Christmas Fruitcake
Easy Holiday Fruitcake loaded with glazed fruit and nuts. A dense yet moist cake laced with liquor, it's a great holiday treat perfect for dessert or gift-giving.
Servings: 16 Servings
Calories: 384kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup margarine, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup light syrup
- 2 eggs (about ⅓ cup)
- ¼ cup orange concentrate
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 ⅛ cup flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 3 teaspoons glazed cherries
Fruit and Nuts Mixture
- 2 cups glazed fruits
- 1 cup raisins or sultanas
- ½ cup pitted dates
- 1 cup toasted almonds or cashews
- 1 cup pili nuts
- ½ cup brandy
Instructions
- In a non-reactive bowl, combine dried fruits, nuts, and the ½ cup brandy. Soak overnight.
- Preheat oven to 300 F to 325 F.
- Lightly grease sides and bottom of three 6 x 3 x 2 loaf pans with shortening and line with parchment paper or brown baking paper. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine margarine, sugar, syrup, eggs, orange concentrate, molasses, and 2 tablespoons brandy. With an electric mixer, beat until well blended.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Beat until well-blended.
- Add ½ the fruit and nut mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pans until they are ⅔ full. Spoon the remaining half of the fruit and nut mixture over the batter. Decorate with glazed cherries.
- Place the pans in the preheated oven. Place a separate pan of water in the oven on a rack underneath the fruitcake.
- Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Carefully lift the fruitcakes from baking pans and let cool completely.
- Brush all sides with brandy or rum.
- Wrap with muslin or cheesecloth and store at room temperature in a styrofoam box or tin can.
- Brush fruitcake with brandy every week for four weeks, then every two weeks.
Video
Notes
- If unable to find pili nuts, substitute pecans or walnuts.
- Line the baking pans with parchment paper on all sides to prevent the batter from drying out and the outer edges from burning due to the long baking time.
- To prevent excessive browning, use shortening instead of butter to grease the pans lightly.
- Bake low and slow at 300 F to 325 F. Place a pan of hot water on the oven floor to keep the cake nice and moist.
- Use clean gloves to handle the fruitcake to prevent contamination and introduction of bacteria.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 311IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2mg