Every year, the Beloved makes fruitcake, specifically Alton Brown’s fruitcake, which he has tweaked until it is perfect. This recipe doesn’t contain any candied fruits, so if that is what has been stopping you from making fruitcake, maybe you’ll give this one a try!
It’s so good. Honest! And you’ll find the same flavor profile in my fruitcake baked oatmeal, too.
For ease of browsing, here are all of my muffin and quick bread recipes in one place. Now let’s get right to it.
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Fruitcake, At a Glance
✔️Skill Level: Beginner
✔️Skills: Macerating (soaking) fruit, Simmering, Mixing
✔️Type: Christmas Cake
✔️Number of Ingredients: 26, many of which are dried fruits and spices
✔️Prep Time: 1 hour
✔️Cook Time: 50 minutes-1 hr
✔️Yield: 1 9 x 5 loaf or 4-5 6″ x 2 1/2″ loaves
Related Recipes: Fruitcake Overnight Baked Oats
Jump Straight to the Recipe
Thanks so much! I loved the fruitcake. I made it this Christmas and it was everything you said it would be. Our local liquor store had a Christmas blend of rum and brandy together so I used that. Very tender and I loved this particular blend of fruits instead of the regular candied ones.
Reader Robbie Potter
Fruitcake from The Beloved
Several years ago, I wrote a post about how The Beloved started making Christmas fruit cake one year and how I thought he had lost his mind.
Now, he has been making slight variations on the recipe for years, and he makes dozens.
He uses Alton Brown’s standard recipe for Free Range Fruitcake, but over the years, he has put a bit of his own spin on it by changing the spicing a little. And he generally also leaves out the nuts.
It is the best fruitcake recipe ever.
I went from being an avowed fruitcake mocker to looking forward to the start of his baking season.
And, if I have been pleasant, I get to lick the pot after he scrapes the batter out into the pans.
What Dried Fruits You’ll Need
No glaceed cherries or weird, rubbery peel in this stuff, friends. You will need a variety of dried fruits as well as some crystallized ginger.
This fruitcake is made without candied fruit.
Here are the players:
- tart cherries: you could certainly substitute dried sweet cherries here as well
- cranberries: my husband buys unsweetened dried cranberries, but you could also use the Craisin® brand from the grocery store that are lightly sweetened
- blueberries: a little something different. Dried blueberries are fairly mellow, so you can punch up the flavor of your fruitcake by substituting the same amount of either dried cranberries or cherries
- apricots: If you’re not a huge fan of apricots, you can sub in dried mango, or again, add the same amount of one of the other dried fruits
- currants: raisins work here as well
- crystallized ginger: adds a little zip to the whole production. As with the rest, leave it out if you don’t like it, or you can even add more if you’re a huge ginger fan.
PRO TIP: You will need a total of four cups of dried fruit (this includes the golden raisins, which for me are non-negotiable), and this can be made up of any of your favorites. You do not have to stick to the proportions in the recipe as long as you use a total of 4 cups.
Other Dried Fruits That Will Work
Don’t limit yourself to just thes fruits Jeffrey uses. The “master recipe” calls for one cup of currants (or raisins) and a total of 2 additional cups of dried fruits.
You can use any sort of dried fruits you prefer.
Here are some other choices for you:
- dried plums (prunes), snipped into pieces
- dried pineapple (as long as it’s pliable and not hard)
- figs
- dried peaches or nectarines (use in place of the apricots or in addition to)
- dried pear
- dried apple
Do not substitute freeze-dried fruits for dried fruit or you will throw the moisture content off and your fruitcake will end up sad and dry.
Jenni Says: Do not wait until the last minute to make any kind of fruitcake. They will be at their best after 4-6 weeks of aging and being sprayed with brandy.
How to Make Jeffrey’s Fruitcake
One of the great things about this moist fruit cake is that you don’t need a mixer to make it. You need a big old pot, a wooden spoon, your ingredients of course, and some pans to bake in.
Although the ingredient list is long, the procedure is simple.
- Macerate (fancy word for soak) a ton of dried–not candied and weird–fruits and citrus zest in golden rum for a few days.
- Plop all of that into a pot with some apple cider, sugar, and spices and simmer for a while.
- Let the fruit mixture cool then stir in eggs, dry ingredients and then bake. No mixer needed, and the house smells amazing.
- Put the cakes in airtight containers and brush or spray them with brandy every couple of days for at least four to six weeks.
