Fruit Cake

Nothing says the holidays quite like a festive fruit cake. This classic dessert features a rich, dense cake speckled with an assortment of brightly colored candied fruit and chopped nuts. Fruit cakes are a special-occasion type of dessert, often enjoyed during celebrations like Christmas. However, wedding-goers may also encounter them from time to time.

This simple fruit cake recipe is also fit for any occasion. It contains three types of candied fruit and a heaping serving of halved walnuts, which give this dessert its sought-after chewy texture. Although the fruit cake recipe is originally booze-free, soaking the fruit cake mix-ins in the dark liquor of your choice helps enhance the flavor and gets the good times rolling.

Ingredients for Fruit Cake

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• Red and green candied cherries: Candied cherries are cooked in syrup, which gives them their tacky, sweet consistency and flavor. In this simple fruit cake recipe, they’re essential for creating the chewy texture typical of the dessert. Learn how to make candied cherries at home in three quick steps.
• Candied pineapple: Unlike fresh pineapple, candied pineapple has a much sweeter, non-acidic flavor and a drier, chewier texture. Although, it still adds pops of freshness to this simple fruit cake.
• Golden raisins: Sweet golden raisins add hints of fruitiness to the fruit cake batter and plump up as they bake in the oven.
• Walnuts: This fruit cake recipe calls for a heaping pound of walnut halves, ensuring that each dessert bite is filled with chewy nuttiness.
• Shortening: Shortening is a solid fat at room temperature. Thanks to its high fat content, shortening is a popular ingredient for baked goods, helping improve the texture of pastries or other desserts. Although vegetable oil-based ingredients are typically implied when referring to shortening, butter also works well in this recipe.
• Sugar: Despite the sweet, candied fruit in this fruit cake recipe, regular sugar helps balance the dessert and enhance its sweetness one step further.
• Eggs: Opt for large eggs (rather than smaller ones) for the appropriate moisture level. Bringing the eggs to room temperature beforehand allows them to incorporate into the batter more easily.
• Vanilla extract: Four tablespoons of vanilla extract may seem like a lot; however, due to the lack of alcohol in this recipe for fruit cake, it helps add extra warmth and richness to the dessert.
• All-purpose flour: Sift it before incorporating it into the batter for an even smoother and fluffy fruit cake. Sifting it will help aerate the potentially compacted flour and remove any lumps that may have formed.
• Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavening agent in this recipe for a more voluminous and airy fruit cake.
• Salt: A small amount of salt in this recipe helps further enhance the sweetness of the fruit cake and balance its flavors for a more harmonious dessert.

Directions

Step 1: Make the batter

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Preheat the oven to 300°F. Combine the fruits and walnuts. In another bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy for five to seven minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour over the fruit mixture and stir to coat.

Step 2: Bake the fruit cake

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

Transfer it to a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake it until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, for about two hours. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap it tightly and store it in a cool place. Bring it to room temperature before serving and slice it with a serrated knife.

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

Fruit Cake Variations

• Soak the fruit in alcohol: Some classic fruit cake recipes call for alcohol. Although this recipe doesn’t contain alcohol in the ingredient list, it can incorporate the spirit of your choice for a spiked dessert variation. To do so, soak the fruit in alcohol, preferably a dark liquor—such as rum, spiced rum or brandy—overnight at room temperature. Then, drain off any liquid before combining it with the other ingredients. Soak the fruit in orange or apple juice or spiced tea for a nonalcoholic option.
• Prepare the fruit cake in loaf pans: Rather than baking this holiday fruit cake in a 10-inch tube ban, split the batter into two 9×5-inch loaf pans. However, keep in mind this may alter the cooking time, which depends on the type of oven used.
• Add more liquid to the batter: To enhance the moisture levels of the fruit cake, add 1/2 cup of oil or 1/4 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the batter.
• Add spices to the batter: In moderation, add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or clove to the batter for a warmer, deeper flavor.

How to Store Fruit Cake

Allow the fruit cake to cool before removing it from the pan and transferring it to a wire rack to prevent cracking. Once it’s fully room temperature, wrap the fruit cake tightly and store it in a cool place.

How long does fruit cake last?

This fruit cake recipe should last three to seven days when stored at room temperature. However, it can last up to 7 to 10 days when stored in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze fruit cake?

Absolutely! Fruit cake can last up to eight months when stored in the freezer in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in a resealable bag.

Fruit Cake Tips

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How should you grease the tube pan?

To grease a tube pan quickly and easily, rub butter or shortening around it using a paper towel, then sprinkle it with a thin layer of flour.

How long should you soak the fruit in alcohol for fruit cake?

Soak the fruit in alcohol for a minimum of 12 hours. However, for a deeper flavor, allow the fruit to soak for a few days or up to a week to absorb more alcohol as it sits.

How do you revive a dry fruit cake?

To revive dry fruit cake, use a milk soak to rehydrate it. Enhance the flavor of the soak by adding a few splashes of vanilla extract before gently tapping some of the liquid onto the surface of the fruit cake with a pastry brush.