hope this helps!
Can I use brandy instead of rum?
Yes, you could definitely use brandy! It might taste stronger (depending on what brand you use, due to occasional higher alcohol %) but it’s another good option.
Hi Laura,
I made 2 fruitcakes last weekend (a larger heavy weight Wilton metal loaf pan) and 2 cakes today. My pans today are a 4*8 cheap metal and I baked them 75 minutes. I believe they are underdone. With all the Triple Sec soaking in the next few weeks, what are your thoughts on the outcome…edible or not? I checked the cake with a skewer, it pulled out cleanly.
Thank you for a great recipe,
Yvette
Can you bake this recipe in mini loaf pans?
Thank you
Yes, you definitely could! I haven’t made this recipe in mini loaf pans (simply because you usually want more, haha!), so I can’t give you specific bake time adjustments, but they will take significantly less bake time, so please watch them carefully in the oven.
Where can I get the dried fruit. All I can find is fruit that is candied or sweetened. I want to make this I have loooked for a recipe to try for years and this sounds like what I want
Trader Joe’s is the best resource. Raisins are a big bulk of the fruit and they are not sweetened more. You can certainly use sweetened fruit, just be aware that the cake will taste more sweet.
Try nuts.com for baking/nuts/ dried fruit, etc…they are a great company!
I can recommend http://www.bulkfoods.com. I have buying from them from years, huge selection, very fresh and they mail everywhere since they cater to military folks.
Ive made this fabulous rum fruit cake twice, its that good, thank you for sharing this recipe
after baking and wrapped can I freeze ? or it has to sit and marinade in the fridge?
Ideally it would stay in the fridge. Once it’s aged a bit, you could try freezing a portion and thawing it out (it is dense so it will take some time). Hope this helps.
I had to scroll so far down the page, and further, and further, that I eventually gave up, but good work with the advertising.
There is a ‘jump to recipe’ button at the very top of every recipe on my website. You are welcome to click that which will take you directly to the recipe box (and skip past the advertising that financially supports this site, my work, and access to free recipes).
You still managed to find your way to the comments section..
That’s exactly what I thought. And the comments are right down the bottom. After the recipe
In Yorkshire, we eat this type of fruit cake with a slice of mild, creamy Wensleydale cheese. Delicious!
Amazing fruit cake. The chocolate and the ginger made every bite a delightful surprise. I used 70% dark chocolate which added rich fruitynotes which complemented the cake nicely. The sherry cloth is also a must- the difference between day 1 and 7 makes it well worth the wait
I made this recipe for Christmas last year,I found it absolutely delishious,it takes a bit of effort,but my oh my well worth it.Thank you for sharing this amazing re ipe.
Best fruitcake I’ve ever tasted. My mother-in-law made this fruitcake and baked it in an angel food baking dish. It is quite heavy and large. She gave one to each of her four sons for a Christmas present. We always looked forward to getting it. My daughter made one this past Christmas and it was delicious. I highly recommend it!
Hi,
Thank you for this recipe. I found it a few years ago while trying to find a fruit cake recipe that would impress,as it’s my boyfriends favourite cake.
I have since made it every year with all his family in awe of it.
This year though.. I seem to have done something wrong… the cake has baked but it appears almost jelly like.. and not cakey… I have’t cut into it yet but it definitely looks different to the other times.
Have I added too much juice?
I’m certain all the ingredients were the exact amounts but possibly the juice I over did!
Thanks for any tips
Viv
Hi Viv! I’m honestly not sure. The juice should be 1/2 cup (yielding 2 loaf cakes). It sounds like there might have been some issues with some other ingredients?
Haven’t made it yet, but I’m going to soon! Very similar to one my mom used make and I can’t find recipe!
What brand of dark rum do you prefer
I’ve used Bicardi, but honestly any mid-quality brand should work! I wouldn’t go with the super expensive stuff for this part of the recipe.
This recipe is fantastic! Like those I’ve eaten in Asia and Europe! Is it possible to reduce the fruit or double the cake mixture? How long would that take to bake the loaves (9”x5”).
I made this and it’s wonderful. I’d like to mail one to my Dad. May I do that or does it need to be refrigerated?
If I can’t mail it, may I freeze it?
If you’re sending it soon (while it’s still cool outside), you can definitely get away with shipping it – just keep it refrigerated until then and send via 1-2 day shipping ideally. My mom has sent family fruit cakes over the years this way with zero issues!
Best fruit cake yet. Added the fruits i liked, everyone really enjoyed.
I just baked these amazing and wonderful fruitcakes using Kentucky bourbon instead of rum. We had to “taste test” before we age them wrapped in a bourbon cheesecloth and this cake is outstanding. Looking forward to a taste of the aged product ! This recipe reminds me so much of an old family favorite .
I haven’t actually made the fruit cake yet, and need some guidance before I proceed. I have prepared the fruit for my fruitcake (I have done an extra long soak in a mix of rum, cognac, bourbon, cointreau, and benedictine), and am now ready to start the cake. But I am really confused and am hoping you can offer some advice. Your recipe calls for a 1 1/2 c flour based batter for your amount of fruit. King Arthur calls for a 3 c flour based batter for roughly the same amount of fruit — about twice the batter you call for. Why are the recipes so different, and why does yours call for so much less better in relation to the fruit? Will this amount of batter hold the fruit? I don’t want my cake falling apart. Can you help me understand why the smaller batter is better?
Hi David. Sure! I’m not sure what answer you’re looking for, but suffice to say that these are just two extremely different recipes so it is sort of futile to compare the differences. There are a million ways to make fruit cake and their recipe is very different than this one in more than just one way. I will say that my recipe appears (visually – I have never made KA’s recipe for fruit cake) to be much more fruit-forward, and their fruit cake is less dense with fruit and is more cake-y. Their recipe also seems like it is a LOT sweeter and calls for some additional liquid, as well as a lot more sugar and butter, which would need to be counter balanced by more flour.
Perhaps their loaves are taller? Again, I don’t know what answer you’re looking for, but this recipe has been made by thousands of people (over years as well as hundreds of times in the past few weeks) and as you can see from the reviews, people really love it and haven’t had any issues! I hope you enjoy it as well, but ultimately it is your choice which recipe to make!
One additional note – my recipe measures dried fruit (by weight) when it is WHOLE, and then calls for chopping it for adding to the fruit cake. Their recipe calls for measuring/weighing the fruit in diced form. That is very different, so keep that in mind when you’re comparing recipes side by side – it isn’t always as clear cut as it may seem! Again though, it is futile to compare the recipes, they are just very different and that doesn’t mean that one doesn’t work, it just means they yield different types of fruit cake.
Thank you! I used your recipe and the cakes are in the oven!
Can I replace the rum with Baileys? Thank you in advance!
I personally would not for this recipe, it is really designed to be a clear alcohol, not a cream based one.
Oh my goodness!! Laura, I have been looking for a recipe for fruitcake as scrumptious as my aunt Pauline, (rest her soul) for decades! Her fruitcake was addictive even though she used the bright colored fruit. When I read about your version something told me that this was the one to try and, good Lord above! Yours is THE ONE! I just baked it today and had a tiny wedge before wrapping it up in triple sec but looking so forward to next Wed when I get to dive in! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Thank you so much!
Holly in TN
Thrilled to hear this, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! So glad you love it.
I baked the fruit cake a week before Christmas into 1 loft and 1 round cake pan, and drizzled rum over it twice every 4 days and then wrapped with baking paper and foil and placed in ziplock bag.
I put pecans and added some lemon icing on top before I served as New Year Eve celebration!
I must say the fruit cake is indeed the world best and my family loved it. It’s not too sweet, moist and full of fragrance!
Thank you so much for sharing and it will be my Christmas and New Year fruit cake from now on!
If directions are followed there will not be a problem with fruits and pecans separating from the batter. This is a wonderful cake. It was so popular my daughter is making a second one. Yumo!
It is Indeed the Best World Fruit Cake I have ever had. I made in total 4 cakes by mid October; sprayed them once a week with ‘Honey Whiskey’. The recipe is delicious, not exceedingly sweet. Thanks for this Christmas gift!!
I tried your recipe and was so pleased with the results I’m as I write preparing to do another set of fruit cakes. . I added ginger cardomom cloves and nutmeg to the second batch. Will see the outcome.. thank you so much
This fruitcake is superb and without equal. My mother-in-law made it for many years for her family and we treasured it highly. She made it in a tube pan . I’m sure the timing was different and it was very heavy. My daughter made it this year. It is still the best fruitcake on this planet!
My wife found this recipe that I’ve been trying to find for a very long time. It strikes me as a version of the fruit cake I had as a boy that was made by my great-aunt Marguerite (1892-1967). She got it from her Irish immigrant mother Ellen (1860-1941).
The recipe was on a flimsy note card written in pencil and ink, and filled with archaic measures: a gill of this, a glass of that, a shot (or two) of God knows what. I’m from Wyoming, so there must have been adjustments for high altitude baking.
I had the taste buds of 13 yo and liked it, probably because the adults did and it had booze in it. My younger sister loved it and still talks about it. As I write, I may (try to) make it for New Year’s.
I love hearing these kinds of stories, hope you love the fruit cake!
This is truly a fantastic recipe. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried making fruitcake and it came out just as good as I hoped.
And as a bonus, I was able to make it vegan by substituting vegan butter and using aquafaba instead of the eggs. No one even commented on the difference!
I made it in a bundt pan, cut it into three sections, took one section to Christmas dinner, ate most of a second section at home by myself (!) and wrapped and froze the third piece so I’ll have fruitcake later in the year.
It’s great!
Hi Laura ,
I loved yr recipe ,will try out but i need to ask how do you prevent fruits nuts mixture from settling down at the bottom while baking
This fruitcake was amazing! Firm, but moist and packed with all those delicious dried fruits. I might reduce some of the fruit next time in order to add more nuts, but it was certainly delicious as originally baked. Made it two weeks ago to serve on Christmas Eve. Thank you for the recipe!
Very happy to hear this!! So glad you enjoyed it – definitely feel free to substitute some of the fruit with more nuts if you want next time 🙂
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. Can I reduce the quantity of fruits? Would it affect the recipe?
Yes it will! I don’t recommend doing this for this particular recipe.
Trying out this recipe for the first time as a non fruitcake lover so I’m excited to taste this one with an open mind. I had a few questions however, as I am just getting started with my soaked fruits. We have a fig allergy in my household so I omitted those (also couldn’t get golden raisins sadly) and just put a total of 1160 g of dried fruits because I figured going by weight would be best for the batter ratio. Please let me know if that makes sense / is correct. Also I bought a 750 ml bottle of rum because there were no smaller ones and when I poured in that little rum, it barely was touching more than 10% of my fruit so I put the whole bottle in because that ended up being however much needed to cover every fruit. I realize this was probably a mistake but I might be able to drain/squeeze out all the rum minus 180 ml so weight-wise it will be the same. Will this work or have I completely messed up my cake?
I think it will be ok, but if there is any liquid-y alcohol leftover when you go to make the batter, strain it out. Otherwise the added liquid will affect the cake.
I remember my grandmother having candied fruit cake during the Christmas holidays. It looked pretty but, yuk it didn’t taste as good as it looked…besides it wasn’t chocolate.
I wanted to make a fruit cake for a friend and decided to look for a recipe with fruit that I liked. I found your recipe and baked up two cakes. One for my friend, and one that we could share when she stops for a visit on her way back home. to me the cake had good flavor, and the crunch from some of the fruit was satisfying.
Since I’ve never really had boozy fruit cake before I gave slices to friends who like fruit cake and they all said this cake was good or great. Thanks for sharing your family recipe.
Amazing!
How long to keep the cake outside from fridge before serving ?
I live in a cold place.
I just took it out of the fridge for re soaking but the cake is very hard.
I usually serve slightly chilled from the fridge – it should be stored in the refrigerator though. If it’s too cold for you, leave it out for an hour or two. It shouldn’t be hard per say, but it is a very solid, heavy cake, so I’m not sure if that’s what you mean!
I would like to start preparing to soak the mix fruits ready for tomorrow’s baking. Just wanna know what do I do with the pecans. Need to roast the raw pecan with sugar before I use it? Do I place it on top of the batter before I bake? Or half way through baking when I rotate the pan? Or when it’s ready hot out from oven just place on top and cool with the cake?
Do I Press it down to the fruit cake?
Sorry for the many questions.
Appreciate your kind advice.
Many thanks!
Hi! I cover this in the full recipe box above, the pecans on top are a decoration added after it is baked and only for serving – the cake should be wrapped and stored with alcohol prior to decoration.
BEST fruitcake recipe I’ve found!
My first – the BEST! This is something I can actually give as gifts! It’s wonderful.
Thank you!
Just made this, subbing orange juice for the alcohol as my family doesn’t drink. Even with the substitution, it was easily the best fruitcake I ever had, hands down. I love how much fruit is in it, and even without alcohol is not too sweet with some refreshing tartness. Thank you so much!
A question about storage—if made without alcohol, what would you recommend is the best way? Thanks!
So glad to hear this!!! I would still recommend wrapping tightly in maybe wax or parchment paper, then foil tightly and keeping in the fridge. It most likely won’t store as long as an alcohol soaked version – I would probably eat it in 2-3 weeks tops.
Dear Laura, I have been wanting this for ages, my aunt makes something similar but never shared her recipe with me and I’m so happy I found this and it tastes so much better than here’s. I ate one right away hot out of the oven. I took out the other one today a week later and it has a completely different taste. I soaked the cheese cloth again . The only thing I would add next time is a bit of caramel for colour, mine looks a bit pale. Thank you very much Laura for sharing your mother’s recipe.
You could try a touch of molasses too. This is a lighter fruitcake, some are dark fruitcakes – so there’s lot of variations!
Laura, I love a dark fruit cake so I’m really wanting to ‘add a touch of molasses’. How much would you recommend without altering consistency? Tia!
Hi Connie! The recipe uses light brown sugar, which does contain *some* molasses, but not a lot. If you prefer darker, heavier molasses flavor, I would recommend substituting the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar and adding 1-2 tablespoons of additional molasses. While I haven’t tested that and can’t say for certain, because molasses is heavily acidic and you’d also be adding liquids, I don’t see why that quantity added should be a big issue for this recipe.
Just pulled them out of the oven!!!! I made them as a present for my hard to buy for mom…. They smell wonderful!!!
We just put the loaf pans in the oven. Wow! What a production. Really looking forward to a great result. Could you please clarify the following:
Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, OR UNTIL THE BATTER IS SET AND THE TOPS ARE GOLDEN BROWN. Do we keep rotating the pans until the batter is set? Or do we bake until the batter is set? That comma and or make the directions on first reading after chopping and stirring and mixing and drooling and having the kitchen in a delightful mess just brought us up short.
Expecting a wonderful result
No, this means that the pans should be rotated halfway in baking process and the cake should be baked for that time range or until the visual indication (above) is met. The visual indication is always provided because time ranges can vary – it isn’t correlated to the rotating of the pan.
Hi – am I reading this correctly that I need to use 7 and 1/4 cups of dried fruit ?
Yes, that is roughly correct – this recipe yields TWO loaf cakes and requires a lot of dried fruit. Remember that dried fruit is not compressed when measured in volume cups (and the fruit should be measured whole, not chopped), so there is naturally air between pieces. I always recommend using metric weights for best accuracy, but there are not any errors or typos in this recipe!
I made two of these last year. We eat one last year and I froze the other for this year. We just had our first slice and every bit as moist and fantastic as last year. This is an amazing recipe.
Incredible! So happy to hear that. They really do last for so long! Haha!
I made this loaf back in 2014, adored it, and lost the recipe! I have been on the internet for 3 days searching! I almost gave up and then I found it! Book Marked it, printed it and saved it! Thanks so very much…it IS a fabulous rendition of an old family favorite. My mother would be so proud. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
I’m so happy to hear this and that you were able to come back here and find it again. I shared this recipe originally back then and updated it in the last two years, which is why the date has changed, but it’s an oldie and family favorite!
Does the baked fruitcake pictured in your blog have the apricot glaze on it? My cakes have been in oven 75 mins and still have a very light color/even a hint if remaining moistness in the very center…?