No Alcohol Variation
Rather than plumping the fruit and zest in rum, macerate in 7 ouncjes of water and 1 whole ounce (2 Tablespoons) of rum extract. (For a total of 1 cup liquid)
After soaking, just scrape fruit and any liquid that hasn’t been absorbed into the cooking pot and proceed with the recipe as written.
Instead of brushing the fruitcake with brandy, wrap them well and store them in a cool, dark place.
I can attest that they are Incredibly Good! I actually like this version better than the alcoholic version.
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Fruitcake Spices
If you’re asking yourself if you need to have the whole versions of all the spices called for, the answer is not necessarily.
Generally speaking, whole spices have stronger, fresher flavor than the ground versions, but do not let not having whole spices deter you from making this most delicious of fruitcakes.
Here are the whole spices Jeffrey uses:
- whole cloves
- whole allspice berries
- black peppercorns
He grinds these three together using a mortar and pestle, but you could also use a spice grinder.
And these are ones he uses already ground:
- cinnamon
- ginger
The nutmeg he grates separately with either a Microplane or a Microplane Spice Mill, which works shockingly well.
Serving Suggestions
We visited the Claxton Fruitcake factory once, and they suggested we serve their fruitcake sliced very thin and straight from the fridge.
With this fruitcake, heating it up really brings out the spices. We always cut fairly thick slabs and toast them in our toaster oven. Spread with cream cheese, it really doesn’t get much better.
You could also spread it with some salted butter and maybe some seasonal jam like this cranberry orange jam.
Where To Get The Paper Baking Pans
Jeffrey has tried several sizes as well as baking full-sized fruitcake in loaf pans.
The ones he has settled on for gift-giving are 6″ x 2 1/2″, and we think they make the most beautiful loaves.
If you use this size, you can get 5 lovely little fruit cakes from one batch of batter.
Some of the paper loaf pans he tried were too long or too narrow. These Junior loaf pans are just right for his purposes. These are all he uses for his fruitcake now, unless he wants to bake a full-sized loaf to keep at home.
Other Christmas Dessert Recipes
I have a lot of Christmas-themed recipes on my site–cookies, cakes, etc–but I have a couple of favorites.
First, my Auntie Ev’s Trifle, which is one of our family’s traditional Christmas desserts that her family brought with them from England.
And I cannot forget angel slices, which are my favorite Christmas cookies ever. Another legacy of Auntie Ev, via the Joy of Cooking.
If you like gooey pecan and coconut filling baked on a shortbread crust and then glazed with a crackling thin lemon glaze, angel slices are for you!
Or consider an edible Christmas craft to add to a cookie plate. These little Santa Twinkies are just the thing to add a touch of color and whimsy to a cookie platter!
Free Printable Christmas Recipe Card
And here are the printable recipe cards for this recipe. The .pdf has both on one page, and both are linked to it. Click either picture to open and save the recipe, or you can right-click each picture and save them that way if you prefer. Get all my free Christmas recipe cards if you like!
I have 3 different templates for printable recipe cards for Christmas/winter holidays, so take a look and download them all. They’re free!
There’s fruitcake… then there’s FRUITCAKE….
Paul Lally, Ciao Italia
Thanks to daughter, Sarah Lally Brown, I devoured her UPPER CAPS version to the very last crumb.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
A Note About Measurements
My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.
For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.
I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.
This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
Love This Fruitcake? Please Rate and Review. Thanks!
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Thank you so much for taking the time!
Christmas Fruitcake
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Ingredients
For the Fruit Mixture
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup currants (or prunes snipped into tiny pieces)
- ½ cup each dried cranberries blueberries, cherries and apricots (chop the apricots into pieces) or a total of 2 cups dried fruit
- zest of one lemon (Microplaned)
- zest of 1 orange
- ¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
- 1 cup gold rum NON-ALCOHOLIC VERSION: 1 oz (2 Tablespoons rum extract and 7 oz water)
For the Batter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 oz unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks)
- 1 cup unfiltered apple juice (orange juice works well here too)
- 4 whole cloves ground (or 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground)
- 6 allspice berries ground (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)
- 10 peppercorns ground fresh (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- several gratings fresh nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4-1/2 cup pecan halves (optional)
For Basting/Aging
- brandy for basting/spraying OMIT for Non-Alcoholic version. Just wrap the cake while still warm to keep it moist and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it/gift it
Instructions
To Macerate the Fruit
- At least a day before, soak the raisins, the rest of the dried fruit, the crystallized ginger and the zests in golden rum (or water and rum extract). You can do this in a zip-top bag if you want. Shake the bag occasionally.
