Recipe for Fruitcake
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This is the best recipe for fruitcake. It is rich, moist, and loaded with dry fruit and nuts. Unlike traditional holiday fruit recipes, this one does not need any maturing or feeding. Hence, it can be made just in time for the holidays for that perfect Christmas fruitcake.
My family makes fruitcakes every Christmas, not just for us but as a business. Personally, I could eat fruitcake for breakfast every day and never complain. In fact, I think a fruitcake is a must-have dessert to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
This fruitcake is a twist on the traditional recipes, which are dense. This is much lighter in texture because it has less fruit and nuts. In addition, the sour cream and dark brown sugar, combined with the butter, give it a slight butterscotch flavor that’s hard to resist.
Why make this recipe for fruitcake
- Unlike traditional recipes, this fruitcake is simple and easy to make. The batter takes just 10 minutes to prepare and less than 2 hours to bake.
- Also, once this is cake is done, you can cut into it and enjoy it right away. You do not need to let it mature for weeks, nor do you need to do any feeding.
- In fact, the shelf-life for this cake is just about a week. But, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- This recipe is so delicious it was featured in the magazine ‘Incredible India’ – an international cake collaboration along with my Indian-inspired cake.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Sugar – The rich flavor of molasses in the brown sugar is what gives a lovely dark color to this fruitcake. And if you don’t have dark brown sugar, you can also use white sugar plus 2 tbsp of molasses.
- Fruit – Personally, I think you should use what you like and omit what you don’t like. For example, if you don’t like black current add more raisins or cranberries. The most important thing is to keep the quantity the same. So, for example, you can substitute – 1 cup black currents for 1 cup cranberries or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup cranberries.
- Eggs – Large eggs are approximately 70 grams in weight. Since the eggs in this recipe are the main liquid and leavening, please make sure you add enough.
- Spice mix – I like using cinnamon, ginger powder, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg in my fruitcakes. And yet, you can also use pumpkin spice mix or gingerbread spice mix.
- Sour cream – Adds a nice soft crumb to the cake but it also makes it a perishable cake. That means, this cake will keep for no more than a week in the fridge. Greek yogurt is a good subsitute for sour cream.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 165°C / Gas Mark 3.
Pro tip – Always make sure the oven is well preheated for at least 15 minutes before baking the cake. - Grease and dust with flour an 8-inch tube pan or a 12-cup bundt pan.
Pro tip – You can also use an 8-inch round pan (3-inch deep) or a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan.
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine flour with salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
- Fruit mixture – In a separate bowl, combine all the dried fruits. Add 2 to 4 tbsp of the flour mixture and combine well making sure to separate any chunks. And set aside.
Pro tip – Fruits, like chopped dates, apricots, and figs, tend to stick together. So, it is best to separate them before adding them to the batter.
Cake batter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Pro tip – It is important to cream until the sugar is almost dissolved in the butter. - Add eggs, one at a time, followed by the sour cream and vanilla extract. Then add the flour mixture.
Pro tip – We do not want to activate the gluten in the flour so do not overmix. - Add the dry fruit mixture followed by the chopped nuts.
Pro tip – The dry flour coating the fruits act as the glue that prevents them from sinking to the bottom but it works best if you do not overmix.
Bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with the chopped sliced almonds.
Pro tip – The sliced almonds look nice on top but they can also be added to the batter. - Bake for about 80 to 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Pro tip – If you are using alcohol, while still hot out of the oven, pour the brandy, rum, or cognac all over the cake. - Cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes. Then, invert on a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.
More fruitcake recipes
- 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
How long will this recipe for fruitcake keep?
This fruitcake is like a coffee cake and made with sour cream for a tender crumb. Unlike traditional fruitcakes, this one will keep for about 3 to 4 days at room temperature or 6 to 8 days well wrapped in the fridge. You can even freeze it for up to three months.
Can I frost this butterscotch fruitcake?
Absolutely, like traditional fruitcake you can cover this butterscotch fruitcake with marzipan as well as fondant or royal icing.
How do you store fruitcakes?
Unlike traditional fruitcakes, this one can be stored at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the fridge for 6 to 8 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I soak the fruits for this fruitcake recipe?
Yes, if you want you can soak the fruits overnight, or for a few hours. You can use 1 cup of brandy, rum, cognac, or orange juice. Note that if choose to soak the fruit you will need to omit the sour cream in the recipe to balance the liquid-soaked fruits.
Troubleshooting
- Why does my fruit cake not rise? A fruit cake is a dense batter loaded with fruit, so it won’t rise like a regular sponge cake. However, it is not a flat dense cake, so there has to be some rise because we do have leavening and eggs in the batter. Make sure to check that the baking powder date is not expired.