Yes, with the exception of the photos within the post that show the baked fruit cake in the pan. It is not a super dark looking cake once baked – you might be mistaking shadow, moodier photos for a very dark baked color. Either way, this might vary depending on your oven, pan (color of a pan will absolutely impact color of a baked good), and if you made any changes.
This recipe is fantastic!!! It is the world’s best!!! Thank you for a well written recipe with great photos & instructions. I will be making this again & again. Happy Holidays!
This makes me so happy, thank you Teresa! Happy holidays!
Hello, I wanna make this recipe but I’ve never seen candied ginger where I’m from, can I skip it without harming the flavour of the cake?
Yes! You can definitely skip this ingredient. I love the subtle hint of sweet spiciness it lends, but it isn’t necessary by any means. It’s delicious and if you wanted, you could add a touch of freshly grated ginger root (1 teaspoon to avoid over powering the cake!)
I’m wondering if I can use Brandy the same as the medium Sherry to wrap this fruitcake. It will be my first time making it and I bought Sherry, then thought I made a mistake and returned it for Brandy. It might be embarrassing to return the brandy to get the Sherry again, so I’m wondering if I can just use the brandy to soak the cheese cloth. I’d appreciate your advice on this as I’m not familiar with Brandy or Sherry.
Hi Linda! They’re definitely different in terms of flavor – Brandy is a bit more alcoholic, but both would be fine if you don’t want to worry about returning it!
This is a wonderful fruitcake. In your experience, can you use soak the fruit in more rum than 3/4 cup? I found the dried fruit was still dry after using only 3/4 cup?
Hmm. It might vary depending on the dried fruit you buy – sometimes dried fruit is older and newer! I tend to buy it at a Trader Joe’s and their dried fruit is very moist. You could increase to 1 cup. I worry about much more because it gets added to the batter and adding significantly more liquid will effect things. The fruit cake is very moist, so it shouldn’t be a big issue either way?
I enjoyed making this fruit cake! They turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to try it in about a week:-) thanks
Hi there your cake looks gorgeous ❤️I was wondering if I can put less fruit will it make a difference to the cake ??
Yes! This is intended to be a very fruit heavy cake and there is little actual batter aside from the fruit, so you’ll end up with smaller loaves and I don’t really recommend it!
Hi can I leave the cake wrapped in the cheese cloth outside and not in the refrigerator?
Since its cool inside home I was wondering or would refrigeration would be ideal? Thanks
Refrigeration is ideal (unless you have a cold cellar) if you’re storing for any serious length of time. If you were to wrap it in marzipan and cover with Royal icing, it would be stable to leave out at room temperature for weeks/months.
I just made your fruitcake! It was the first fruitcake I have ever made. I never thought I would make a fruitcake because my past experience in tasting fruitcake was not pleasant. However, an elderly neighbor asked me to make a fruitcake for her. So, after looking at multiple fruitcake recipes, I chose yours because liked that yours used 5 eggs and the ingredients in general looked better than any other recipe I researched. Additionally, The history of your cake and the story about your mother made me feel certain that this fruitcake was worth the money, time, and effort. I was not disappointed. Your fruitcake lives up to its name!
Thank you. Sincerely, Hope
Hi there
Looking to make my first fruit cake tomorrow !
Does the oven have to be preset to any particular setting ie fan bake or standard setting ?
Many thanks ,
Fruit cake skeptic 🙂
Standard! I’ll always specify if something should be cooked/baked using convection (fan). Hope this helps!
Fantastic. For the 2 cups of dried fruit I used citron rind and nectarine. I was out of cheesecloth so I left them in the glass loaf pans, poked holes in them with a skewer, then sprinkled Luxardo liqueur on top. Covered with foil and put in the refrigerator. I’m having a hard time stopping myself from eating it the whole thing.
I have never eaten fruitcake and had no idea what I was making but I could remember when I was little that when Granny bought everyone fruitcake for Christmas…. as soon as she left the house, everyone took their fruitcakes to my dad. He loved fruitcake! So I gave this recipe a whirl and I used dates as one of my alternatives to nuts. HUGE success! He loved it! His friends even paid me the highest compliment saying it was even better than their moms recipe! Thank you for this wonderful recipe for us to enjoy!!
Hi can I bake this cake in bake n serve tins.. Making a batter at once and then emptying them separately
Not sure what you mean by emptying them separately? But if you’re referring to disposable (aluminum) baking loaf pans, then yes, you could!
This recipe is AMAZING, sublime and oh-so-satisfying. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to do it all over again.
Absolutely delicious. My friends are asking to take some home but NOPE! Maybe next year. Have to make more.
Haha!!! Totally understand that sentiment. Thanks so much Suzanne!
I can’t drink alcohol straight, as I like the enzyme to break it down, but I love cooking with it and use wine in French cooking and Marsala wine in making chicken marsala. Is there a sweet sherry that I can substitute for the brandy or will it taste very different? Does the brandy burn off the way wine does when I sauté meats/fish with it?
Or I was thinking of soaking it in Japanese mirin, which is a sweet cooking wine like thing that is very popular and used in daily food prep.
Thank you
Hi! This recipe doesn’t use brandy. It calls for rum or sherry. Not sure if you got confused by a comment or something in the recipe? I would not use mirin.
Hi!
I am about to make this but was wondering if I could substitute Cointreau for the soaking process as that’s what’s available to me at the moment. thank you and Merry Christmas !!
Yes! That’s great. Hope you enjoy it!
I am glad I found your recipe … This fruitcake is indeed the world’s best fruitcake. I baked it on Friday night (after soaking the dried fruits for 24 hours) and had a small slice the next day. Wow! The fruitcake is moist and delicious (not crumbly and dry). This recipe is a keeper. I am making my second batch this weekend. Thank you for sharing your family recipe.
My fruits sank at thebottom what should be done to avoid sinking of fruits soaked in orange juice
I’ve never had this problem with this cake, it has a huge amount of fruit, so it should be suspended in the entire batter (because the batter is mostly fruit). The orange juice shouldn’t be related – my only thought is that the fruit was left in too large of chunks or another change has been made?
Hey, so I really want to do some with alcohol, but also I assume that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate, so probably not for kids right? Also for some of my family need to keep the ABV level low, so should I wrap in juice soaked cloth? Or if I put in oven for a few minutes before serving would that evaporate it without ruining the quality of the cake? Also I saw that most people age their fruit cakes for at least a month, so does the two weeks still give it some really good flavor though?
Hi! Fruit cakes are probably not going to be a hit with kids – whether they’re soaked or not. Some kids will like them, but I don’t think of them as a treat that most kids will appreciate or gravitate too, whether it is soaked or not, haha. They’re best suited for adults. I would not soak any baked fruit cake with fruit juice – I don’t think it will improve flavor, which is the point of the alcohol. Do not put it in the oven before serving.
If you can age your fruit cake for more than 2 weeks that’s great, but I don’t want people to think that they have to make this cake months in advance for it to be delicious! I generally find 2 weeks to be ideal and what I strive for at minimum, but I still think it’s worth making. Plus, we generally enjoy leftovers well into January too.
Hi Laura. Planning to bake the cake for this christmas. I have a few doubts though. My mumma used to mince her dried fruits, when making her fruit cake recipe. In your recipe, the dried fruits are advised to be chopped and nothing is mentioned about the raisins.
So chopped means roughly with the knife or food processor chop. Also should I add the raisins as whole as it is?
One more, I don’t have a big oven so can I bake the cake in two batches or will the waiting time affect the batter?
Kindly help me out .Thanks in advance.
You can chop the fruit into even smaller pieces if you wish, but raisins are generally small and are perfectly fine being added as is (this recipe does NOT call for jumbo raisins and if you are using those, I would chop them). Alternatively, you can seek out Zante currants (a variety of raisin) and those are very very small and great.
The recipe does call for a fine chop of almost everything – but I like the varying texture personally! This is up to you, but use metric weights for best results either way. You should most likely be fine with the batter being held as one cake bakes. Baking powder is usually double-acting, so you might lose a tiny bit of activation, but it will be activated again when exposed to heat. Hope this helps!
Baked the cake and I have no words to describe it. Trust me I am not a fan of fruit cake. I just wanted to do this for my husband but it’s unbelievably tasty. That tip you shared about serving it ,with a spread of salted butter, just makes it even more better. Now both my husband an I are sneaking in for a bit of the cake every now and then, I am worried if anything will be left for the guests on Christmas. Thanks a lot. Love you. Merry Christmas.
Can you exchange the Rum for Brandy? We have an old recipe for fruit cake but it makes so many loaves so a nice small recipe would be lovely. But the old recipe Includes Brandy which everyone prefers.
Thanks!
Sure! If you’ve used it before and enjoyed it, that should be fine.
hey, Laura…I posted a question a few days ago and got your good answer: thanks! Here’s a thought: why not mix the dry powdered spices [cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger] in with the Rum and then mix that with the chopped dried fruits? actually, here’s another question: how does wrapping the already baked loaves in alcohol soaked cheesecloth cut the sweetness? [I believe that comment is posted below]. wouldn’t it add sweetness?
You could do the spices that way, but I don’t see why it would positively impact the loaves – spices bloom in fat typically, not alcohol. It won’t make much or any noticeable difference, and it’s just not a typical way to develop a recipe.
Alcohol cuts sweetness (even if it’s slightly sweet itself) so if you soak the loaves, it absolutely helps cut some of the sweetness vs. not doing this step at all.
Hi Laura, this is my first time making this recipe. For the ingredients calling for a teaspoon, should we use a measured teaspoon or an average teaspoon?
Hi! Measured – everything on my site should use measured teaspoons/tablespoons as indicated (if grams are not present for that item – basic teaspoons vary a ton in size and are not standard!). Hope this helps and hope you enjoy it!
The recipe I printed doesn’t list how many eggs are needed. Can you let me know?
Thank you
Hi! It does list the eggs – it is right under “light brown sugar”. This recipe calls for 5 large eggs.
I’m sorry for the multiple questions, it’s my first time and I’m nervous.
The large eggs I have are 60gm each
Do I use only 4 Eggs then ?
That is generally the standard weight for US large eggs, you’ll want to use the full amount. Hope this helps!
I’ve got one more question, would it be alright to add 2 cup of booze for soaking? The alcohol seems to be way too less compared to the amount of dried fruits.
Hi! Can I half the recipe to make just one loaf cake?
Sure, but it will be a bit tricky in terms of the egg quantity and I definitely recommend making two (and gifting one, etc.) – it just is a better investment of time 😀 If you are halving the recipe, I always, always recommend using metric weights provided – I recommend this always, but even more so when you’re changing yields.
Hey
I’m baking a fruit cake for the first time. I just have a few questions:
1. What temperature do I need to bake at when using a convection counter top oven?
2. Can I use a 8*8 aluminium square pan to bake this recipe?
Or is silicon pan okay?
3. Is it granulated or powdered brown sugar?
Thanks a bunch ❤️
Sorry, but this cake is really intended to be made in a loaf pan and yields 2 – a square pan (just one) would not be big enough and would be too thin. I am not familiar with your countertop oven, so I can’t make recommendations aside from my recipe. Light brown sugar is a variety of sugar (versus dark brown sugar) – it is not powdered.
Hello,
I am baking this cake this weekend. I intend to make one big one instead of 2 loaves. Can I use an 8inch tin for the full amount of the batter and if so, how long should I bake it for?
Thanks.
It would depend on how deep the 8-inch tin is, sorry, I can’t really offer much more specifics without more information! If it’s a normal cake pan, no, it would not be big enough. A normal loaf pan takes about 4 cups of volume (and this recipe produces two) – you’d need to calculate the volume capacity of your baking dish and adapt from there. I’ve had people make this in a tube and bundt pan with success though.
Made this fruit cake recipe last year for my grandma and it was a big hit! Making it again this year for her and another one for my great uncle. I can never find dried peaches so I just use all dried apricots, use walnuts instead of slivered almonds and use the triple sec for soaking. Thank you for posting such a great recipe!
So happy to hear this!
Hello! I am just confused about the amount of dried fruits, the recipe calls for one batch of soaked fruit mixture, is that all of the fruit written above or just a portion of it? I’m planning to make this recipe this weekend. ❤️
Yes, all of the fruit written in the first portion of the recipe.
hello! this recipe looks so so amazing and I am very excited to try it. my boyfriend’s mom loves fruit cake so I want to make it for her for christmas, but unfortunately she can’t have eggs or gluten. there are loads of 1 to 1 gluten free flour mixes which I assume are okay to use (and a super easy substitution to make!). my question for you, however, is do you have a suggestion on what egg substitute to use? I have been doing a bit of research but I don’t have much experience with substituting eggs. I was thinking of using flaxseed or chia seeds, but wanted to get your opinion. thanks! (:
Hi! A 1:1 flour substitute (such as Bob’s Red Mill) would definitely work, but I would not recommend using a flax or chia seed egg substitute for this recipe – there are just too many eggs, they play a really important structural role, and I really don’t think a substitute would work well for this. The recipe just was not created or meant to have that type of substitution. I would hate for you to waste ingredients or time to end up with a not good result! I wish I could be more helpful, but unfortunately can’t make that recommendation.
Hi Nikita and Laura. I am a whole year late on this reply, having just made this great recipe yesterday. I am also vegan and gluten free and I used about 12 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chick peas) as a sub for the eggs and it worked beautifully. My cake is super moist, but it holds together well and is delicious. If you’re not familiar with aquafaba it is high in protein and works well as an egg replacement. There’s lots of info on the internet if you google it. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 for the flour and I also used vegan butter.
I don’t have an answer about the flour but I used 2tbsp JUST Egg Substitute per egg and it turned out great.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing this insight.
It came out perfectly! I kept it in the fridge for two weeks, re-soaked the cheesecloth with Triple Sec twice, and it’s wonderful. I plan to make twenty of them for Christmas! I run a home bakery.
Hello! I chopped and soaked my fruit last night and am getting ready to bake today. Just wondering…can I soak the cheesecloth in rum when wrapping the cakes? I like the flavor and would rather not buy another bottle of booze (triple sec or sherry)since I have the rum already.
Sure!!! I prefer the others which is why I use them, but it is a personal choice.
For some reason, this is the first failing recipe I made. It came out bulky, and doesn’t taste good at all!
If by bulky, you mean dense, that’s to be expected. This is a very traditional fruit-heavy fruit cake so it is intended to be dense but it’s still delicious and it’s own thing. Sorry to hear you didn’t like it though.
If Not using alcohol after baking and using a light apricot glaze plus decorative pecans, how can I pack and box the cake for 2 weeks (will be unpacked and served fully after exactly 2 weeks) without it getting moldy (as this is moist)? As this is for a baking contest, alcohol coating at the end is not allowed per rules. I need to bake exactly 2 weeks before the contest given my availability.
I wouldn’t personally do the glaze and pecan topping that far out of serving fully, simply because it won’t look as good after 2 weeks (it is really only intended as a presentation effect) – but if the cake itself is covered and kept in the refrigerator, it will certainly NOT get moldy.
Alternatively you could cover with marzipan and royal icing if you’re looking for a more traditional presentation. Otherwise I would keep it simple. Sorry, that’s the best advice I can offer for your situation!
As another commenter posted I am marinating the fruit as I read the comments…I doubled up the recipe (I am gifting to 3 siblings :p) and noticed that the amount of rum is small in comparison to the amount of fruit. The fruit in the top 2/3 of the bowl is not in contact with any rum. Does the rum naturally diffuse through all the fruit or did I miss something? Should I stir occasionally while it is marinating to distribute the rum?
You’ve definitely stirred well, correct? You can also try putting it in a more wide shallow bowl – a very tall bowl with a narrow base would cause more of that. But no, it’s definitely not supposed to be FULLY soaked in alcohol because we’ll be added it straight to the batter (no straining), it doesn’t need much to plump up, which is the true purpose along with flavor.
