The Best Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

Fruit cake is a classic holiday dessert that you’re going to love! With this recipe, you’ll get a moist, flavorful treat every time! Not only are these types of bread delicious, but they’re great for gifting! Apple, lemon, and blueberry banana bread are more fruit-filled desserts that will be loved wherever they go!

Amazing Holiday Fruitcake Recipe

I’m going to be honest here. I don’t get the hate for fruit cake! If made properly, fruit cake can compete with the best of them. Get the idea that fruit cake is hard and flavorless out of your head! At its core, fruit cake is just a quick bread with more mix-ins added. It can be as soft, moist, and wonderful as your favorite banana bread! This tasty fruit cake has a melt-in-your-mouth brown sugar bread base. From there, you add in all of your favorite fillings! From dates to dried pineapple, raisins to cherries, the sky is the limit! The best part of it all is that you can soak them all in your favorite liquor for added flavor! This recipe is easily customizable. I’ve been making this fruit cake for friends, family, and neighbors and they have all been loving it! It’s a great way to spread a little holiday cheer. Delicious, too! Once you take a bite of this cake filled with the flavors of caramelized brown sugar, zesty citrus, and rich fruit, you’ll be hooked! There’s a reason it’s been hanging around since ancient times! This rustic recipe is incredible and bursting with so much flavor. Let’s make some fruit cake!

Fruit Cake Ingredients

This ingredient list is on the longer side, but the good news is most of them are mix-ins! Not a fan of some of them? You can easily swap them out for other toppings or omit them entirely. See my tips below for more suggestions on what to add to your fruit cake!

Cake Base

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has a low protein content so it’s good for keeping your fruitcake on the lighter side. Flours with too much protein will make it hard and dense.Baking Soda and Baking Powder: A combination of both is necessary for a fruit cake that raises properly.Salt: Added to enhance all flavors!Unsalted Butter Unsalted, room temperature butter will mix into your dough perfectly and add a rich flavor.Granulated Sugar and Dark Brown Sugar: I like using a mix of granulated and dark brown sugar in my fruit cake. Granulated for sweetness, dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor. They’ll give you the best caramelized flavor when baked.Sour Cream: The secret ingredient for moist cake and a hint of tangy flavor!Egg: Used to bind everything together. Make sure it’s room temperature! It will mix together more smoothly.Lemon and Orange Zest: I love adding citrus zest to balance out sweetness. It’s nice and aromatic, too!Finely Diced Crystalized Ginger: Crystalized, or “candied” ginger is going to give your cake a sweet flavor with a hint of spice. Perfect for the holidays!

Mix-Ins

Liquor: Traditionally, dark rum or brandy is used. You can also substitute for apple juice or orange juice if you don’t want to use alcohol.Glazed Cherries: Also known as candied or maraschino cherries, these are a wonderful addition to your sweet cake!Chopped Dates: Dates are sweet and moist with an almost caramel-y flavor. Perfect for a sweet bread!Golden and Dark Raisins: I like using a mix of golden and dark raisins. It not only gives your bread more color, but tastes great, too! Golden raisins are tart while dark raisins are rich. They make a great combination!Dried Pineapple: Sweet and tangy, dried pineapple adds a great flavor and texture to your bread.Chopped Nuts: I love using a blend of almonds, walnuts, and pecans.

How to Make the Best Fruit Cake

You’re going to love how simple it is to make this fruity treat! Just a few minutes of prep and then it’s hands-off in the oven! I love anything that will put a little time back into my day. Especially around the holidays! But be warned: this fruit cake smells absolutely divine when it’s baking and may give you a case of Christmas cheer!

Preparing Batter

Baking

Toss in Flour: To ensure that your mix-ins don’t sink to the bottom of your loaf pan, toss them with a bit of flour before adding to your batter!Adding Spice: To add even more flavor to this tasty dessert, sometimes I’ll throw in homemade pumpkin pie spice to the batter. This combination of warm spices definitely checks the boxes on that perfect holiday flavor!Adding Applesauce: If you struggle to get your fruit cake to retain moisture, add a dollop of applesauce to your batter!Use a Serrated Knife: Because fruit cake can be on the crumbly side, it’s best to use a serrated knife for nice, uniform slices.More Mix-ins: More toppings that taste absolutely delicious in this recipe are: cranberries, figs, dried apricots, plums, prunes, cashews, coconut and blueberries! Mix and match to create the perfect fruit cake for you!

At Room Temperature: This is my personal favorite way to store fruit cake. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It will stay good for up to 1 month. I’ve found that storing at room temperature helps to retain moisture and keep it from getting too hard and dense.In the Refrigerator: Fruit cake will last in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 6 months. Note: the longer it stays in the fridge, the harder it will become. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.In the Freezer: A fruit cake will last in the freezer for up to a year when properly sealed in a freezer safe bag. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.

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All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.