- Why is my fruitcake crumbly? Measure the ingredients properly, so there a good balance of fruit to the cake batter. Too much fruit means there is not enough batter to hold it all together. Alternatively, too much sugar in a cake batter will cause the cake to crumble when you cut it. Too little sugar can make the cake dense and tough.
- My fruit cake is too dry? Often, over-baking a fruit cake is the cause of dry fruit cakes. A fruit cake must be baked at the right temperature. The too-high oven temperature will dry the cake. Follow the recipe closely, including baking times.
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Recipe for Fruitcake
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 325°F/ 165°C / Gas Mark 3.
Calories: 185kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 24 servings
Description
This is the best recipe for fruitcake. It is rich, moist, and loaded with dry fruit and nuts. Unlike traditional holiday fruit recipes, this one does not need any maturing or feeding. Hence, it can be made just in time for the holidays for that perfect Christmas fruitcake.
Video
Ingredients
Makes one 8-inch tube or 12 cups bundt pan or 9 x 4-inch loaf pan
Cake batter
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter (unsalted)
- 1 cup (220 g) Dark brown sugar (packed)
- 4 Eggs (large)
- ½ cup (120 ml) Sour cream
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp Ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg (freshly grated)
- ⅛ tsp Cardamom powder
Dry fruit and Nuts
- ¼ cup (35 g) Dry dates (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 cup (100 g) Dry cranberries (chopped into two)
- ¼ cup (35 g) Dried apricots (chopped )
- ¾ cup (100 g) Raisins
- ¼ cup (60 g) Currents (cut large ones into two)
- ¾ cup (100 g) Cashews or almonds (chopped )
Plus (optional)
- ½ cup (70 g) Silvered almonds (for the top (optional) )
- 60 ml (0.25 cups) Brandy (or rum, cognac, etc)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 165°C / Gas Mark 3. Pro tip – Always make sure the oven is well preheated for at least 15 minutes before baking the cake.
- Grease and dust with flour an 8-inch tube pan or a 12 cup bundt pan. Pro tip – You can also use one 8-inch round pan (3-inch deep) or a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan.
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine flour with salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
- Fruit mixture – In a separate bowl, combine all the dried fruits. Add 2 to 4 tbsp of the flour mixture and combine well making sure to separate any chunks. And set aside.Pro tip – Fruits, like chopped dates, apricots, and figs, tend to stick together. So, it is best to separate them before adding them to the batter.
Cake batter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Pro tip – It is important to cream until the sugar is almost dissolved in the butter.
- Add eggs, one at a time, followed by the sour cream and vanilla extract. Then, add the flour mixture. Pro tip – We do not want to activate the gluten in the flour so do not overmix.
- Add the dry fruit mixture followed by the chopped nuts.Pro tip – The dry flour coating the fruits act as the glue that prevents them from sinking to the bottom, but it works best if you do not overmix.
Bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with the chopped sliced almonds. Pro tip – The sliced almonds look nice on top, but they can also be added to the batter.
- Bake for about 80 to 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Pro tip – If you are using alcohol, while still hot out of the oven, pour the brandy, rum, or cognac all over the cake.
- Cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes. Then, invert on a cooling rack and cool completely
- Lightly dust with confectioners sugar before serving.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Makes sure all ingredients are room temperature before you start baking.
- Ensure the oven is preheated before you put the cake in the oven otherwise the butter will melt and the cake will be very flat with all the fruits sunk to the bottom.
- If using coarse sugar like me, make sure to cream the butter and sugar well otherwise the sugar will remain grainy in the batter.
- The fruits are coated with flour to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. The flour acts as glue but this works well only if you do not overmix the batter. When overmixed the flour absorbs moisture and becomes one with the batter hence the weight of the fruits sinks it down.
- This cake has less fruit and nuts than traditional rich fruit cake hence it is not ideal to store for ripening or feeding.
- Additionally, the presence of sour cream makes this a perishable cake that will not keep for longer than a week in the fridge. However, you can store it for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Nutrition Information
Calories: 185– kcalCarbohydrates: 17– gProtein: 3– gFat: 13– gSaturated Fat: 6– gCholesterol: 50– mgSodium: 157– mgPotassium: 157– mgFiber: 1– gSugar: 11– gVitamin A: 356– IUVitamin C: 5– mgCalcium: 38– mgIron: 1– mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Can i soak the dried fruits in orange juice for this cake?
If you want the cake to have an orange flavor you can use orange juice instead of sour cream. And yes, you can soak them in orange juice. Just make sure the liquid amount stays the same.