For those interested in making mini loaves, I put my batter into 5 1/2″ x 3 1/4″ x 2 1/4″ loaf pans (six pans total) and baked the pans on a cookie sheet for 73 minutes (to an internal temperature of 205 degrees). I also used parchment “slings” and so was able to easily remove the cakes from the pans as soon as they were out of the oven.
Please let me know how to make this wonderful cake without alcohol!
My elderly mother can’t have any, but she so looks forward to her Christmas fruitcake!
Thank you.
Hi Katie! I’ve had this question before. While the flavor will not be the same, you could try soaking the dried fruit in something like orange juice (or even apple juice). I haven’t personally tested this variation, so I can’t speak to the flavor, but functionally it will plump up the fruit in the same way. However, the alcohol should cook off – you’ll notice the flavor – if that’s what you’re concerned with.
You’ll need to skip the soaking of the cake once baked entirely. This might impact it’s shelf life and will result in a slightly less moist cake, though again, this cake is VERY moist! Again, the overall flavor will be different than what I intended for this recipe, but is totally an option and will still be good! I’ve gotten this question many times over the years. Hope this helps!
Just here to say- I’ve baked 10 of your fruit cake recipe so far and planning to do at least 20 (yes, TWENTY) more! That’s how good your recipe is thank you so much for sharing it with all of us 🥰
I don’t have a stand mixer. Can a handheld one work just as well?
Yes, definitely!
I made these fruit cakes to send to my brothers for their Christmas present. One went to London and was very well received and enjoyed over the Christmas season. The other one was sent to Portugal where it sat in customs for several weeks, however when it eventually arrived my brother said it was still really delicious. I intend to bake them again this Christmas but keep one of them for myself!
what happens if I do not wrap the baked loaves in alcohol soaked cheesecloth? and store in refrigerator wrapped in paper and foil?
It won’t have quite the same amount of flavor and will be slightly less moist. I definitely recommend a light soak for a week, but you could always try a slice and then decide to wrap or not wrap it.
I’m wondering if you think I could substitute fresh frozen cranberries for the tart dried cherries. Your thoughts appreciated…cheers
I think you could, but they don’t offer the same texture or even sweetness (frozen cranberries are much sweeter and will pop once baked). I recommend making it as is, but a small amount of fresh cranberries should probably be fine!
Too many raisins, IMHO.
Hi Laura, I am planning on making this cake tomorrow! I am going to be making a 3d santa cake. I will need the tins to be 6″ round tins. Could you tell me how much batter I should put in the tin or how deep approximately (I appreciate that this is a tricky question!) Also, can I decorate right away in ganache/buttercream or marzipan and then sit at room temperature until Christmas day? Thank you so much, Lindsey.
Hi – you’ll probably end up with just enough (assuming your cake pans are 6 inches wide and 2 inches deep) for two 6-inch cakes. I’m basing this is on volume equivalents, but have never tested it for that type of pan, so I can’t give more specifics than that. I would also check the bake time, because I’m assuming it will not take as long.
In addition, this cake is really designed to be eaten as a fruit cake, so if you’re storing it OUT, you would need to cover it with marzipan and then royal icing. I would only do this after it has soaked for at least a week. That is the only way that this cake can be stored at room temperature, otherwise it needs to be refrigerated. Ganache and buttercream is not stable or safe to leave out at room temperature for weeks (not even more than a few hours). Hope this helps!
Question-I don’t like nuts of any kind in baked goods. Do I have to use them? Can I crush them up? I’d use cashews then….
Also-I don’t want to use raisins. I’m sure I’ll still have enough dried fruit though with small increases in the others right?
You can leave out the nuts or crush them (or use cashews). In terms of raisins, that’s fine – but definitely substitute equal metric weight of another dried fruit variety – preferably chopped small to mimic a similar texture.
How far from the top of the pan should I fill with mixture. I don’t want it to overflow.
The batter should be divided evenly among the two loaf pans – roughly 3/4 to 1-inch from the top, but that would depend on what size loaf pan you choose to use. Don’t worry, this cake does not rise significantly at all.
Is it ok to soak the fruit mixture for 2 weeks or longer? Does it impact the cake in anyway? I soaked the mixture and had to leave the country for an emergency. I came back and realized what had happened. I tried the mixture and it takes very strong, I like it but wanted to confirm before I spent all that time baking it. I personally know a few people who soaks it for months!
Hi, there is no reason to soak the fruit for more than 24 hours! It really is to plump up the fruit and almost all of the alcohol is absorbed within that time. I don’t see why you couldn’t use it though – especially since the fruit is baked in the final cake. Definitely go ahead and bake with it!
Hi there!
This looks yum!
Not sure where I’ll find Golden raisins. Can I double up on the dark ones?
Thanks in advance.
Merry Christmas!
They’re actually fairly easy to find (usually next to the regular raisins) but you could double up if you can’t find them!
Just moved house and oven has options for top and bottom heat or fan or thermofan. Please advise which should I use ? In past have used top and bottom heat.
Top and bottom? I honestly don’t know because I’m not familiar with the type of oven you have. I would not use convection unless you are turning down the preheat temperature by 25F degrees.
Hi, I’m really excited to try out your recipe. If I wish to give these loaves to friends and family, do I have to make sure the loaves are still wrapped in the soaked cheesecloth? Or is it possible to remove the cheesecloth after a week of wrapping and maybe wrap the loaves in clingfilm thereafter? Thank you in advance for your advice!
Ideally the cakes would soak for a week or two, but you could definitely do this – just keep it in mind it might not have quite as much of an aged flavor! Foil for this cake is best than plastic wrap – so maybe gift in a nice way but tell them to wrap tightly for their own storage.
Hi, thank you so much for your prompt reply to my earlier query. I have another question – the recipe states that the loaf tins should be on the centre rack. This means that the top of the tins will be pretty close to the heating element, yes?
I was afraid the tops would burn, so I placed the rack one level below the centre mark. However, I had to add time to get a more golden brown finish and unfortunately, that caused the top of the cakes to crack a little. I would really appreciate some clarification on this matter. Thank you! ☺️
Hi Lizzie. Typically baked goods should always be baked on the center rack in a standard oven, because it’s where heat is the most even generally. Although based on your comment, it sounds like you’re baking in a very small capacity oven (are you based in Europe?) or in a countertop oven. Is this accurate? A normal loaf tin shouldn’t be super close to the heating elements if you’re using the oven below a standard range/cooktop. I don’t know the equipment you’re working with, so of course, everyone’s experience might vary a bit, but that’s the standard that is generally used when people develop recipes!
The top of the cake shouldn’t crack on this cake – I wonder if it was due to fruit not being cut small enough, etc. Really, you should be looking for more of the batter being set, than a particular color, but generally that is lightly golden brown. Did the rest of the cake come together similarly as stated or were other changes made?
Hi Laura, sorry for the late reply but I have since made 4 more loaves of your cake for friends and family and they have all LOVED it. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe and being so prompt and detailed in your answers to my questions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Very happy to hear this! Thank you!
Hi… can I add molasses to this recipe to make it darker?
Hi! It’s fairly dark as it is. I personally wouldn’t do this because molasses is essentially sugar and adding more sugar (to an already rich cake) definitely changes things. But you could substitute the light brown sugar for dark brown sugar for a touch more of that flavor.
With an abundance of persimmons this year I made Hoshigaki (dried persimmon). Having so many dried persimmon, I thought a great way to use the fruit would be a fruitcake which lead me to this recipe. This recipe is fabulous. After separating the batter in half I made one fruitcake with chocolate and the other fruitcake without it. My preference is without chocolate. I think the chocolate distracts from the fruit. My daughter and wife prefer it with chocolate. We tasted the fruitcake after it had aged for a week and can’t wait to try it at Christmas after the flavor develops further. Thanks for sharing a great recipe. Now to figure out what to do with the hundreds of dried persimmon I have left 🙂
Seems like a blessing to have so many! I only recently learned about Hoshigaki and found a farmer who makes them and then sells them. So while you’re drowning in dried persimmon, I’m waiting for mine to arrive. (By the way, they were about $50 for 12 Hoshigaki!)
Hi, I’m looking forward to trying your recipe. I’m wondering if I can put in some fresh pineapple?
I haven’t done this before, but I don’t see why you couldn’t add a touch – just be careful because pineapple has a high sugar percentage and that, combined with all the added moisture, could have an impact if added in large quantities.
I just put them in the oven. I did not use the pineapple and I added currants and dried barberries in place of dark raisins. I was just a bit shy of enuf orange juice so I topped it up with Gran Marnier.
A few years ago I put some dried fruit and clove, cinnamon, and candied ginger in a jar and doused it with whatever was on hand. Brandy probably. Every year I use some and top it up again. Gets better every year so it went in with your recipe until I had enuf grams.
Can’t wait to see how this tastes. Never made fruitcake before.
Had some once that consisted of densely packed whole Brazil nuts. Delish. Would love that recipe. Have you ever seen that type of holiday cake?
Can you add nuts to this cake?
This cake already contains some nuts, but yes, you could switch up the kind or use a touch more!
Can you add nuts to this cake?
I used this recipe to bake my first fruit cake ever. I have never eaten a homemade fruit cake. I was making this for a friend’s Mom. All I have to do is wrap them up. But had to do a taste test. It turned out good. I recommend this recipe for sure.
That’s an amazing recipe
I will give it a try.
Cathrine
This is my 2nd year making this marvelous fruit cake… I’ve dabbled in so many recipes in the past, but this for now is my absolute favourite.
I don’t think I will resort to any others 😉
So very happy to hear this! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, means a lot. Happy holidays! ☺️
My fruit is marinating as I type this since last night and will put this together once i get home from work. Thanks for the recipe!
Thrilled to hear that!
Hi Laura,
I’m very excited to try this recipe out. Your cake looks delicious and you have given some excellent tips. I am hoping to make quite a few for gifts. I was wondering, can you store them outside the fridge in air tight containers. Just thinking, I do not have enough fridge space to store the amount of cakes I want to make.
Kind regards
Lucy
Hi! Ideally these should be stored in the fridge or at the least a very cold cellar (does anyone have one of those these days? 😅) if they’re being aged for a while. With the amount of sugar and alcohol, they’re pretty safe – but I don’t want to advise something against food safety guidelines.
Alternatively, if you wrapped with marzipan and royal icing – they can be stored for an EXTREMELY long time at room temp.
Hello, I’ve been looking for a fruit cake recipe and read all the great reviews about your recipe; but I have a question is it really almost 7 cups of dried fruit you need for this recipe? Or I misread.
Thank you
Yes! This is correct. The recipe yields two loaf cakes though and is very dried fruit heavy! I recommend using metric weights for best results, but the cup measurements are accurate.
Hi Laura- I work in a Long Term Care home and we are going to be making some homemade fruitcake in our baking program along with some reminiscing and history of fruitcake etc. I have looked at several recipes as well as my Grandma’s recipe and I am torn as to which one I should do. Time is the issue as well I am wondering about leaving out the alcohol??? (oh the horrors of leaving out the alcohol! haha). My Grandma’s recipe calls for grapefruit juice in it instead. Can I substitute the alcohol for grapefruit juice in your recipe??? I will be doing this tomorrow with my residents (Tuesday, Nov. 23rd).
If you see this before that do you mind sending me a quick reply please? Thanks!
Hi Lisa! Thanks for your question! Ideally, this cake should age for at least a week or two before serving. The alcohol really lends it a unique and wonderful flavor and aroma, but I’ve had people leave it out! I have never used grapefruit juice. Honestly, if you’ve had success with that in other recipes, it might work for this – I just can’t really say for sure, because the recipe wasn’t tested with that intention or variation, and the flavor will be very different. I wish I could be more helpful!
In the past, I’ve suggested soaking the fruit in orange juice or something of that sort too. You could also dilute the alcohol if you’re worried about it being too strong (substitute half the soaking alcohol with water, and that could help?). I always recommend making the recipe as written though for best results.
How kind you are replying almost immediately to this question. Not many bloggers would be so thoughtful!
‘Tis the season for fruitcake. I can’t wait to get baking! I’ve been searching on line for quite awhile hoping to find the best recipe and, according to the reviews, this may be the one. But before I begin, can you please tell me how long it should be baked in a 12 cup Bundt pan? Looking forward to posting a rave review.
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas & Happy Baking
Hi Jan! I haven’t personally tested this cake in a bundt pan – although I know other people have with great success – so I can’t give you an exact bake time. I would suggest keeping an eye on it, checking after 1 hour and every 15 minutes or so afterwords. I would assume it will take at least 75-90 minutes, but I don’t want to give a high estimate because it’s best to be more cautious and check on the early side.
I do plan on testing this cake again next fall in a bundt pan and will plan on adding specific notes regarding bake time when I do! Hope this helps and hope you love it!
Just a note for Jan, that I did this recipe last year in a large round springform cake pan and it worked wonderfully! I think it did take 75 min to cook so do leave longer than an hour, just in case!
So helpful, thanks Sandy!
I’m not a cook, but I made this fruitcake last night because my mother loves fruitcake but is allergic to corn, and I couldn’t find any that weren’t loaded with high fructose corn syrup.
I changed a few things, some out of necessity and some just to see what would happen. It all turned out very well! Again, I have minimal experience in the kitchen. I think this recipe is very versatile and can be adjusted to suit your tastes.
I used cupcake liners in muffin pans for about half the batter (about 24 small cupcakes) and put the other half in a loaf pan. Didn’t change cooking times because I’m pretty ignorant about that kind of thing, just popped them in the oven together.
My house smelled HEAVENLY while it was baking. The cupcakes came out more like thick cookies or brownies, because I didn’t know how much it would rise if at all (I did mention I’m new to this, right?), and the loaf came out perfect. I broke the rules and tried it warm and it was delicious! I decided aging the cake is for more accomplished (and disciplined) bakers, and we’re eating it now. Mother-approved. Fool-proof. This is going in the recipe box. I need to start a recipe box.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, that’s the best source for dried fruit – there is no additional sugar added at all and that’s what I always recommend. Glad you were able to adjust and enjoyed it!
When you say soak in cheesecloth moistened with triple sec or sherry- do yo have a preference? Also when you say sherry, could you list brands. Dry, sweet, cream? This will be my first time making fruitcake so complete novice here. Thank you Looking forward to making and sharing it this holiday season.
Hi Christine! Great questions. Honestly, they both have different flavor profiles – our family tends to use sherry more, but triple sec is great (and if you love orange, I would go with triple sec!) choice as well. I do list more details in the recipe box, you’ll want to use a medium sherry (medium dry). It will list that on the bottle. Alvear and Savory & James are brands we’ve used, but we’re not brand loyal, so anything in the mid-range quality wise would be a good choice. You might not have a ton of options, depending on your liquor store.
For Triple Sec, I would probably go with Cointreau. A good reliable choice. If you really want to take it up a notch, Grand Marnier would be delicious, but it’s a lot more expensive obviously. Again, mid-quality is best, nothing too cheap, but I don’t know if top shelf is needed here.
Hope this helps!
So very helpful!!! Thank you so much!
In 1984 my boss was received the absolute best rum fruit cake for Christmas. Every year since I have tried a monastery brand or a street brand ….pretty much everyone I find and I was always disappointed. So I decided to make some. I found this recipe and struck gold! It is moist. It tastes wonderful. And I have had friends and family who were your typical fruit cake naysayers try it and they are now fruit cake aficionados. Make it. You will not be disappointed!
Thrilled to hear this! Thank you!
Hi ive got a couple of questions- why does my cake not look as brown and rich as yours despite using the exact same measurements with the only different thing being I used bleached flour (can only find that here). I am planning to feed my fruit cake once a week until Christmas- will it stay fresh for that long?
Thank you in advance for your reply!
Another question- how does this bake in a 1lb loaf pan?
Hi! I’m not sure what you mean by rich looking – did you use metric weights? Also, what do you mean, how does this bake in a 1 lb loaf? This recipe yields 2 (9 x 5 inch) loaves. But every type of dried fruit can vary a bit and ovens also vary. Sorry I can’t be more helpful, I’m just not sure what you mean by your questions at the moment!
