fruitcake

Subterms

    Latest story

    Best Holiday Fruitcake

    ha scritto per te

    This easy fruitcake is perfect for the holidays. It’s light, tender, and full of dried fruits and nuts. Sprinkle the loaf with brandy, or leave it out! Either way, this fruit cake is a welcome addition to the holiday table.

    Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

    Are you a fruitcake lover? Though this traditional holiday cake is often maligned (I guess some people don’t like candied fruit?), it’s wonderful when well prepared.
    This fruitcake is our family’s favorite, packed with dates, walnuts, raisins, and glazed cherries. Think raisin bread, on steroids. The recipe comes from the wife of a family friend, Patricia, who for years sent us a loaf every Christmas.
    We usually have to make at least two loaves—one to eat right away because we just can’t wait, and the other to sprinkle with brandy and save for Christmas day. These loaves also make terrific gifts.
    Video! The Best Holiday Fruitcake

    How to Make Fruitcake
    Fruitcake is really just like any other quick bread or loaf cake, only with a lot more fruit and nuts added. You make a simple cake batter, stir in the fruits and nuts, and bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
    The resulting cake is dense and looks like a beautiful mosaic when sliced, with fruits and nuts in every bite.
    You can sprinkle the cake with liquor (we like brandy), or leave it alcohol-free. The liquor will make the fruitcake more moist, and will help it last longer.
    Tips for the Best Fruit Cake
    Toss the fruits and nuts in flour before mixing them into the batter. This will help keep them evenly distributed throughout the cake during baking.
    Place a pan of water in the oven alongside the fruitcake. This will help with a more even, gentle cooking.
    It’s best to slice this fruitcake with a knife with a serrated edge, such as a bread knife.

    How Long Does Fruitcake Last?
    Fruitcake lasts longer than most other cakes because it is filled with nuts and candied fruit. It will last even longer if you sprinkle it with a spirit like brandy. Just keep it tightly wrapped.
    Without brandy, the cake will last tightly wrapped a week or more.
    With brandy, the cake can last a month or more.
    How to Store and Freeze Fruitcake
    Cool the fruitcake completely, poke a few holes in the top of the cake and sprinkle it with brandy if desired. Wrap the loaf tightly with aluminum foil and store it on the counter.
    To freeze, wrap the loaf in plastic and then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months.
    More Festive Holiday Treats

    Updated December 20, 2020 : We added a new video to help you make the best fruitcake ever. No changes to the original recipe.

    Best Holiday Fruitcake Recipe

    Best to slice this fruitcake with a knife with a serrated edge, such as a bread knife.

    Ingredients
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 cup (236 ml) full fat sour cream
    1 cup (130 g) chopped dates
    2 cups (280 g) raisins
    1/2 cup (75 g) chopped glazed cherries (can sub dried sweetened cranberries)
    1 cup (100 g) chopped walnuts
    2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour [divided into 1/4 cup (30 g) and 1 3/4 cups (130 g)]
    1/2 cup butter (1 stick, 113 g)
    1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
    1 large egg, room temperature
    Grated rind of one orange
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 to 2 ounces (30 to 60 ml) brandy (optional)

    Method

    1 Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with greased parchment paper or brown baking paper, cut to fit the pan.
    Place one piece to run the length of the pan and stand up above the rim about an inch. Place the other piece or pieces to cover the other sides. When the cake comes out of the oven, you can easily remove it by holding the sides of the paper and lifting the cake out of the pan.

    2 Mix together sour cream and baking soda: In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and sour cream; set aside.

    3 Toss the fruits and nuts with flour: Combine the dates, raisins, cherries, and nuts with 1/4 cup of the flour and toss to coat the fruit and nuts. Set aside.

    4 Make the fruitcake batter: Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the egg, then the orange rind, then the sour cream/baking soda mix.
    Add the flour and the salt and mix together. Combine fruit/nut mixture with creamed ingredients and mix well to distribute the fruit and nuts evenly.

    5 Bake the fruitcake: Scoop the batter into a prepared 5×9-inch loaf pan, and press down to even the surface.
    Place the batter-filled pan into the preheated oven. Place a separate pan of water in the oven either on a rack underneath the fruitcake or beside it. (The water will help with a more even, gentle cooking.)
    Bake at 325°F (160°C) for approximately 1 1/2 hours to 1 3/4 hours, or until the internal temperature is between 205°F and 209°F, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Water may need to be replenished during baking. If the top of the fruitcake is getting too browned as it bakes, tent it with some foil.

    6 Cool on a rack: Remove to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Let cool completely.
    Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum to store. If you want, poke a few holes over the top of the cake and sprinkle on a few ounces of brandy or bourbon. This will make the fruitcake more moist and will help it last longer.

    Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!

    This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
    More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO

    consigliato per te

    • in Recipes

      Spiced Rum Cake Mini Trifles

      ha scritto per te

      These elegant mini trifles have big holiday flavor! Layers of rum-soaked cake and spiked vanilla bean custard are layered in small glasses and topped with fluffy whipped cream. 

      No matter what size your guest list is this year, it always helps to have recipes that can be made ahead. There’s so much to do even with a small dinner gathering – mains and sides to arrange on the buffet, glasses to fill, naughty little pugs to shoo out of the kitchen – it always helps to have a trick or two up your sleeve (and in the refrigerator).
      The components of this dessert can be made up to 3 days ahead and then assembled before serving. They are appropriately bold and rich for their small size. It’s like having the flavors of the holidays condensed into your own single serving. 

      The cake portion is studded with plumped dried fruit. Figs and apricots give it some heft, and even though it is rum-soaked I hesitate to call it ‘fruitcake’. It is not dense or tough, and it fluffs up when crumbled for the trifles. 

      Vanilla bean-rum custard is smooth and boozy, and just perfect with the cake. I think this dessert looks best serve in stemmed or footed glasses. It’s an elegant touch without being the least bit fussy.

      Whipped cream can be dolloped or piped on – whatever fits your time constraints and tools. Here I’ve used a large open star pastry tube.

      The cake portion of this recipe makes slightly more than you’ll need for the trifles. I used this as an opportunity to add an extra crumble on top of each dessert. A small sprig of rosemary will add a note of evergreen, but it’s completely optional and mostly just makes them look pretty. Serve these on a fancy tray and your guests are sure to feel special!

      Spiced Rum Cake Mini Trifles[Click for Printable Version]
      Yields about eight 4 oz. trifles
      Adapted from Christmas with Southern Living 2011Spiced rum cake
      1/2 cup (75 grams) chopped pitted dates
      1/2 cup (75 grams) golden raisins
      1/2 cup (75 grams) chopped figs
      1/2 cup (75 grams) chopped dried apricots
      1/2 cup (120 ml) orange juice
      1/2 cup (113 grams) butter, softened
      1/2 cup (90 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
      3 large eggs
      1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
      1/2 teaspoon baking soda
      1/4 teaspoon salt
      1/2 cup (75 grams) chopped pecans
      2 teaspoons orange zest
      1/2 cup (120 ml) spiced rumVanilla bean-rum custard
      1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
      3 tablespoons cornstarch
      2 1/4 cups whole milk
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      3 egg yolks
      3 tablespoons spiced rum
      1 tablespoon butter
      1 teaspoon vanilla bean pasteToppings
      1 1/4 cups heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
      8 rosemary sprigs, optionalCombine the dates, raisins, figs, and apricots in a medium bowl; pour orange juice over the fruit and stir to evenly coat. Cover and let stand at least 30 minutes.Coat the inside of an 8-inch square pan with flour-based cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 325°F.In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at time, beating until well blended after each addition.In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mixing on low speed, gradually add flour to the butter mixture, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure ingredients are well blended. Stir in pecans and orange zest.Drain the fruit mixture and discard orange juice. Fold fruit into the batter and spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let cake cool slightly in the pan; do not turn out. Poke holes in the cake with a wooden skewer while it is still warm. Pour rum evenly over cake, allowing it to seep into holes. Cool completely in the pan on wire rack, about 1 hour.Vanilla bean-rum custard
      Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan; whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 7 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute while whisking.In a separate mixing bowl, break egg yolks with a whisk and beat until consistently smooth. Gradually stir about 1/4 of hot milk mixture into eggs; then add yolk mixture to remaining hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, or until well-thickened, whisking constantly.Remove from heat and stir in rum, butter and vanilla. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. Whisk custard smooth before assembling desserts.To assemble the trifles, coarsely crumble about 3/4 of the fruitcake in the pan (you will have leftover fruitcake). Layer a spoonful of custard in the bottom of 4 oz. glasses. crumbled fruitcake in the bottom of 4 oz. trifle glasses. Top with a layer of crumbled fruitcake. Repeat custard and fruitcake layering so that you have two layers of custard and two layers of cake in each glass. Place whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe whipped on top of trifles; add a few cake crumbles on top just before serving, and rosemary sprigs if using.Make ahead: The cake, custard, and whipped cream can be made ahead and stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to three days. Stir custard well before layering in the glasses.link Spiced Rum Cake Mini Trifles By Heather Baird Published: Tuesday, December 15, 2020Tuesday, December 15, 2020Spiced Rum Cake Mini Trifles Recipe LEGGI TUTTO