To Make the Batter and Bake
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325F and then dump the contents of the zip-top bag, including any liquid, into a 3 1/2 quart saucepan (or similar size. Don't go buy a new pan).
- Add the sugar, butter, juice, and spices (The Beloved grinds the cloves, allspice, pepper and salt together with a mortar and pestle. He wanted me to tell you that) and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 30-45 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder into the fruit mixture, combining it quickly with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in the eggs thoroughly, one at a time.
- Pour/scrape the batter into your prepared pan/pans, smooth the top and press on the optional pecans (in a design or not).
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You're looking for an internal temperature of 200F. This will take about an hour or a bit longer, so test at a hour and go from there.
Basting/Aging
- Remove cake from oven and liberally brush the top with brandy.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, turn it out of the pan and put it in an airtight container. Brush or spray it well with brandy every 2 or 3 days and let it age for at least 2 weeks or up to pretty much forever.If making a non-alcoholic version, just wrap the cake/s while still warm and refrigerate until ready to eat or gift.
- Enjoy toasted and spread with cream cheese as we do. So delicious!
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
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Can’t wait to try this recipe. What I don’t like about Fruit Cake is the candied fruit, although it’s very pretty. My husband loves Fruit Cake so I will see what he thinks about this version. I an not sure about the crystallized ginger I have never used this before. Also I would love to use lots of nuts in the cake what do you think? For my husband I may decorate the top with the pretty fruit.
Hey there, Frances! This is a great cake for sure, and the dried fruit versus candied is what I like about it too. You can absolutely use toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts in the cake. The original calls for them, but we just don’t use them. You’ll be fine with 1/2 cup or so.
I encourage you to try the crystallized ginger–it’s a little chewy and also gives you little pops of sweet ginger heat that is just lovely in this cake. But if you leave it out, it will still be delicious. Make sure to make it with enough lead time so you can spray it with brandy several times and let it age a bit.
My favorite way to eat it is toasted with cream cheese. I hope you and your husband enjoy it!
Thanks so much! I loved the fruitcake. I made it this Christmas and it was everything you said it would be. Our local liquor store had a Christmas blend of rum and brandy together so I used that. Very tender and I loved this particular blend of fruits instead of the regular candied ones.
Oh, that’s great! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! I agree with you too. I’m a big fan of the dried fruit rather than candied. 🙂
Can the fruit cake, completed, but frozen?
Hi, Robert. 🙂 You can freeze it, but it really isn’t necessary if you are brushing it or spraying it with brandy every few days. It will continue to get deeper and richer in flavor. We just store ours at cool room temperature and then keep them wrapped and in the fridge once we cut them.
What can use instead of alcohol?
We have made non-alcoholic versions before, and we used extra apple cider in place of the rum and also for spraying after baking. In that case, you have to store the fruit cakes in the fridge. Just bring slices to room temp (or toast them–so good) for serving. Enjoy!
Does the alcohol you use matter? I have a bottle of very good cognac that was gifted to us, so I was wondering if I could use that instead of brandy.
You can certainly use the congnac, but I’m not sure I’d use an expensive bottle just to spray down my fruit cake. Totally your call and if you’re not going to drink it otherwise, you may as well go for it!
I used fancy cognac once and it didn’t task as good as the ones made with cheap brandy. I also tried bourbon (didn’t go well).
Good to know. Cheap brandy, for the win! 🙂
What a wonderful recipe. After seeing this on your newsletter and on Facebook, I bookmarked it. Definitely baking this fruit cake tomorrow. I can imagine the delicious aromas that will float around while it’s baking. Thanks to you and the Beloved for sharing, Jenni. Enjoy the holidays and bless you for your generous spirit 🙂
I hope your family loves it as much as we do, BA! Enjoy!
Hi, I am assuming that the fruitcake is kept in the refrigerator for the 2 weeks. No problem with spoiling or getting stale after 2 weeks
You could keep it in the fridge for the two weeks, but we keep them in our closet and keep spraying them with brandy. This is one of those cakes where the more brandy and the more time, the better. We’ve never had one get “weird” in the closet.