Hi Laura, first, thank you (and your mom) for sharing this lovely recipe with us. I can’t wait to try it. I have been making Alton Brown’s fruit cake recipe for years but can’t resist trying yours this year due to all the wonderful reviews. I am planning to make 3 cakes, 1 for our holiday family gathering, 1 divided up to give away in my cookie platters for neighbors and 1 reserved for after the holidays. In prior years, I have used rum, brandy, and triple sac for my fruitcakes. This year I would like to use whisky…”why?” you may ask… Not that I like whisky in particular, but …I was helping my 90 year old mom clean out her cupboards last week and found close to 10 bottles of whisky that were given to her by various visitors from years past. I guess that’s what people do back in the days. Any how, I was wondering if you have any thoughts on replacing the rum and brandy/triple sac with the whisky. Would it be more flavorful to use 2 different types of liquor for soaking and basting ? Would it taste too strong if I use only whisky for both purposes?
Also would like to bring your attention to the area of the recipe where one can change the quantity of the recipe. I noticed that when I tried to size up the portion in the “Print Mode”, the ingredients listed in metric/grams measurements do NOT adjust, only the “cups” measurements changed. Just want to point that out.
I am going to start cutting and macerating the dried fruits tomorrow so the cakes have plenty of time to age and develop before Christmas. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks so much Karen! I’m really excited to hear what you think of it, and am honored that you’re changing up your usual routine to try our family recipe. I hope you love it. I totally understand the temptation to use up the whisky that your mom already has on hand, but I don’t think it’s ideal (unless you’re a big whisky fan!).
Dark rum is just so much more delicate (in a good way!) in flavor and brandy is much better suited for baked goods too. If you were going to use whisky at all, I would only use a small amount – I don’t see a huge benefit in using two kinds, personally, or at least whisky being one of them – and use it for soaking the fruit, NOT soaking the cake.
Thank you for bringing the recipe (automatic sizing) print function to my attention! I actually have to manually input all of my metric weights, because they are not automatically created – they are tested – which is why it won’t automatically adjust those numbers, since they are a custom field. It is a customization print option that I share, but don’t really encourage using, because it doesn’t have the ability to adjust the equipment instructions (four loaf pans vs. two loaf pans) in the recipe.
I’m going to have my website designer and developer look at this and see if we can come up with a solution, it is frustrating for me too and I don’t want it to cause issues for anyone, but the options are limited (I could remove that sizing up/sizing down feature entirely, which might be the best solution for now, but might be frustrating for others). In the meantime, I would definitely recommend printing the standard recipe and writing in the double quantities, just to avoid confusion when you’re following! I also strongly recommend using metric weights for this recipe, especially when doubling, it will make the whole process much faster!
Appreciate your comment!
I just used this recipe (a second time) and it’s indeed a wonderful one! I am aging the cake for a week, as recommended, soaked in Triple Sec and will serve to guests this weekend. However, wanted to know how much earlier should I bring it out of the refrigerator before serving? And should I warm it up a bit before serving? Thanks!
Hi! It prefer it slightly chilled from the refrigerator, but you could also leave it out and let it come to more room temperature. I would not warm it up, personally, but I think this is subjective choice, so maybe try it all three ways 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Great fruit cake! I didn’t change anything. I decided to give it a try because of the infamous wrap fruit cakes have gained over the years. Some believe you’re supposed to save fruit cake to enjoy in the following year to show you have discipline…Lol ! Well , this cake just blew that challenge out the back door. No discipline here —we didn’t even have a sliver to take into the new year last year! bahaha! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I plan to make again this year!
Love hearing this Kimberly! Thank you for your feedback!
I have made this cake twice and it is delicious and a huge hit w my family.
So glad to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Thank goodness I found this! made this recipe last year, and as the name states, it is the BEST fruitcake. my printed recipe got batter on it and ended up in the trash. I knew it was the one with grated apple, et viola!
we love fruitcake anyway, but this one take the cake, so to speak.
measurements of rum please to season the cake? it is necessary every week or everyday?
You need very little to dampen the cheesecloth – there is no precision needed, this is why I don’t list a measurement! It is really a personal choice. The cake should only be soaked and wrapped once, and it should only be redone if you’re storing the cake for a long time and the cloth feels dry!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Really this is the world’s best fruit cake.
How do you test this cake for doness?
Recipe says to bake 1 hr 15 min to 2 hr 40 min?
Hi Joann, I think you misread the instructions – it says to bake anywhere from 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 1 hour and 30 minutes (90 minutes). So, total bake time is 75-90 minutes. I might go in and edit that instruction though to make it more clear if that was confusing, though I haven’t had that question before. Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe its my first time making fruit cake and this is the best fruitcake ive tasted so far .i made some adjustment i lessen the amount of raisin cos i dnt really like too much raisin on it and and some dried fruit instead in the same amount that i cut from the raisins.ive tried baking it in the usual pn as u suggested the first time i tried and yesterday i made my 2nd try and i use smaller pan, round tin pand and tiny round tin and adjusted the cooking time and it comes out perfect..???
I can only find sweetened cherries. Should I adjust the sugar, add less cherries are replace them with something else?
Maybe add a touch less (I wouldn’t adjust the sweetness too much) and add a bit more of one of the other tarter, unsweetened dried fruit – it should still be fine!
What size pans are you using and can you use like 2 cups of nuts?
Can I make this using those foil 2 lb rectangular cake pans (8”x3.8”x2.5”)? I’d like to make quite a few for Christmas gifts . I’ve read in other Christmas cake recipes that some require that you bake it in a shallow pan of water and cover lightly with tinfoil. Any thoughts on if this would work for me? Thanks for any ideas you may have! Looking forward to trying your recipe.. it will be my first time making Christmas cakes!
If you’re referring to the foil loaf pans, yes! You definitely can. Just be sure to grease them well with butter (they can be more prone to sticking). This cake does not require a water bath, but keep checking on the cakes during bake time, as every oven varies and the loaf pan change could speed or slow things down. Hope this helps!
What’s the options about the chocolate…yes or no. Not sure
Hi Eileen. You can add chopped chocolate to the batter (it is listed as an optional ingredient – and the quantity is listed – under the recipe box at the bottom of the post) or leave it out. Both options are great, just depends on what you’re looking for! Hope this helps!
Seems like I have way too much fruit, 1 1 and 1/2 qts. Is that too much?
TY,
Lynn
Oops not 11 1/2 but ….1 and one half
Hi Lynnita, I would recommend using gram measurements for best accuracy – also, this recipe yields two loaves! It’s a lot of dried fruit, but has been tested so many times and made by thousands of people. If you’ve followed the recipe precisely, you’re good!
Sounds fantastic. Definitely going to bake this
Would it be ok to leave out the prunes and a little less on some of the other fruit except for the 2 cups of the soaked fruit. I usually like a bit more cake than all the fruit. I’m anxious to try it. Thanks
I don’t personally recommend this because the batter quantity won’t increase at all to compensate, so they’ll be smaller loaves and this is really designed to be a fruit heavy fruit cake – but technically you could, I just can’t give specific advice or details as to how it will come out since I didn’t test the recipe that way!
Hi may I know at 150deg C u are using circulating fan assisted heat or traditional top & bottom heat to bake? Tks
Traditional; I would specify in a recipe if I was using convection (fan). It is definitely not needed for this recipe, if you want to do it, you’d want to decrease the oven temperature by 25F (4C).
I would like to bake the abv cake. It seems interesting. But I just need to know, will
It be easy to cut this cake with the proper shape. I mean it’s so difficult to cut fruit cakes. Any tips pls?
Hi Tasha, not sure what you mean by “abv” cake or the “proper shape” – a sharp knife can slice through this fruit cake very easily!
I see at least one person stores these cakes in their cellar. What is a minimum temperature for them – I don’t want to use the room in my ‘fridge, esp. not around Christmas. Thanks.
Obviously from a purely “food safety” perspective (though I don’t personally worry about this cake), a fridge is best. But I think anything between 40°-50°F is next best option.
Thank you for your super prompt reply.
Well…this is my second year making this recipe and I use the medium size loaf pans.
I soaked the fruit in a bottle of brandy and most was absorbed the first time so I did it again this year.
I opened the foil wrap and drizzled the cheese cloth good with more brandy every so often for three months. These are the absolute best fruit cakes ever !
Everybody loves them including me. A good time is had by all !
I store them in the cellar so my friends call them cellar cakes ?
This year I had a jug of fireball whiskey hanging around so I’ve been liquoring up the cakes with that for a month now !
Think I got a little carried away once so I’ll let em dry out a little before I hit them again. Hopefully they won’t get soggy. !
Might crack one open early and check it out.
Everyone is chomping at the bit for their Christmas cellar cakes this year !
Thanks for the recipe and I’ll let you know how they turn out !
Thanks, Wade
I am curious how this recipe doubles? I’d like to make a 4 loaf batch as it is very popular in my family and will be sent as gifts too. Thanks!
It could definitely be doubled, it’s just a LOT of dried fruit to prepare so it will take some time, but I don’t see why there would be any issues as long as you’re careful with scaling up the recipe.
Hello
I would like to know what I can do if I do not have cheese cloth?
Thank you
A thin muslin kitchen linen would be the next best alternative, but it will get stained so just want to give a heads up!
Hi,
Can i know what brand of Dark Rum would you recommend using. Thanks
I used Bacardi, but honestly any mid-quality dark rum will do!
hello
can i soak the dried fruit in juice instead of alcohol/
Sure! It won’t have the same flavor, but structurally it won’t make a difference in the baked outcome.
Do you use all dried fruit or just apricots and peaches?
Hi Maggie, the full recipe is at the bottom of this post and covers all the dried fruit that I use – which is a mixture of many things, not just apricots and peaches. I like a wider variety for different texture and flavors, but you can adapt it within reason to suit what works for you!
Well, grandma strikes again, as my grandchildren would say, she’s off on another adventure.
I never made a fruit cake recipe in my life so I thought I’d try one this year for a party the following week.
I set out to the grocery store to buy all the items. After all my items were tallied I noticed I forgot my wallet in my truck. Crap! When I told the cashier I’ll be right back, I felt the sighs of the people behind me. Feeling the pressure, I took off across the parking lot doing a little skip, trot, run when I felt a horrible pain in my hip.
I sprain, strained or pulled my flexor muscle, ouch!
I waddled back in the store, to the truck and home in pain but I was determined to get, at least, the dried fruit soaking. I’m sure it didn’t, but it felt like it took me forever to get all that died fruit chopped. I placed it in a tall Tupperware container.
In a hurry to finish and set down, I quickly read, “to cover the dried fruit with the rum”. Okay, wobble to the living room…back with the rum. OK, so pour the rum over the dried fruit. I poured and poured and poured in tall Tupperware container until the fruit was covered and was surprised it took the WHOLE BOTTLE OF LIQUOR. The whole 750ml bottle of rum!
Yikes I thought… this is going to be Boosie! I’ll just add back to the bottle what the fruit doesn’t soak up I thought to myself, cause it ain’t going to waste.
Not thinking much more about the recipe that day, I just let fruit soak overnight.
The next day I recruited my husband for help. We sliced, diced, shredded, juiced, measured and zested, everything was ready to assemble.
Reading back over the recipe I noticed it said to add the dried fruit and any remaining rum. Well, I thought to myself, I only have one and a half cups of flour and if I add the remaining rum it’s going to be soup.
I decided to sit down with my iPad and read back over the whole blog, i’m missing something, I did something wrong I thought to myself.
Then I found it, LOL
Ohhhhhh, I was only supposed to pour 3/4 cup of rum over the fruit! Not the whole bottle!
Ha Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah.
Needless to say I strained the fruit through a colander and let it drip for a while before using, in hindsight I should’ve rinsed of the fruit as well.
We continued on and baked the cake, yeah it really taste like rum!
Ha Hah Hah Hah Hah.
Just in case you’re wondering, the dried fruit soaked up a half a bottle of rum ?
I swear I don’t know how these things happen to me, me and my grandkids can write a blog about all grandma’s misadventures.
Anyways, I just thought I’d share my funny story, have a blessed day!
Hahaha! This is a very funny story! Thanks for sharing – so glad it worked out!
Thank you for letting me use your recipe.i want to try to make a different fruits for the Fruit cake I am going to make this year .I have been making a Japanese fruit cake for years .But I have moved a few times that I can not fined my recipe and I have not yet found another recipe from a Japanese fruit cake and my dad loves fruit cake .thank you again for your help.
Connie
Hi!,
This cake sounds amazing and I love the fruit mixture you use.
My question is can you make rhe cake up to the point of the boozy shroud and freeze? I am thinking of getting a jump on Christmas and would like to make ahead and freeze, the put out and wrap closer to time to use or gift.
Thanks, Dorothy
Hi! I don’t see why not – but it also stores beautifully for an incredibly long time, so I don’t think it’s necessary either! I haven’t personally done the freezing trick, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work – it will just take quite a while to defrost because it is so dense. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reply Laura!
Hi Laura, my question is about the salt,we don”t have that particular brand,the one one I have the flakes seem large for a
cake,please advise.
If you are using a scale, you’ll want 3 grams salt total (that is the weight of 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt). If don’t have a scale, are you referring to Maldon? Or another finishing flaky salt? If you’re substituting it with that or a fine sea salt, I would use 1/2 teaspoon total in the full recipe and that should be fine.
Diamond Crystal kosher salt is much like dense than other varieties of salt (and about half the density of something like Morton kosher salt), it’s best to check the nutritional information at the back of the salt container to figure out the direct conversion.
Tried this last fall as a pandemic holiday baking experiment… I’d never had real fruitcake before! I made some fruit substitutions based on what was available and went nut free for family. Made half of the batch as written (soaking fruit in alcohol) and half of it alcohol free (soaking fruit in orange juice) for some family teetotalers and kids. They were both very good, but the non-alcoholic one was preferred by almost everyone! My sister requested it as her birthday cake this year, so I have another round in the oven right now 🙂 Thanks for the new family recipe!!
I used to love my mom’s fruit cake until I tried this one. You’re right it’s the best fruit cake ever! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Hi!
Does all or most of the alcohol cook off during the time in the oven?
I’m wanting to take fruit cake with me on a long hike/ climb since it has tons of calories and is easy to pack. That being said, getting an early morning buzz above 14,000 ft feels a tinge irresponsible. Maybe a good thing to warm up!
Thanks
Jake
The majority of alcohol in the cake definitely cooks off, but the flavor is evident…I’m not sure if I can give you exactness when it comes to that part, but the bulk of the boozy flavor comes from the soaking after it is baked. Hope this helps!!
hi there, can i replace a cheese cloth for a tea towel? it is all i have on hand.
Sure! A thin one would def work, just be sure that you’re ok with it possibly staining.
Hi wanted to know how long can you store this cake and can it be made for wedding cakes.
It can be stored for months in the refrigerator – it is a very dense rich seasonal cake, so I know in some cultures, a fruitcake is a traditional wedding cake – but that is totally a personal choice.
I cannot wait to try this recipe. I have been looking for one just like this. Do you think i can use dates instead of figs?
Sure! I prefer figs because they are less sweet and sticky especially when chopped up, but they can be substituted without issue.
How long would I cook your fruitcake in a 1/2 cup heavy bundt pan with eight places for cake? I have made your fruitcake for years and everyone says they love it. I have never used my fluted small bundt cake pan.
1/2 cup bundt pan? Do you mean 12 cup?
Very detailed on how to make the Christmas fruit cake.Thanks
Buenísima receta
Super Delicioso
Me encantó qué sé convirtió en mi favorita
This recipe was simply delicious.. thank u so much for sharing this. It was my first attempt and the outcome was amazing. I was completely in love with it. Your recipe and this pan helped me bake my best cake till date.
Thanks once again.
Made this twice already, love it so much! i really like fruit cake but i can’t find any ‘real’ fruit cake in the whole island where i live.
This recipe really meet my expectation, so happy i found it
Thank you so much for the feedback! Love hearing this!
Can I use rum to soak the cloth in to store the cake, or does it have to be Sherry ?
Rum would work! I prefer the flavor of sherry, but it’s really up to you and flavor preference. Hope this helps!
