Here is a classic Old-Fashioned Fruitcake recipe — moist, rich, and packed with dried fruits, nuts, and warm holiday spices. This version is easy, reliable, and can be enjoyed the same day or aged for deeper flavor.
🍒 Traditional Fruitcake
Ingredients (makes one 9×5 loaf or one round 8-inch cake)
Dried fruits
- 2 cups mixed dried fruit
(raisins, golden raisins, cherries, cranberries, chopped apricots, pineapple, etc.) - ½ cup orange juice OR apple juice (or dark rum/brandy for classic aging)
Cake batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice or cloves
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) — optional
- Zest of 1 orange (optional but recommended)
Instructions
1. Soak the fruit
- Combine dried fruit with juice (or rum/brandy).
- Microwave 1–2 minutes or warm on the stove.
- Let sit at least 30 minutes (or overnight for best flavor).
2. Mix the batter
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Grease and line a loaf pan or round cake pan with parchment.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a separate large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix gently.
- Stir in soaked fruit (with the liquid), nuts, and orange zest.
3. Bake
- Spread batter evenly in the pan.
- Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on pan size, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to finish cooling on a rack.
4. Optional: To age the fruitcake
- Brush the warm cake with 1–2 tbsp rum or brandy.
- Wrap tightly in parchment + foil.
- Store in a cool place up to several weeks, brushing with more liquor every 5–7 days.
⭐ Variations
No-alcohol version
Use only juice to soak fruit and brush cake with simple syrup (equal parts sugar + water boiled and cooled).
White fruitcake
Use only golden raisins, pineapple, cherries, and apricots + omit darker spices.
Chocolate fruitcake
Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder + chocolate chips.
Mini fruitcakes
Bake in muffin tins for 18–22 minutes.
Serving
Slice thinly; great with coffee, tea, butter, whipped cream, or cream cheese.
If you want, I can give you a light fruitcake, Caribbean black cake (rum cake), or a 5-minute microwave mug fruitcake!