I was just chiming in with John. It does list the dried fruit twice under the printable recipe
1/2 cup each dried cranberries, , blueberries, cherries and apricots (chop the apricots into pieces)
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried cherries, tart or sweet
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
But the printable recipe cards are fine so it was pretty clear what you meant and I fully plan on making this:-)
My question is, do you use sweetened or unsweetened dried fruit? I’m sure I can track down unsweetened cranberries, but sweetened are easier to find.
Thanks!
Oh, I see what you mean–I will fix it! The blueberries and apricots are unsweetened, the cherries and cranberries come with additional sugar. Now to fix that recipe card so folks don’t get confused. Thanks again!
Your recipe ingredients lists the dried fruit (1/2 cup each cranberries, blueberries, cherries and apricots) twice. Can that be correct?
I just checked John, and I didn’t see them listed twice. You want a total of 2 cups of those 4 fruits in whatever proportions work for you. I suggest 1/2 cup of each to start. If you are a fan of cherries, use more of them and cut back on one or more of the others. I hope that makes sense.
Lovely! ♥️ I want to live in your closet, in a good kind of way haha xo
I shall make room for you, Lyndsay! =)
This sounds like Alton Brown’s free range fruitcake recipe, lve been making it for yrs.
Yup–I credit AB in the recipe author section and in the post itself too. The Beloved stays pretty close to the original, sometimes switching up the fruits, leaving out nuts, etc. His big modification is to add black pepper, which gives it a nice little bite without tasting like pepper. Best fruitcake ever, right, Carolyn?!
Am trying this recipe today! Wish me luck!!
Kelly- West Australia.
The Beloved is making a batch himself right this very minute, Kelly! Can’t wait to hear what you think! (I think you will fall in love)! =)
I’ve never made fruitcake but I want to try your recipe. Do you ever double this recipe or would you make it twice? And I have a question about the small loaves made of paper or board. Do you line those with parchment also? thanks
Dona
Oh, wonderful! Yes, we’ve doubled it before with no problems. Those little cardboard bakers are fine to bake in as-is. Then you can just gift the whole deal, pan and all! I think you will really love this cake–my husband is thrilled you’re going to give it a try, Dona!
Thanks!
Would love to hear your review after you make it! =)
I’m very much a beginner cook, and (some would say cursed) with the desire to know why things are done a particular way, for experimenting y’know (science/engineering background) 🙂
This looks very interesting – it’s a lot like a recipe that I’ve been experimenting with for a few years, with fair(ish) success. Soo … any idea what the reason is for boiling up the dried fruit mixture before mixing into the batter? I’m wondering if the end result would be about the same if the (unboiled) dried fruit mixture was added into the batter before baking.
Hey there, Leonard! I would call it a blessing and not a curse to want to know how and why things work the way they do in baking and cooking. Helps with generalization and also replication of results. Hooray!
As to why to soak the fruits first, if you don’t, the fruit will soak up a lot of the liquid out of the batter, and you’ll end up with a dry cake with moist fruit. By giving them a long soak, they plump up so the moisture content is more or less equalized between the batter and the fruit, giving you both moist fruit *and* a moist cake! Huzzah, science!
That would explain why I’m getting moist fruit and dry cake! Thank you.
You are very welcome, Leonard! Always happy to answer questions!
After putting everything in the saucepan, what’s the cup measurement?
Hey. Louella. Could you be a little more specific with your question? Cup measurement for the entire amount of batter or for a particular part of the batter? Happy to help; I just need a little clarification. Thank you!
Hi! It seems to me there is something missing between step 4 and 5. Or to put it differently: does the butter/sugar mixture go in to the fruit/flour mixture, and adding the eggs last?
My mini-loaves are in the oven. So excited as I’m trying out using fruit I used to make homemade fruit-liquer last year. I felt it would be too bad to just throw all that good fruit away. Left the fruit in water to reduce the booze flavour.
Hi, Mildred! Once the fruit mixture has cooled down to warm, stir in the flour and leavening followed by the eggs. Then you’re ready to bake! I love that you’re repurposing your fruit. Can’t wait to hear how they turn out. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas Jenni!! Have a wonderful celebration with family and dear friends.
In Venezuela we have our own Christmas fruitcake. It’s called Torta Negra o Black cake. It is a fruitcake but with that addition of cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate. The fruits are macerated months (even a whole year) because all the savvy moms get all the leftover booze and the candied fruits on sale in January! It’s a tradition and like fruitcake you love it or hate it! I Love it!
I love that you always teach me something when you stop in, Raquel! Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas to you!