I have made this like 9 times. I like the mixture of the apple, the orange and Lemon rind, and also the use of the juice. The first few rounds – the cake didn’t crack. Just made it today and looked like it cracked a little. Anyhow, received great comments on this all round.
Hi Nancy! Thanks for the feedback, glad you’ve liked it and made it so many times!!! Maybe try chopping the fruit a bit smaller – it really shouldn’t have any sort of cracking (it’s a very dense cake), but wonder if it might if the pieces are too large. Hope this helps!
Have to say…I just made this recipe and it’s AMAZING. I DID make it gluten and dairy free…(but still with eggs to clarify). Here’s what I used with equal portions to your recipe: Bob’s 1 to 1 baking flour and Earth Balance for the butter. The consistency was great and cooked just fine. I put them both in light silver tin pans (due to heating for gluten free). And now I’m drunk 😉 Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So happy to hear this and that it worked well with your substitutions! The notes are really helpful to other readers, thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
This recipe was very easy to follow and the resulting cake turned out amazingly! I tweaked the recipe a little and ending up adding a total of 1.4kg of dried fruit which meant it was more like fruit with cake rather than the reverse but this is just how we like it. I baked in 2 loaf pans and it was a lovely way to save one and share the other with a relative/friend/neighbour. The taste was spot on and even the little ones loved this dessert! Thank you kindly for sharing, will definitely be revisiting 🙂
So glad to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, and so glad little ones loved it too.
Great recipe – also great to soak fruit in Grand Marnier or Triple Sec for a really lovely citrus taste overall.
I think u missed out the number of eggs needed
Hi, it’s listed and shown in the recipe – among the ingredients. The fruit cake requires 5 eggs.
I made this and my family loved it!! We ate one loaf right away. The other and been wrapped in a rum cheese cloth since Christmas. We took it out of the refrigerator and had a slice today!! So good!! Thank you for the recipe.
So thrilled to hear this! Thank you for taking the time to come back with feedback and to leave a recipe review. Means a lot to me, and is always helpful to others too!
I made this for my father-in-law, and he agrees, it is the BEST he has ever had! He can’t stop raving over it. I did not have the ginger so I left that out. I used dates in place of some of the raisins.
So thrilled to hear this!
We are an alcohol free household due to health reasons and support for a family member. But this looks delicious. Do you have any suggestions on alternatives for what we can soak the dried fruit in and if we should wrap a cheese cloth with another liquid?
Hi Riley! Sorry for the delay, as I’ve addressed in other comments, the alcohol really does make this particular recipe (as is the case with most traditional fruitcakes), so it won’t be the same without it – and I haven’t made it without it, so I can’t even accurately describe the differences between an alcoholic vs. non-alcohol version…yet.
But you could try soaking the fruit in apple juice (or cider) and see how that goes! I would not personally wrap the cake afterwards in anything else (just skip that step) because it won’t work the same.
I hate throwing this out there but I have to I guess. Your cake looks amazing and I’ve really been craving fruit cake. But I am a recovering alcoholic so this puts a little twist into things. Is there something besides rum that I can soak the fruit in? I’ve seen possibly with a fruit juice from other recipes but not any reviews from people doing this.
Hi Josh! Congratulations on your recovery – while the cake certainly will not taste the same, I have encouraged others that they could probably soak the dried fruit in apple juice (and skip the cake soaking step after it is baked) and it could work out. Unfortunately, I also haven’t heard back from anyone asking the same question, so I can’t give more information about the taste, etc. but from a pure baking science perspective, I have no doubt it would work. Hope this helps!
I made this for my 2020 Christmas. Rely doesn’t get better than this. Was committed to the process and time this requires. So worth it!
So happy to hear that!
First attempt making fruitcake and ur recipe is good… the only thing is I bought the wrong rum so mine didn’t turn out as dark.
Thx for sharing your recipe
Just made 4 loaves of this and it is fantastic so far. My only ammendments were white sugar instead of brown so I have a blonde version and I added dried pineapple.
One loaf was consumed rather quickly and was delicious. The others are snug in their boozy blankets waiting out the winter here in Minnesota.
Thanks!
LOVE this! Thanks so much for the feedback and glad you have an extra to last all winter long. ❤️
Just an update that these have aged incredibly well for me. I have one of the four loaves still left and as winter here in Minneosta winds I have been having a slice each time it snows. Perfect!
I will be starting this process in late October I think for this year. Thanks again for a great recipe. This is going into my Paprika app favorites.
Really happy to hear that! I also have leftover fruit cake in my fridge that was made in November – it really does last and taste great for months. So happy to hear that it’s bringing you brightness during a long winter!
Hi Laura,
Thank you for this excellent recipe. I will have the cake ready for 2021 as I had a late start. I was wondering about the 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda. I usually use 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt for most of my recipes. Is there a reason you recommend less baking soda and more salt.
I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt (much less dense, so please note this if you are using something like table salt which would need to be reduced) and this recipe yields 2 loaves, so it is 1/2 teaspoon each.
As for the leavening, this cake really doesn’t need almost any due to the desired texture and other ingredients.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention – this recipe was created as part of a brand partnership and I was not aware the links were not working anymore. I have updated the links already and hope that helps!
It’s not true at all that the one loaf would go a long way!!!!
I skipped the apple and the ginger but the result is still great. It is still moist and rich. I skipped the apple because they sell in a bag of 10 and my mum would complain if I leave the rest in the fridge since Granny Smith is not my fav. For the ginger I just don’t like them so I just skipped it.
This is my first time baking and eating fruit cake. It was so good I didn’t think I would like it at first cos of the dry fruit but I really love it. I try to bake it because my girlfriend and my mum loves this and they keep saying they want to eat fruit cake after I bought them panettone last week. The fruit cake is quite expensive here and I want to try to make it myself after they said they want some, so I just try baking for them this year. I end up making 5 batch of your recipe. I made 1 big loaf in my silicone mold, 10 in the 1 pound foil tray, 10 in the smaller foil tray and 1 half pound in my other silicone mold. My mum said will give out as Christmas gift.
For dry fruit, since we got some dates and cranberries at home, I just bought some strawberry, kiwi, cherry, apricot and lime flavored aloe vera. Fig is too expensive so I skipped it. Cutting dry fruits and take out the seed from the dates already took me a couple hours. I soaked them in the dark rum mix with a bit of triple sec for a day. For nuts, I use almonds (because my mum already have some at home) and I bought some walnuts (because it was on sale lol). Pecan is too expensive for me. (actually all the stuff I bought to make this cake can buy 2-3 fruits cake here and it’s about my 2-3 week food budget. Sad thing for me living in this hot Asian country with weak currency so nuts and fruits are imported and quite expensive compare to the living cost, excepted for the aloe vera which is local product.) After the cake was done, I mixed orange juice, lemon juice and bit of triple sec together and brushed the cake. Then glazed it with apricot preserves after it cooled. I baked these for the whole night. The first thing in the morning, my mum just cut a slice and ate it right away before I could put in the fridge. My family already finished 2/3 of the big loaf within a day (mostly by my mum). Actually my mum already finished almost half in the morning then she said need to leave some for my dad and bro. She said this is the first fruit cake she had in more than 10 years. I’m waiting to see my girlfriend comment tomorrow.
Hello!! This is such a lovely recipe, thank you so much for sharing it! This was my very fruit fruit cake, and i loved it! I did a few small things differently I thought I might share for anyone interested. I used 1 cup AP flour, and 1/2 cup wholemeal flour, as I like the nutty flavor it brings. Secondly, I didn’t have a loaf pan, so I used a bundt cake pan, and it worked beautifully! The only thing that I might do differently next time is use a liqueur instead of rum– maybe Drambuie? Or Benedictine? I found the rum was a little strong and also didn’t add much fragrance to it… I think the anise or heathered honey flavors of Drambuie or even a hazelnut Frangelico might be a nice addition to it! But, this was really fabulous, thank you!
So glad you liked it and love your small changes – always hope people make recipes their own! I wonder if the rum that you used is different than my own, because mine is definitely fragrant. I think it will definitely vary a lot brand to brand!
Hello! After reading all the comments, I feel like your full-time job must be replying to people’s questions! It’s very much appreciated, however!
My question is about the amount of dried fruit. In total, I should have 7 1/4 c of dried fruit? Would it still be good if I had less than that? It took forever for me to chop the fruit (as I’m sure you know!) and eventually I gave up and figured it was enough. Maybe you have a tip for cutting the sticky, dried fruit that’s faster than just chopping like normal with a knife??
This is my first time ever baking (or tasting) fruit cake, but thought I’d give it a try. I’m excited to try it and share it with my MIL and neighbors. Thanks a bunch!
Haha! This post does get a lot of questions, though I’m happy to answer them 🙂 It does just take a long time to chop the fruit, but aside from that, the cake is pretty easy to make and yields two loaves, so it just is unfortunately is part of the process. You definitely want a LOT of fruit. You might be able to get away with a little less, but I wouldn’t mess with reducing too much or the cake either won’t have enough batter or will just be smaller in the end/cook faster.
I would definitely recommend having a VERY sharp chef’s knife! You could also try coating the knife with a little bit of oil (spray or just brushing with a touch of oil) and that will prevent some sticking and help it go a bit faster. Hope this helps! You could try the same method (again, spray the blade) of a large, heavy-duty food processor too.
Hello. has anyone successfully mailed these fruit cakes across the country? How did you wrap it, and what kind of shipment did you use? I wonder if I should freeze the fruit cake before mailing? I am in California and want to ship these cakes to Wisconsin. Thanks in advance for the tips!
Hi! My mom actually made a batch this year and sent me (and my sisters) some! She simply wraps the cheese-cloth wrapped loaf tightly in foil and shipped it priority (2-3 day shipping would be better) with some padding in the box – especially in the winter when it’s colder, it can absolutely hold up completely fine. I would advise whoever receives it to put it into the fridge for storage when they get it.
Hi Laura,
Can I substitute the Sherry or triple sec with anything non alcohol?
For soaking the fruit? If you’re referring to that step, you could soak in apple juice but the flavor will not be the same unfortunately.
Hello Laura,
I made the cakes and they are soaking in Triple sec now. I followed the recipe exactly. I tasted a little bit before wrapping in triple sec. The taste is fine, though I can’t taste the rum. I actually put 1.5 cups of rum for each batch of fruits! I still couldn’t taste it. But more than that, the cake is very dense. It is not hard, but it doesn’t have the cake texture, not even like banana bread or plum cake. The edges and sides also didn’t brown with a crust, but look dull, almost like a steamed cake look. I feel that maybe 6 eggs were little more and 4 would have been good enough. I am not a baker, but I don’t know what else could be the reason.
Please let me know.
Thank you
Thanks for the reply Laura. I removed the paper towels, which wasn’t too difficult. My version didn’t come out very sticky perhaps because I reduced the sugar and used different fruits? I couldn’t find dried cherries in my store but they recommended a tiny tart berry called barberry instead. Also used dried plums. I’ll try adding some more nuts to the normal glaze.
Hi Laura, my cakes are currently aging in the fridge but I have a few questions. I reduced the sugar and also used paper towels soaked in rum cause I didn’t have Sherry or cheese cloths. The cake also appears a lot lighter in colour than your photos. Will the aging darken the cake? Also I forgot to add the nuts so am thinking of making a nut glaze instead. Do you have any recipes to recommend? Thanks.
Hi Tom. Reducing sugar changes baked goods a lot (and will change the color of a baked good), so I can’t say why your cake is lighter in color. Did you use different fruit? Either way, if it cooked through and everything else went well, it shouldn’t matter that much. As for soaking, I would STRONGLY recommend removing the paper towels and replacing it with a linen, the paper towel might disintegrate and this cake is sticky, so I’m worried paper towel residue might be left on the cake when you remove it. I’m not sure, but this is why I say to use cheesecloth or a linen.
I’ve never heard of a nut glaze for a cake, but you can always do the normal glaze and just top it with pecan pieces as shown in the image.
Hi Laura! I’ve successfully finished baking the cakes and I used cut brandy to soak them. My mom’s been egging on me because she thinks it may be too strong. I was thinking to switch the next soak with some Andy Player whiskey. Should I make the switch? Or should I just stick with the alcohol I already used?
Thanks, Laura!
I’m not familiar with Andy Player whiskey, but whiskey is STRONG. I personally would not switch the alcohols (just because I’m not familiar with the flavors of those and might worry that they would compete weirdly in flavor to one another). If you’re worried, you could always skip the second soak! I would check the cake and see if it appears pretty moist. It can hold up surprisingly well without a ton of soakings. Up to you!
Hello Laura,
Thank you for the update! I was very confused as the qty of fruit was a lot to fit in one loaf!! Now I am good. I have the fruits soaking…I wasn’t sure if 3/4c rum was enough, so I added 1 cup!! I hope that is ok.
Sorry, I have one more question. Why are the nuts not soaked in rum as well? Will that change anything? Please advise.
Thank you.
1 cup should be fine. The fruit is soaked so it can absorb more moisture and get plump. Nuts won’t benefit from soaking, if anything it could make the texture worse. Hope this helps!
Hello Laura,
Thank you for your reply for my comment above on the pans. I am sorry I have a few more questions. I am not an experienced baker, but I really want to make this and give it to my friends!.
1. Will this recipe make two 9×5 loaves? I know you have said two 8×4, but you have also said 9×5. But I wasn’t sure if you meant two 9×5 pans?
2. Also, I see most recipes with only one egg per 1/2cup of flour. So I am a little worried, if the cake will taste eggy with 5 eggs. Are we using 5 eggs because of the alcohol content? Please help me understand.
Hi! No problem.
No, I definitely mean just one loaf pan total yield. The cake will be slightly taller if you use an 8 x 4 (but it will work just as well).
The cake does not taste even a little bit eggy. The eggs help add binding (because this cake contains a TON of dried fruit. I promise it works! ? If you’re in any doubt, just check out the 400+ positive reviews.
Thank you so much for your quick response Laura! Yes, all the positive reviews are amazing! Will try your recipe as posted, except will be adding pineapple instead of peaches. I will post back next week with an update! Thank you so much for your encouragement!
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! 🙂
Yikes – I just re-read my comment and it should have said “two loaves” yield, as it states at the top of the recipe. Both 9 x 5 OR 8 x 4, up to you!
This sounds amazing! I know the booze is sort of a fruit cake staple, but I’m a recovered alcoholic and like to stay away from it entirely, even if it’s in cooking. Do you think there’s any qualm with not soaking the fruit? Or using a substitute of some sort? Or am I out of luck?
Totally understand. Unfortunately nothing taste wise will be quite the same, but I think a fruit juice (apple juice) could be ok! I would soak in the fruit in the fridge if that’s the case.
Hi Laura! I really don’t have much options for the alcohol to be used in soaking the cake. I only have whiskey and gin. Should I just go for the whiskey?
I’m not sure! I’m not a whiskey drinker, so it might depend on the brand and quality. It will certainly taste very different either way, but I would go with whiskey (be more conservative) if you were choosing between the two.
Just made this— absolutely delicious! I had a ton of batter. I baked one cake in a 8×2 loaf, one in a 6×2 round pan, and then a batch of mini muffins. Baking times varied, obviously. I used mixed dried raisins, cranberries, and cherries along with apricots, figs, and dates. I also threw in some of that awful candied pineapple and cherries because my grandparents love them. Still turned out lovely! This recipe is foolproof.
I have just made your recipe and the result looks very good.
Loafs are now wrapped, in cheese cloth soaked in cherry, on the fridge.
Hope the result is as good as the raw dought tasted 🙂
Thank you very much, Laura, for your recipe. I made a dairy free version substituting butter
by extra virgin olive oil. I will let you know how it tastes in a week time.
Thank you for the recipe. I will be trying it for the first time. I do not have cheesecloth. Can I poke holes in the cake and drizzle a couple of tbsp of rum to soak in and keep it wrapped in foil and ziploc for a week in the fridge?
