This fruitcake with candied fruit is everything people love about glace fruit cakes: colorful, buttery, soft, lightly spiced, and full of those tiny jewel-like candied fruit cubes. It bakes beautifully in a bundt pan, needs no soaking or aging, and tastes amazing the same day — which makes it the perfect “I need a festive cake today” recipe.

---

I grew up in a house where December meant one thing: fruitcake orders.
My mom baked for half the neighborhood, and there were always trays of dried fruit soaking in rum for the classic dark fruitcake (which I still make — those linked below). She’d start as early as July, because fruitcakes were serious business.

But she also made a different fruitcake — a lighter one with homemade candied fruit. She’d slice orange and lemon peel, cook them gently in sugar syrup, dry them overnight, and fold them into the batter. The kitchen smelled like citrus, caramel, and holidays.

Me?
I’ll be honest. I happily buy the ready-made glace mixed fruit — the colorful cubes of candied peel — and bake this cake in under an hour. It still tastes nostalgic and cheerful, and every slice looks like stained glass. And unlike traditional fruitcakes, this one is ready to enjoy the same day.

It looks like a pound cake, but trust me — it’s way better than a dry pound cake. This one is moist, buttery, tender, and loaded with colorful candied fruit.

🛒 Ingredients and Substitutes

• All-purpose flour – plain flour is perfect.
• Baking powder + baking soda – lifts this rich batter.
• Salt – helps balance sweetness.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg – warm spice without overpowering the candied fruit.
• Unsalted butter (soft) – gives that classic pound-cake texture.
• White sugar – keeps the cake light in color and flavor.
• Large eggs – room temperature for best mixing.
• Buttermilk – the secret to a moist, tender crumb.
• Vanilla extract (and almond extract optional) – bakery-style aroma.
• Glace mixed fruit (candied fruit) – the tiny cubes of lemon, orange, pineapple, red/green cherries.
• Chopped nuts – almonds, cashews, or pecans (optional but adds lovely crunch).
• Additional candied fruit for topping.

---

🍰 Step-by-Step: How to Make Fruitcake with Candied Fruit

1. Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan, making sure every groove is coated.

2. Wet ingredients

In a mixing bowl, beat soft butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well, then add vanilla (and almond extract if using).

3. Dry ingredients

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk.
Mix just until combined.

4. Prepare candied fruit

Toss the candied fruit and nuts with 1–2 tbsp flour to prevent sinking. Fold fruit mixture into the batter gently.

5. Bake

Transfer to the bundt pan.
Bake 60–70 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Finish

Let cake cool 15 minutes in the pan.
Brush the warm cake with melted butter and press extra candied fruit on top.
Dust with powdered sugar.

🔧 Tips for Success

• Use room-temperature eggs, butter, and buttermilk for best texture.
• Don’t skip the flouring of the candied fruit — it prevents sinking.
• If browning too fast, tent with foil in the last 15 minutes.
• Bundt cakes release better if they rest 10+ minutes before inverting.
• Store airtight to keep the cake moist.

---

🧩 Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Fix
Fruit sank	Not floured / batter overmixed	Toss in flour, fold gently
Crumbly cake	Too much fruit; not enough structure	Reduce add-ins slightly next time
Cake too dry	Overbaked	Check 10 min early; tent with foil
No rise	Old leavening or cold ingredients	Use fresh baking powder/soda; room temp eggs
Cake stuck to pan	Bundt grooves not coated	Use baking spray with flour; brush into corners

---

🗂️ Variations

• Add raisins, cranberries, or candied ginger for extra texture.
• Swap vanilla for almond essence for a bakery-style aroma.
• Make loaf cakes: Bake 75–85 minutes.
• Add orange zest for a citrusy twist.

---

📦 Storage

• Room temperature: 3–4 days
• Fridge: up to 1 week
• Freezer: up to 3 months (double-wrapped)

---

---

• All about fruitcakes – tips, storage, and more
• Rich Fruit Cake Recipe
• Boozy Christmas fruitcake.
• Eggless fruitcake recipe
• Dark fruitcake recipe
• Candied Fruit Fruitcake
• Pistachio Cherry Fruitcake
• Cranberry Almond Semolina Cake

Frequently asked questions

---

---