Recipe for Fruitcake
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.
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 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg freshly grated
- ⅛ teaspoon 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 tablespoon 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
- 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.
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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