Oh, one more question. I know that you have specifically mentioned not to change the pan size and I hate to ask this question. But I would like to bake mini loaves and give to my friends. I would have to make 9-10 mini loaves. Would you say that one batch of yours which is for 2 loaf pans can make 5 mini loaves? I would appreciate any guidance. Thank you
Hi Sunny! Sorry for the delay. A normal loaf pan will usually make about 3 mini loaves – but it might vary recipe to recipe. If you are doing this, be sure to watch the bake time carefully and look for the signs that it is done baking, as it will most likely not take nearly as long. Hope this helps.
hi laura, david in rhode island here. tried your fruit cake recipee and i have to say it is delicious. i did substitute flour for almond flour and it is a magically delicious cake. thanks,
Hi,
U have given 180ml RUM for soaking,
but I’m finding it less can I add some more as per my requirement.
And one more thing U said to take one batch of the soak dry fruits .
What’s the meaning of one batch? How much is one batch in terms of weight.
Thanks in advance and really appreciate ur effort in posting this recipe.??
The “batch” is the quantity of dried fruit listed at the top of the recipe!
Seriously the best fruitcake!! Packed full of flavors. Not your Grandma’s fruitcake.
Woops, I meant to add orange as a tart fruit for my Tropical fruitcake question.
Hello I am really excited to try this recipe because I love fruitcake and christmas and I’ve never made one before! Just wondering if the flavor of the cake comes out quite boozy? Or is it the usual fruitcake sort of flavor one could expect? I live with 2 sober ppl so it would be hard to share the cake with them if it has an alcohol taste to it, also I myself detest the taste of liquor in food, notes are ok but the alcohol taste is too chemically. If it is I wouldn’t mind substituting wine maybe? Or something with less alcohol content? If you have a min pls let me know and help a novice baker out! ♡
Hi! It has great flavor and it’s not simply from the addition of booze – but depending on how much you soak the cake afterwards, the booze flavor is definitely perceptible, but not at all chemical in taste. I wouldn’t recommend the soaking step if you are serving it to sober people (personally, doesn’t seem like a good idea!), but if you just use the alcohol for soaking the fruit prior to baking, you should be fine.
I definitely wouldn’t substitute wine!
What ratio of tart/sweet would you suggest for fruits to make a TROPICAL fruitcake? So far I’m thinking pineapple, mango, dates (which come from *date palm* trees) — and use apricot and raisins to tart-en it up. Also I think macadamia nuts and cashews would make great “tropical nuts” — although my question is: What kinds of fruits would be good to use to make it tropical? And secondly, what chopped quantities of each of those fruits should I use to get that balanced tart/sweet ratio? (Note: I’m thinking coconut might be too overpowering to use in a Tropical version….thoughts?) As for the booze for soaking, rum is perfect for tropical! 🙂
I think pineapple sounds great, but I would personally steer away from dates in this recipe (unless used in a very very small quantity). They are so sweet, and wouldn’t lend much flavor to the cake. More tart dried fruits are definitely the way to go. Pineapple could be great, but can be tricky to cut into small pieces, which is ideal. All of your substitution ideas sound really good, but unless you REALLY went tropical (different booze, coconut, etc) I don’t know if that would be the flavor you’d overwhelmingly taste when you bite into this cake either way. But a nut substitution would definitely work either way.
I think they thought I was asking for Triple X and they gave me that. It is a wine with 20% alcohol. I know nothing with alcohol. Question, is it okay to put wine? I think I will just leave it as is, just one application. Thank you still enjoyed my fruitcake.
Absolutely fantastic fruitcake. Followed the recipe as written, with the exception that I substituted some types of dried fruit –keeping in mind to select dried fruits that were tart/sour to balance those that were sweet. I used a very thin old cotton kitchen towel to wrap the cakes. I often find that cheesecloth can shed bits of thread and get great results from the Triple Sec moistened cotton towel. Cakes are very moist and slice nicely. Delicious. This will be my standard recipe for years to come. Thanks for providing it.
Yes, I made this recipe. Is it okay to use London XXX it is a medium sweet wine as that is what they gave me when I asked for triple sec. I had soaked all my four loaves with it. To remedy, can I put them back in the oven for 5 mins. just so the alcoholic drink will evaporate and then I will buy the properly suggested sherry or triple sec to age it. Thank you very much.
Hmm. I haven’t heard of that wine before! If it smells like triple sec and is a similar alcohol content, I would say sure? I would taste it on it’s own and if you enjoy the flavor, it should be ok. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful, I just have no familiarity with that particular alcohol.
Yes, I made this recipe. Looked very good. The problem, I am not used to alcoholic drinks, I asked for Triple Sec orange flavor and they gave me London XXX it is a Medium Sweeet wine. I applied it on all four loaves. After 3 days and 1 day of application, I decided to remove the cheesecloth and open it all up. Can I put it back in the oven, 300 farenheit just to make the alcohol evaporate for maybe 5 mins. and I will buy the proper sherry or liquor to apply and age all of them Please advise. Thank you very much.
Good morning. Can you please let me know how many grams are your Large eggs? Is it American large size (53-63g) or European large size (63-73g)? With 5 eggs it will make a huge difference! Thanks
Hi Thea! Great question. This is definitely American large eggs, not European large. 50 grams roughly each, but this cake should be fairly forgiving if there is a tiny bit more.
I always use American large eggs for recipe development on my site if that helps clarify anything in the future!!!
What substitute do you suggest for soaking the cheesecloth in if you don’t want to use alcohol
I would still use cheesecloth, but a thin kitchen linen would be next best option.
This cake recipe is so good!! My family loved it. Follow the recipe and you will not be disappointed. Thank you!!
So glad to hear that! Thanks for the feedback Ritu!
how many portions do you recommend from this recipe?
Really just depends on the person! It is the size of a normal size loaf cake (if that helps) – I would say at least 10 because it is fairly rich and a little goes a long way.
Is there an option for those who don’t drink alcohol? What can we use to substitute instead?
Left a comment last year while the cakes were baking, now I’m back again to say they came out perfect and I’m making them again for the second year in a row!! When I was younger, my family used to purchase cakes from a local monastery made by monks. This fruitcake tastes almost the same as the fruitcake we used to purchase and my family LOVED it! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a wonderful treat for the holidays!
So happy to hear this! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review. I always love hearing from people that try my recipes, particularly this one as it is a family staple and something we also look forward to enjoying each holiday season.
Good afternoon, can I use kitchen towels Instead of cheesecloth for wrapping? I can’t find any cheesecloth.
Also, if I tried making this in those paper single-use loaf pans, the ones that you don’t remove but can gift as is, I can only soak the top I suppose. Would that be okay?
Thanks!
Hi! Please don’t do this, because the paper towels will disintegrate or probably stick to the cake and it will become a mess. Do you have a kitchen linen (real linen or a thin other variety) you’d feel comfortable soaking and potentially staining? Thats the next best option. Hope this helps!
Thank you for the prompt reply!!
Oh, i didn’t mean paper kitchen towels, but the cotton type (English is not my first language). I only have cotton, linen towels are very difficult to find here. Do you think they would work ok? I have different types, the one is straight-cloth kitchen towel, and I also have the knobbly type face wash-towel, both 100% cotton. I also have some 100% cotton pillow cases that I wouldn’t mind tearing to long strips. Which do you think would work the best? I hope I am making sense in explaining these.
Christmas fruit cakes are a big deal here, and my mom absolutely loves them. But I hate the traditional glazed fruit and syrup, so I am very keen in making your recipe, it looks amazing and much healthier. I already told my mom I will be making Christmas fruitcake for the first time this year!!
Oops!!! Sorry Thea. I read that early this morning and I’m not sure why my brain read “paper towels” and not kitchen towels (as you said!). ? Yes! That will definitely work. Don’t use any of the knobbly type, you want to use something that won’t leave any sort of lint and is a smooth linen/thin cotton one.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Dear Laura,
Thanks for sharing the recipe of the Fruit Cake.
I prepared your recipe. At the beginning I was afraid of the result due to my limited cooking experience, but the result was amazing. Looks good, tastes wonderful, but I have a problem: the cake crumbles when you cut it. It does not matter that I use a bread knife or any other kind.
I followed the recipe all the way. I am cooking in Mexico City, at 7,349 feet above sea level. I used two pans almost 9×5 inches. The result: The loaves are very humid, the dough feels as it was raw, even though they were in the oven for more than ninety minutes.
Please, do you have any suggestions of how to solve the crumbling problem.
Thanks for your answer.
Regards,
Mr. Ivo Stern.
Thanks for your comment and appreciate you sharing more details. So, that altitude will absolutely affect your baking and recipes (usually sugar and leavening) need to almost always be adjusted, particularly if you live about 5,000 feet (which you are well above). Unfortunately I’m very inexperienced with baking at altitude, so I can’t give you a specific adaptation to make, I would simply recommend adapting it the way that you adjust other baked goods in your home.
The cake is very, very moist, but should not be extremely crumbly. If you use a serrated knife (and it is cold), it should always hold its shape once sliced. I’m wondering if a measurement is off (or there might be a difference in some sort of ingredient compared to my own, since every country’s flours etc vary). I wish I could be more helpful!
I bake regularly at 5200 feet. King Arthur web site has very good high altitude adjustments to follow. Generally speaking, you need to increase moisture content for baking at high altitude; your flours especially are drier which is why weighing flour is important. I generally increase liquids and sometimes will add an additional egg white, subtract some flour and sugar and cut in half leavening; also need to increase oven temperature a bit usually and less time in the oven; it just depends on what you are making. Haven’t made my cakes yet, just now soaking the fruit; I will update if I find good success.
Hey Laura, thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m trying it for the first time. I actually have the fruit soaking in rum right now. I saw another comment that mentioned marzipan on top. I’ve seen other fruitcake recipes that have marzipan added into the batter. I was wondering if this one would be too sweet with marzipan added into it.
We have allergies to alcohol in my family. Is there a substitute, such as apple juice, for the alcohol in this recipe? Thank you.
You could definitely try that, the flavor will not be the same though and it won’t be quite as moist because the soaking step once it’s baked also adds even more moisture/flavor. Alcohol should cook off during baking, but I’m not sure if that is still a problem with allergies! Hope this helps!
hey laura! thank you for sharing such awesome recipe! im looking forward to make this!
would like to know instead of sherry and triple sec, would i just brush the sides of the fruitcake with rum and wrap with double baking double + double aluminum foil? =)
Hi Jean! I prefer the flavor and taste of the sherry and triple sec, but you could absolutely use rum if that’s you preference! Don’t see why that would be a problem at all 😉 Enjoy!
Is your fruit cake available on line?
No, sorry, it is not for sale! I just provide the recipe for you to make at home.
I plan on making this over the weekend! It looks fantastic!! One question about baking time…cause I often get that wrong when backing – either underdone or too browned!!
When you say to bake until the cakes are ‘set’ – should they be brown? Also with that much fruit, would the toothpick coming out clean be a good test of doneness??? Thank you for any advice – I don’t want to mess it up!!
They are slightly golden – they shouldn’t be pale and they definitely shouldn’t be mushy, and it will start to pull slightly from the sides. The toothpick trick is a little tricky because its a moist cake with a lot of dried fruit, but it should mostly come out clean. I think it will be fairly obvious when you start baking! Hope this helps!
I made this recipe two days ago and the results are already amazing! I used sour apricots and dried apple (200g and 120g) as optional fruits, and used dried cranberries instead of the dark raisins. I also added 50g more figs as I don’t wanna keep the leftover. I used 7 small loaf tins and the bake was awesome! I bought Grand Marnier yesterday and brushed them all around each loaf and I hope it turns out really boozy after some weeks. I plan to reapply the liquor every week. For now they all sit in a bag in my fridge. This recipe is a must have.
That’s an amazing fruit cake recipe.
Wow, such an amazing recipe. I never get tired of baking. So, adding this to my favorites.
Hi, love your fruit cake recipe! may i know if u were using the oven with fan force or not? will really appreciate your help
Hi, this is my first time trying to bake a fruit cake. Am just about to soak the dried fruit in a glass jar and i realise that the rum barely soakes till the top. Is that alright or do i need to soak them in a bowl as u mentioned in your recipe? Thanks in advance for your advice! am really looking forward to bake this world best fruit cake.
I would personally use a wide bowl, hope this helps! The fruit should be mixed but it won’t be sitting in huge quantities of alcohol.
thanks a lot for your advice! i baked my cakes today and it didnt turn out brown as yours, mine is pale looking brown. Do u know what affected that?
Hello!
Will this cake last longer then 8 weeks untouched ?
Absolutely! You can eat part of it too, haha. I had my last batch stick around for 4+ months. It holds REALLY well.
Hi Laura, your cake looks amazing.I am going to give a try but I don’t have dark rum. Is there any substitute for it? Second I don’t have crystallised ginger too, can I omit it?
It depends on what you have as a substitute, you can try another booze that you think would work well for your flavor preference, etc. In terms of the crystallized ginger, you can definitely omit it – you might want to add a teaspoon of ground ginger (if you have it) to add a little bit of that flavor, because it is one of my favorite additions.
Hi, would i be able to soak the cake in dark rum for approx 2 weeks instead of using sherry or triple sec? Thank you
I don’t see why not, just a matter of taste preference! Hope this helps!
Wow! This looks really delicious and cute, i cant wait to make one on my own.
I am going to try to bake this cake based on yr recipe. Can i ask should i soak with the nuts? If no why ? Can i also know how long i should soak the dried ingredients. Pls advise
You could, but there really is no point because they don’t need to be softened. I’ve included instructions in the recipe below, so the fruit mixture should soak for about 24 hours.
Hi laura, i made this fruit cake for my father yesterday for his birthday and i must say after following your instructions one by one it wasn’t just easy to make but the resulting piece was mouth watering. Even my grandfather who has diabetes couldn’t resist having a bite. They even couldn’t believe that i made it by myself. All thanks to you, keep up the good work and keep amazing us with your recipes.
Easy to follow and a good mid-year treat.
Can dark rum substitute with non alcohol liquid? if it is, what type of juice is advisable? Pls advise
It will not have the same taste without the alcohol, but you could try additional orange juice. I have not tested this variation though!
Hi Laura
Have just measured out the fruit and added the booze. There is no way the booze is going to soften all the fruit so am bothered that the final cake will have some very dried tasting dried fruits – like the peaches. Is there aby reason why I cant add the orange juice today to expand the fluid available to soak into the fruit?
Thanks Carol ps I make a slightly similar recipe for christmas pudding and the O. .juice is added to the booze and soaked overnight and it always works really well. Am aware it might just reduce the fressh orangey taste a little but I wonder with well over 1kg of dried fruit, if that will really be noticeable.
Hi Carol. You could add the orange juice if you want, but I would personally not. If the dried fruit was chopped in the way the recipe states and the amounts/ingredients were measured properly, I can assure you that this cake is anything but dry. It is INCREDIBLY moist, especially once it has been wrapped in cheesecloth for a week. Remember, you’re also adding grated apple, etc. to the batter the next day.
I’ve made this cake countless times and many other people have, I have never once received feedback on it being dry.
Hi, finally i tried your recipes, it’s my first time to bake this kind of cake and i love it… and i shared it with couple of my friends, got a very good review on it, Thank you.
One of my request asked me if i can make it more moist, do you have any advise how to?
I tried to soak the dried fruit around 24 hours, but after i bake the cake, i think the dried fruit need to soak longer, is it ok?
Novrita – Jakarta (indonesia)
Happy to hear that! Did you let it soak with the cheesecloth for a week or two before slicing/giving away? That soaking period definitely contributes a lot more moisture to the cake, and I highly recommend it – although it will still taste good either way. The cake has a ton of dried fruit in it, so it is by nature moist, but you could try increased the alcohol amount a bit. I wouldn’t do too much, because it will mess up the ratios of the batter ingredients!
great
I don’t usually leave review or any comments but here i am. its sleep time and instead of sleeping I’m online looking for fruit cake recipe and it is worth it that i came here. Your website is really beautiful and all the recipe seems easy. I’m definitely going to try this cake but i also want to try all the recipes you’ve posted. Please post more beautiful and delicious recipes. Thank you:)
Haha! Thanks for the kind words. Please do come back and let me know what you think of the cake if you make it!
Can you soak the cheesecloth in amaretto?
You most likely could, but it is a much stronger flavored alcohol, so it is really up to you and your taste preferences!
