Southern Fruitcake

Name: Southern Fruitcake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 2 loaves.
Ingredients: 4 cups chopped pecans; 1-3/4 cups chopped candied pineapple; 1-1/2 cups chopped dried peaches or apricots; 1-1/2 cups golden raisins; 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided; 1 cup butter, softened; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 5 eggs; 1 cup peach or apricot nectar, divided; 1/2 cup honey; 1/4 cup milk; 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

"I've never found anyone who didn't like this lovely fruitcake," remarks Ruth Marie Lyons of Boulder, Colorado.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped pecans
1-3/4 cups chopped candied pineapple
1-1/2 cups chopped dried peaches or apricots
1-1/2 cups golden raisins
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
5 eggs
1 cup peach or apricot nectar, divided
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

Grease and flour two 9x5-in. loaf pans. Line the bottoms with waxed paper; grease and flour the paper. Set aside.
Combine the pecans, pineapple, peaches, raisins and 1/2 cup flour; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar; add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1/2 cup peach nectar, honey and milk; beat well (mixture will appear curdled). Combine cinnamon, baking powder, salt, allspice and remaining flour; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Add pecan mixture; stir well.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 325° for 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes.
With a skewer, poke holes in the loaves. Spoon remaining nectar over loaves. Let stand for 10 minutes; remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool place. Slice and bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 303 calories, 17g fat (5g saturated fat), 49mg cholesterol, 129mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate (26g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g protein.

Originally published as Southern Fruitcake in Taste of Home December/January 1999

Reviews

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Average Rating:

badkookies

Dec 2, 2018

I'm not a fan of traditional fruitcake, but I do like this recipe. My Mom requests this every year. I can't believe there aren't more reviews; I've been making this recipe since I first saw it in 2004!! I don't usually rate recipes - but, when I saw how few reviews there were for this fantastic, nutty fruitcake, I had to create an account, log in and leave a favorable review. I used to make the recipe as written, and I rate that as 5/5 stars. I've made some minor changes as a personal preference: I toast the pecans and use dried pineapple. I skip the step of pouring the nectar over the baked cakes - I make mine into 16 mini loaves, using paper liners. This makes gifting much easier.
bernerlover

Dec 19, 2015

really good (though I'll admit I only used 1/2 the peaches and pineapple) but made the rest as stated. I'll definitely make it again. thanks
btowhee

Jun 17, 2015

I've used this recipe many times, both with dried peaches or apricots, both good. Fruit nectars should be refrigerated after opening, they only last 5-7 days. so I add more nectar to the batter, and don't pour any on top The 1st time I tried it, I poured nectar over it, and didn't refrigerate it. It was moldy in 2 days. Using orange blossom honey adds a nice flavor.
fruitcakelover

Dec 25, 2012

Yummy non-alcoholic fruitcake! I changed the fruits. I used apricots, dates and candied cherries (used a jar of cherries and candied them myself, no red 40). Used juice from a can of apricots, instead of nectar. Turned that juice into more of glaze for the last step (added a bit of sugar, some apricot pulp, boiled and simmered for a bit). Before glazing I put cherries and pecans on top for decoration. Yummy!
Bathory

Dec 10, 2011

Years ago I found this recipe in one of the Tastes of Home cookbooks. I moved a few years back and misplaced the cookbook. This was greatly upsetting because I really loved this fruitcake recipe. I'm not a traditionalist at heart; so finding a recipe that didn't involve candied cherries and citron was certainly a plus! I absolutely recommend this recipe. It's easy and the results are wonderful.