Perfect! Like your fruit cake recipe. Looks Delicious!
I want to limit the fruits, perhaps pear apricot ginger hazelnut with Poire Willams, cherry blueberry dark chocolate walnut with cherry liqueur for example. So my question is can I replace the soaking rum and whiskey with liqueur? I think it will work but want your thoughts.
Sorry I didn’t get back to this sooner! I came down with the flu over the holidays. I have a feeling you already worked this out, but you can mostly substitute different liquors for the soaking liquid, I just personally prefer rum.
I actually haven’t made this yet, I’m planning to next year but will make it ahead just to make sure it works. Thank you for getting bake to me.
I ‘m sorry I now see the size of pans you use. I want to try this bec you have so many compliments. Do you have a recipe that will fill up a 5×9. I know I could
Use the smaller pans but I’m sending these to my children and I don’t want to send a smaller one. Or could I make this larger by adding more nuts, then I wouldn’t know how long to cook them.
Thank you very much,
This recipe will work in a standard loaf pan (8 x 4 or 9 x 5), but you might need to reduce the bake time if you’re using a larger pan (the batter is covering a wider surface area). The shape of the final result will be different, but it will still be great! I personally wouldn’t mess with the proportions, especially for such a minor adjustment. Just watch bake time carefully and look for the signs (listed in the recipe instructions) for when to take it out!
Will be making this next year for sure. I don’t eat it but I like the challenge. I couldn’t find the metric conversion or by weight recipe.
Hi Cheryl, the metric weights (grams) are listed in the main recipe at the bottom of the post – right next to the volume measurements. Hope this helps!
Oh my gosh sorry. Couldn’t have been more obvious. Happy holidays.
I had never made fruit cake before, but this Christmas I decided to try it out, and I am so happy I found this recipe! It tastes just like the fruit cake my neighbor orders from a specialty bakery!
I’ve already made two loaves and I have the fruit soaking for two more!
So thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a recipe review. It means a lot!! Happiest of holidays!
Bless your heart for replying so quickly. I could not find dried apples/pears; i used dried pineapple that was sweetened, and the cherries were also sweetened. I was thinking of adding dried cranberries to help with the tartness, but they would not be soaked (I would just throw them in). What do you think? Again, thanks so much.
It will definitely be a touch sweeter, but I still think the cake will come out nicely either way. I wouldn’t add any more dried fruit (than the recipe calls for, unless you’re substituting one for another) – because it is already very fruit heavy and the ratio will be thrown off. I would leave as is! If you make this cake again in the future and have a location near you, the best place that I can find dried unsweetened fruit is Trader Joe’s. They have a large selection. Looking forward to hearing how the cake comes out!
Gosh I hope you see this comment soon my fruit is soaking. After I added it I realized that two of the fruits were “sweetened” already. Should I reduce the sugar in the recipe??
Hi Peggy! What dried fruits are they? I wouldn’t honestly worry too much because I don’t think it will be enough to completely over sweeten the cake, but you could reduce the brown sugar by a tablespoon and that should help mitigate. Hope this helps and I replied soon enough!! Feel free to ask other questions if you have them.
OMG! I made this fruitcake for my friends , Everyone of them have liked it. Your recipe made my day. Thank you for sharing.
I made this recipe without the chocolate.. BY FAR, THE WORLD’S BEST.. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! This will not disappoint as it is unbelievably delicious. Expensive to make but worth every penny and some. I will make this award winning masterpiece!! Kudos to your mother and you for sharing with us..
Kim & Christopher ????
So thrilled to hear this Kim! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a recipe review, I really really appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of the fruit cake!
Threw not through. Oh, and BTW, the recipe states the water in the glazing activity, but the recipe just says ” 1/4 cup (60 ml) ” but not WHAT. you find it later as you read the process notes. And, cuz I’m an old English teacher, the plural of loaf is loaves. I think. At least, that’s what’s in the King James. LAURA, you have a devotee. I will trust you from now on. Doug in Rhode Island.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention – that was an omission error when I inserted the original recipe into my site! I just fixed both. Appreciate it!! 🙂
BTW, I doubled the soaking amount out of neurosis and fear. I drained off the rest the next day. I will use it for the dribbles and curing. I used Cointreau, Captain Morgan dark, and Rhum Barbancourt from Haiti. I also through in a little nip sized Southern Comfort 80 to boost the cherry note. I cheated and used some chopped maraschino cherries. They add a wet plumpness. This is heaven.
O..M…G… I just took them out. This is right up there with you know what…almost the most fun you can have by yourself. If I had had THIS when I was a kid, life would have been VERY different. This borders on FLUFFY. Imagine a moist spice cake or carrot cake cousin, FULL of MOIST, TENDER, RUMMY fruit and nuts that are just better than al dente. Oh My god. I called mom, and said, “I’m in heaven.” And i just kept tasting it and moaning “oh my god”. She said, “sounds like heaven, the way you keep calling out for god ! Or it’s the scene from Harry met Sally. I am VERY pleased with this risky little adventure. I used FOUR 3 x 7 Pans (not quite “minis” with parchment all around – (i cut little surrounds) Perfection at 1 hour and 15 minutes for the test loaf, and because it was so moist, I left the others in for 1:25 just to be sure. It’s so moist it was hard to tell if the cake was done or not, but the toothpick came out clean at 1:10. I’ll be cutting these in half to give out 8 little cake gifts. People will have to vote affirmatively to get one next year. Fruitcake, as we all acknowledged, gets a bad rap. It sure did with me for 59 years. NOW, i will serve it warmed or on fire, and add either marzipan, carrotcake frosting, or butter for those who want. I have a lot of veg/vegan/ gluten yikes folks, so i’m going to have to experiment later, but for now, this is good old fashioned fruit cake from a time before “food fuss”. LAURA, I can not thank you enough. Grazi, Gracias, spaisibo, danke, merci, and good on ya’ mate. Merry Christmas.
So thrilled to hear that you like how the fruit cakes came out! What an amazing write-up and review. Really appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave your thoughts. I (and others!) really appreciate it. 🙂
Because I dont measure anything, I fail at baking. I love love fruit cake but have never found any shops that sell ones that I like. They all have a weird funny taste. So … I decided to bite the bullet and bake my own and OMG!! for someone who cant bake, these turned out sooooo goood. This beats anything I have ever tasted and its definately worth trying.
Being a non drinker, I actually added nearly half a bottle of rum. After soaking the fruit in it overnight, when I whiffed it, I nearly got drunk!! However, once in the fruit cake, I couldn’t really taste it… but I am getting sleepy when eating it lol. I will def make this again, but next time will prob add a bit more rum during the half way mark.
I also couldnt help myself and added more candied ginger and even though I added more, I still couldnt taste it much, so I guess I will add a tad more next time. I also added twice as much slivered almonds and same amount ( if not more) of chopped pecans. Gives it a nice crunchy texture.
As soon as the cake cooled down, I took a slice, with a pretty blunt knife, I couldn’t wait to taste it and it was sooo good. I cant wait to taste it again once its aged abit.
Thank you soooooooooooo much for this awesone recipe. Mine ofcourse didnt turn out as nice as yours. Yours looks sooo good.
My dad was a pastor and we always got several fruitcakes at Christmas. As a small boy I thought they were dreadful, poisonous undigestable bricks. Mom keeps insisting I could not have been more wrong. 60 years later I want to surprise her with a homemade one that gives her the moistness she insisted made them wonderful and the booziness that you just can’t find in any mail-order fruitcakes. I’m soaking the fruit now. I can’t wait. THANK you.
Yay! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts (and your mom’s thoughts!). This is definitely the best fruit cake that I’ve had and I hope you love it too. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your thoughtful comment and hope you’ll have a chance to come back to visit the post and leave a review 🙂
Hi! Thanks for the recipe!
It looks amazing.
Just one question…
Can I use brandy instead of sherry? Have you tried it with brandy?
My mom has never used brandy for wrapping – it is VERY high in alcohol content, so I would be a little hesitant unless you’re prepared for an even boozier flavor, since it does not cook off. I just personally prefer the flavor and flavor notes of triple sec or medium sherry, but you could experiment if you want!! Thanks for the great question.
Do people serve this cake to children and recovering alcoholis? Not worried about the rum as it cooks off but what about the outside sherry?
Hi Joan! Thanks for the question. I would NOT serve this cake to recovering alcoholics or children (to be honest, I don’t think this is the type of cake that most kids will love – but you never know!) if you’re planning on soaking the cake with sherry. The alcohol does not cook off, so you taste it/smell it. Hope that helps! You could certainly choose not to soak the cake – or reserve a section for kids or anyone else that is unsoaked – it just has the best flavor if you do this step.
Beautiful photos and well written post! You have made a brilliant job of “rewriting” this recipe so it makes sense to others. Try this cake everyone! The holidays are not the same without it! Just add a cup of tea! Yum! Want some right now!
Hey Laura! I’ve made your fruit cake before and it was a real hit, but I SWORE there were currants in the recipe! Did I make that up or did it change?
So happy to hear that!!! You’re not imagining thing. I recently re-tested and made some minor adjustments to the dried fruit mixture to make everything easier to find and more approachable. Also added metric weights. Currants in the US (sometimes called zante currants) are essentially just small raisins (they’re made from grapes), so they don’t offer much of a flavor contrast from the other raisin addition. So instead, I tested and updated the recipe to include regular raisins and golden raisins for contrast. Flavor is just as good, if not better! But you can absolutely substitute the golden raisins with currants if you prefer. It’s flexible! Hope this clarifies thing and apologize for any confusion.
Thank you so much!!! Couldn’t find them this year but I just KNEW I wasn’t crazy????lol. This year I died the raisins, all the other fruits, and then I had a random bag of chopped dates so I threw them in as well!
I’ve got my drunk fruit going since yesterday, And will be soaking the cake till Christmas!
Thank you so much for the hard work on this recipe. It really is the best Fruitcake I’ve ever had!
Great!! I’ve found that just a week of soaking makes the biggest difference in flavor, but your plan also sounds great 🙂 So thrilled you love this recipe as much as my family does!
Best tasting fruitcake! I made this last year and fell in love with it. My adult children did too. I just texted them that it was fruitcake time and their response was “let’s get drunk on cake!” Last year, I didn’t start early enough, but this year pI more with it. I like the dark chocolate added! I hope I can wait while it soaks… thank you.
So thrilled to hear that Christine! It is one of my absolute favorites too. I recently tested this cake and have found that just a week of soaking (or even a few days) makes the biggest difference with flavor, so don’t worry if you can’t soak it longer. I’ve also updated the cake to include metric weights as well, and have simplified a few of the dry fruit ingredients too. Same taste, just easier to make and follow! 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback and for taking the time to leave your review. I know that I, and others, really appreciate it.
This looks absolutely delicious, can’t wait to try this style of fruit cake. Here’s my way of doing it https://wordanova.com/recipe/fruitcake/
Hope you like it :’)
yummmm ???? Looks so delicious, can’t wait to try this. ❤️
I wanna go to give try this fruits cake recipe thanks for posting.
I made this fruitcake exactly as recipe showed. It is indeed the best fruitcake ever. Thanks Laura.
Great to see Americans seeing the delights of a good fruit cake. Never understood the lack of enthusiasm for them in the USA. Maybe it is the candid fruit?
This is on my next one to try.
I love it too! I must admit, I’m very wary of the candied fruit too because it generally just tastes like sugar to me, but this is the absolute BEST fruit cake I’ve ever had. Slightly biased, but hope you agree!
Can I use Cream sherry to soak the fruit instead of rum?
Hi Julie! Yes – you could definitely use cream sherry if you prefer. I would try to find something on the drier side personally (like an Amontillado), but it will work.
Baked the cakes today and they smell amazing! Did want to point out though that I don’t believe baking powder and nutmeg are mentioned in the recipe itself, but are listed in the ingredients? I hope it wasn’t too detrimental that I added towards the end, before the fruit, because I realized I hadn’t added them yet and couldn’t find mention of them in the steps! It could just be a slip up on my end too. Regardless, I’m very excited to start soaking these and have them ready for Christmas!
Oh my gosh – this was a typo error on my part. Yes, they should have been in the dry flour mixture (ingredients are listed in order of use). I just fixed this. I don’t believe it will be very detrimental to this cake, but I REALLY appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I’m really sorry for somehow missing that when writing and editing the instructions. THANK YOU for again for your feedback, so I could update the recipe for others. I hope you love the fruit cakes!!!
Do you have any suggestions of what I can use to soak the cheesecloths and cake in, since I do not want to use the alcohol? Also, can I soak the fruit in juice as opposed to the rum?
Thank you so much for such a wonderful looking recipe. I am making it this weekend.
Hmmm…I’m not sure if I would soak it honestly if you aren’t going to use alcohol. It will still be extremely moist without the cheesecloth step, and I just don’t think fruit juice will benefit the cake (the alcohol does cut the sweetness; fruit juice won’t really add much to it). I hope this helps!!
Thanks for sharing world’s best fruitcake recipe. I have made this and enjoyed a lot with my family.
Hi, any chance to get cup measurement to kilograms please
Hi Mimi! Just wanted to let you know that I’ve added metric measurements to the recipe!!! Hope you have a chance to make it.
Hello Laura
I love the sound of this recipe, I have all my ingredients ready to go but I would like to know if I can make this cake in a 20cm Round cake Tin.
The mixture would need to be doubled for this size.?
Hi Pam! This recipe makes TWO standard loaf cakes – since I don’t know the depth of your cake tin (is it deep, is it shallow?), it’s really hard to say. Plus, I’ve just never made this particular cake in one, so I’m hesitant to say an exact recipe conversion. I would recommend checking out this page: http://dish.allrecipes.com/cake-pan-size-conversions/ and trying to determine the volume of the cake pan you want to use and comparing it to the volume of (two) loaf pans as stated in the recipe. I wish I could be more helpful, but I would need to test it properly to give more detailed advice!
hello from Canada! just got home from the grocery to buy the ingredients. got a question for you, the soaked fruits, am i adding the rum to the batter? or i need to drain the fruits?
also, can i substitute Marsala to Sherry?
thank you.
The fruit should almost entirely soak up the rum, so no need to drain the fruit at all. Hmm, I’m not as sure about the marsala substitute, because I’ve never tried that and my mom hasn’t used that. I wouldn’t personally recommend it, but if you like the taste of marsala (because that flavor will be quite notice since that’s what you’re using to soak the cake), feel free to try it! Sorry I can’t be more specific, but hope this helps.
I just made this for the first time and couldn’t resist taking a sliver while it was still hot. Wow! This is one of the best things I’ve ever baked. There’s no way this is staying around for weeks! I’l be sharing it with friends tomorrow, but will make some more and see what it’s like when it ages. Didn’t have the exact fruits, so improvised, with quite a bit of dates, some dried mango, lots of raisins, some dried cherries, but it really didn’t matter. Thank you so much!
So thrilled to hear that!
I have two loaves in the oven at this moment. What a superb recipe. It’s the first time I’ve wavered from the Craig Claiborne NYT recipe from about 1976. I did not use the figs added extra cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots. Couldn’t find the usual currants and really wanted black currants. I will test in 4-6 weeks. Just leftover rum for the cheesecloth. Otherwise I was faithful.
Wow! My mom will be so honored to hear this. Hope you enjoy the fruitcake and looking forward to hearing your thoughts in a few weeks! I’d love if you could take the time to come back and leave a review/comment. Thank you so much Barbara!
It was abfab superb. The chocolate was almost over the top. I made one without which blew my mind–and tastebuds. And here we are again I am going to make another although just with the items I have on hand. I soaked cranberries and walnuts overnight in Framboises–which was already opened and that I didn’t want to “waste.”
Barbara
Several people have asked how to put marzipan on top. Could you get your mother to advise you and update your response please.
Also, could you let me know if your loaf pans are metal or glass? The temperature gets adjusted depending on the material. Thanks in advance for your help!
I’ll ask my mom about the marzipan – we don’t really do that with these fruitcakes, but I’m sure its more than possible. Also, the loaf pans that my mom uses are metal – thanks for the great question!
So, I just discussed this with my mom! Haha. She doesn’t do a marzipan layer, because she likes to soak/continually brush the fruitcake with booze as it sits and we choose not to do a royal icing on ours (which is *usually* why you would add a marzipan layer) -BUT basically, you want to brush the top and sides of the fruitcake with a glaze – apricot jam thinned on stove and cooled down will work well for this – and then get about 2 tubes of marzipan from store. Roll out into a thin layer, cut into strips the size of the sides / top of the loaf and apply. Hope this helps!
I made this last year and am soaking my fruit again at this moment. I grew up with that fruitcake with glazed cherries and bitter fruit My dear mother made a lovely dark version of it and would take out those old fashioned tins to bake them in. I wish I still had them! I learned to love her fruitcake … But times change and we move forward and this recipe is outstanding !
Last year I gifted this cake to my fruitcake loving friends and family. It was a huge hit.
Thank you for this beautiful recipe !
Can I make this with almond flour instead of wheat flour? I was looking for a booze-soaked, dried-fruit and nuts grain-free sort of fruitcake I could make, partly for an excuse to soak it in sherry (or something). This looks great except for the flour……..
Sorry for only just responding to this Lisa! I’ve never tried this and am a bit hesitant to advise it (especially since it’s not a cheap recipe to make and I don’t want you to get bad results), because it is VERY fruit filled and I’m worried there wouldn’t be much structure left if you used a non-gluten nut flour. Could you try a gluten free 1:1 blend? Perhaps Bob’s Red Mill brand?
Hi, made this tonight and it smells delicious. Mine didn’t turn brown though; they stayed a medium pail brown. Any ideas why? I used mini loaves, otherwise the same. Took around 45 minutes to cook.
How do I use the parchment paper? Is it absolutely necessary to use it particularly if I use nonstick loaf pans? I will be trying this recipe for the first time. For about 20 years I have made fruitcake with candied fruit and rum. Is it ok to soak in rum rather than sherry?
Thank you,
Alisyn Edwards
Hi Alisyn! Sorry for not getting back to you right away (saw your earlier comment – it just hadn’t been approved yet). I don’t think you would *have* to line them with parchment paper, but since the cake is on the more delicate side – I would strongly recommend lining it to be safe. It will also make it easier to remove. In order to line it, you’ll want to cut a piece of parchment that is large enough so that the sides of parchment paper go up all the way on the longest edge of the pan (it should actually end over the top, so that you can grab the pieces of parchment paper from both sides to remove the loaf). Here’s a visual: http://www.framedrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_7063_Cumin_Bread_4.jpg
Hope this helps!
Thank you Laura! This will be my first year in over 20 years of making fruitcake with dried fruit rather than candied fruit. One other question, do I butter the parchment paper before putting the batter in it?
Yay! I think you’ll like it more than candied (if I do say so myself 😉 ). You can butter it. I think it would be fine either way though! Hope this helps and please let me know if you like the cake once you make it.
Also – I think rum could also definitely work if you prefer that flavor. My mom prefers sherry and has always used that, but I think its totally up to your own preference.
Wonderfully tasty & easy to make!! SO GOOD!! I’ve made this recipe twice!! For me, recipe makes 2 loaves….. just took one out of refrig made Nov 2016 & so delicious! Plan to make more in a week or two! Thank you !
My friend and I love your recipe. In fact we seem to have gone fruitcake crazy! Can we freeze the cakes for later use, we have done the whole thing just as your recipe states, but we made a lot of cakes!!!
laura,
I have made fruit cakes for years but this one is simply fabulous. I soaked my fruit in peach brandy for about a week. I added drained pineapple and it added moisture to the cake.
Thank you for taking the time to share this wonderful Christmas cake.
Sandra
I am so excited to make this recipe! My mother loves fruitcake, but she doesn’t like the store bought version very much. I plan on making them this weekend to give it time to soak over the next 3 weeks until Christmas. One question (if you’re still checking!), the second loaf will go to a family friend in another state. Does it need to be refrigerated or will it hold up for a few weeks just wrapped in the cheesecloth, wax paper, and foil?
I’m so excited to make this. I baked thet loaves today and am wrapping them in triple sec soaked cheesecloth. I’m wondering, if I use triple sec now, should I use sherry for the next couple weeks or keep using the triple sec. Does it matter? Thanx for this recipe. Honest confession, I’ve nibble a little off the edges of one fruitcake, already. Delicious, but I want to let it set a few weeks.
Your Mom’s fruitcake recipe sounds wonderful. I was very intrigued by the mention of marzipan. I know you don’t like it, but I love marzipan. Any chance you could tell me how your mom uses the marzipan so I can try it? Also, what was she referring to when she mentioned the “butter?”
Thank you! Happy Holidays!
I’m just curious, how important is it for this to soak for 4-6 weeks? Has anyone tried for just a couple of weeks? I’d like to make for my dad but I’m not on the ball and it’s super close to Christmas lol
You definitely don’t have to soak it for all of that time! A few days or a week would probably work as well – but it can also be stored for a very long time too. Hope this helps!
Hello Laura! Those beautiful pictures and the ingredients made me want to make my first fruit cake ever. I bought everything and am ready for attack! Could I cut the alcohol in half and replace the missing liquid by something else? Would it be better to freeze it if I don’t want to resoak the cloth every week? Thanks for the answers. 🙂
Thank you so much! Hmmm…honestly, I’m not sure if would suggest cutting the alcohol in half from the cake itself. I have never tried doing that and most of the alcohol will cook out during the baking. Unfortunately, I have never tried doing this, so I can’t say if a substitute would work (and wouldn’t want the recipe to not work out without having tested it myself).
If you would rather not soak the cloth every week, don’t worry about it! I would soak it the once and as long as it is well-wrapped, it should be fine in the fridge for an extended period of time. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it personally, as the texture would probably change! I hope this helps!
Thanks Laura! Soaking tonight, baking tomorrow! I’ll let you know the results after the holidays. 🙂
okey-dokey! i will stick to the recipe as much as possible. and i’ve bookmarked this page so hopefully you will hear from me christmas-time on the results!
graye
Hey Laura!
I have made this fantastic cake several times.. And it turns out to be the best cake.
The only problem is that I don’t get the dark brown color.. What should I do?
But this cake is super good! ?
Hi Nimrat,
It might just depend on the types of fruit that you use or if you make some other adaptations. You might also want to add another 5 minutes to the baking time. It’s hard to say without knowing more information, but aside from the dried fruit, the batter itself is not dark!
hi laura- i am getting ready to make my fruitcakes for christmas. this will be the first year i use dried fruit instead of candied and your recipe looks the most promising! except for the spicing- it is spiced like pumpkin pie and since we will eat pumpkin pie. also, i think i will stick with the citrus zest flavor. funny, not many people say how their cake turned out– i guess because it doesn’t get eaten for a few weeks.
graye
Don’t worry about the cinnamon and nutmeg addition! This fruitcake tastes NOTHING like pumpkin pie or anything in that family. The citrus and fruit are the main stars of this fruitcake! And yes to the feedback. We’ve been making this fruitcake for years, so I’m very confident in the recipe – but it does get prepared way in advance, so I think people forget to come back and tell me the final outcome! 🙂
i am still eating fruitcake! it turned out pretty good. a bit raisin-y, tho. after i had all the fruit snipped- measured separately- i measured it together and had only 6 cups- not 8- and then when i mixed it all up the batter looked way too wet so i added another cup of raisins. shrug! also, i can’t really taste the difference between the dried cherries and the raisins– but i think it is probably because i used brandy, a grape product, instead of rum. i also used dates instead of figs, but other than those 2 things, i stuck to the recipe. it could have used double the nuts i think. and if i could have found dried unsweetened cranberries they would have been good. all in all successful fruitcake with dried fruit instead of candied– i think tho i will use a few candied cherries next year– for the festive look they provide!
Hi, if I would like to make it next week to be eaten around Christmas, do I still resoak the cheesecloths once a week? I’m worried about it having too intense an alcohol scent. Also, can I brush the cakes with alcohol instead of soaking cheesecloths? Thanks!
I would check the cheesecloth and only re-soak (also, please remember that the cloth should be very lightly moist, like it was dipped in alcohol and wrung, not completely soaking before any wrapping) if it appears really dry. Since you’re planning on storing it for so long, you might want to soak it once more along the way, but it is totally up to you! This cake is very moist and as long as it is wrapped very well and kept in the refrigerator, it will absolutely keep either way.
Hope this helps and hope you enjoy it!
Thanks Laura! So, I’ve made the cake and it’s wrapped in sherry-soaked cheesecloth right now. I put all the batter into a quite large, round cake pan (the kind where the bottom unsnaps from the sides). It worked perfectly! I thoroughly greased with butter, then lined the bottom with parchment paper and greased that as well. I would say the pan is a 12-inch diameter circle, maybe 14. I cooked it for 1 hour 50 minutes at 130 degrees celsius (since we work in celsius in the UK–and 300 converts to 150 C, but then minus another 20 degrees C because my oven is fan-assisted, as are most British ovens these days–fan-assisted meaning convection). (Btw, I’m American, but moved to the UK earlier this year–still getting used to everything British!) The cake seems very sturdy, not likely to break at all.
Looking forward to your mom’s advice on marzipan and icing. And two more questions for you (or her!). How long will this last if I keep soaking it each week in the sherry? And if it won’t last more than 4-6 weeks, could/should I freeze it? Thanks so much!
Goodness, this sounds wonderful! I’ve got to try it! I am just surprised that you have to keep it in the refrigerator… Generally, the alcohol keeps it from spoiling.
Hhmm.. Did i overlooked the recipe? I cant seems to find the baking temperature.
Yes – it is in the second line of the recipe instructions. Hope this helps.
I see, Joanna, that I’m not the only one thinking about the holidays already!
My question for Laura is about the Sherry – it comes in all types of sweetnesses. I am assuming you use a sweet sherry for this recipe?
And I think from your other posts you find brandy to be an acceptable substitute?
I’m going to ask my mom (pro about the fruit cakes) and get back to you, as it has been a while since I made this. I’m almost positive it is a medium sherry (not dry but definitely not the sweetest either–and definitely not cream sherry!). I’ll be in touch soon!
I’m so excited! I just finished my first fruitcakes and have them in the refrigerator now. I may not be able to wait for the holidays! As long as I keep resoaking the cheesecloth and keep it wrapped up tight, do you think it will be okay for Christmas (4 months away)?
Yes! I’ve had it months later and it’s still delish! ?
Hi Laura,
I have a few questions about this recipe. I’m making it for my father-in-law’s birthday, because he loves fruitcake. But he likes it with marzipan and icing (traditional British–I live in the UK). I would assume I could just add that after baking? Also, since it’s a birthday cake, I would like to make it round instead of into 2 loaves. Could I just use the same amount of batter that you’ve divided into 2 pans and put it into one large round cake pan? Any idea on cooking time and temperature if I did that?
And finally, is 6 ounces of rum 6 liquid ounces? I’m assuming so, but I’ve cut up all the dried fruit ready for soaking and it’s LOADS–I just don’t think 6 liquid ounces will come close to soaking all of it, given that 6 ounces is less than 1 cup! But maybe the rum isn’t really supposed to soak all the fruit? I’ve never made fruitcake before so not quite sure. Thanks! 🙂
Eek! Thanks so much for your comment and questions. I have to say, my mom is the pro at making fruit cake, so I am not experienced enough in making it to know if it could be adapted into a traditional round cake form. Personally, I think this particular fruitcake recipe isn’t as ideal for that, because it is SO LOADED on fruit (and it could potentially break if it’s not in a loaf form). Yes! 6 ounces is 6 liquid ounces. It is a TON of fruit, but you also end up soaking the baked fruitcake afterwards in booze, so in that sense it gains more moisture. I’m going to ask my mom to see if she can help with your question, but unfortunately I’m traveling at the moment so it could be a few days!
I made this cake to see if it would be suitable for my husband to take tramping (hiking). It is way too delicious – I sent him off with something else and kept the cake here at home. Thanks for the recipe – this will be my ‘go-to’ fruit cake recipe.
This cake is awesome … I’ve made it three years in a row for my husbands birthday. Every year when I make it though – I forget to add the nuts and ginger as they are listed in the ingredients, but not added in in the instructions. This year I remembered and thought I might tell you so that you can change it for others. My cake is in the oven as I type this …. Thanks for an awesome recipe … I get so many compliments on it
Hi Leah! Thank you so much for your comment, I’m so glad you’re such a fan of this fruitcake! I’ll have to tell my mom! 🙂 I’m so sorry about the recipe instruction error, I just fixed it now–this is what happens when you don’t properly proofread a family recipe. I really appreciate you letting me know!
I haven’t given this recipe of your’s a shot yet, but from the looks of it, I think I’ll be making it and finishing it as soon as it is out of my oven. Truly looks like the worlds best fruitcake. I happened to try out another recipe of eggless fruitcake from a Prestige SmartChef website and it looked quite similar. Keep it up Laura.
OMG this is sooo beautiful! Fantastic blog and absolutely stunning pictures! So glad that I found ya! Following!
Thank you so much Mila!
Hello Laura. This cake seems very good.
I have an old recipe that mother said won
Some prize in 1945! It does have the crystalized
Fruits , and cocoa. Plus melasses and rum or
Brandy. Almonds, pecans & walnuts. Figs and
Dates and a few spices. We soak it and keep
It just the way you do. And We love it!
Hi — looking for a fruitcake to make as part of this year’s holiday gift baskets. This recipe looks AMAZING! But I would like to make into smaller, 3×6 loaves?
Advice on expected yield & modification to baking instructions please? Thank you!
Cant WAIT to try this!
T
Hi Tanya! Thanks for your comment! Unfortunately, I haven’t tried to make this recipe in 3×6 loaf pans, so I really don’t have any explicit baking instructions that I can offer. On that note, my GUESS is that it would make four loaves of that size. I would recommend baking at the same temperature as the original recipe, but it will probably only take 30-45 minutes for loaves of that size. Again, this is all pure speculation, so I can’t guarantee anything, but that is my educated guess! Please report back if you try it! Thanks again!
54 minutes baking time for the mini-loaves!
Hello Courtney,
Just saw your message and your reply. I would like to make mini loaves as well. From this batch, did you get 4 or 5 or 6 mini loaves? Please let me know!
Thank you very much!
Makes 4 mini-loaves
This will be my first time attempting fruitcake making. Your recipe looks delicious. A question about soaking the cake. Recipe says to soak cheesecloth once a week in sherry. Could you soak in triple sec? Thanks. looking forward to enjoying this.
YES! You could definitely use a good quality triple sec, or even Grand Marnier (if you feel like splurging). I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Hi – I would like to know which alcohol tastes the best for wrapping the fruit cake. Also why isn’t the rum used to wrap it. Thank you
It really depends on your taste preference – if you enjoy triple sec (orange), that might be for you! If you love sherry than you might prefer that option. I like both equally, but tend to lean more towards the sherry.
Rum isn’t used for wrapping because its incredibly alcoholic/dry and honestly just doesn’t taste incredible for that type of application (where it’s not cooked off). It is simply to hydrate the fruits and then the alcohol cooks off in the baking process – technically you could use other alcohols for that part of the recipe if you prefer.
Well, I happen to be a fruitcake lover, and this one is so similar to my family’s plum pudding! I love it, and will definitely try it. When the weather is cooler, mind you. It’s summer here, and averaging 95º to 100º every day, so the oven is out of bounds. But give me a ton of dried fruit in a dessert and I’m happy!
I have always been a fan of fruitcake, and this recipe looks excellent! Thanks for sharing!
I’m one of the people who think it wouldn’t be Christmas without baking a fruitcake. Your cake looks and sounds wonderful.
Yes!! You and me both. So glad to hear I’m not alone in that. Thank you Karen!
I love how much fruit you’ve got in this cake…and the fact that it’s been soaked in rum makes it sound extra delicious! I’m pinning now!
Yes. Tons and tons of dried fruit!! That’s why it’s definitely worth making a few loaves at a time (this recipe makes two). Thank you Caroline!!