When I was growing up the holiday cookie platter always contained fruit cake (aka Christmas cake) and it’s one that I look forward to! There are a lot of different versions of fruit cake and this is my grandmother’s version, and my favourite version. This fruitcake has very little batter, just enough to hold all of the fruit and nuts together, and it’s super easy to make. There are alot of ingredients in this cake and luckily a local bulk store usually has all of them! The recipe is as simple as chopping the various dried fruits, candied fruits, and nuts and mixing them together before mixing them into the batter before baking. My grandmother always made it in loaf pans, this recipe makes enough for 4 loaves about 1.5-2 inches thick, but you can make 2 thick leaves or even a single large cake of any shape. The cake bakes at a low heat for a longer time than a normal cake and when it’s done baking my grandmother always carefully wrapped it up in foil and plastic and stored it in a cool dark place for 4 to 6 weeks to age/ripen/season before opening them and slicing to enjoy. This ageing helps bring out all of the flavours but you can also get into the cake as soon as it’s done baking. Once the cake was seasoned my grandmother would transfer it to the freezer for longer term storage where you could easily pull it out and slice off however much you wanted. If you are a fan of fruit cake, then this cake is a must make for the holiday season!
The warm spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, mace, and cloves) add an amazing aroma to cake!
Fruitcake (Christmas Cake)
A traditional (alcohol free) fruitcake, aka Christmas cake!
ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (1 1/2 pounds) raisins
- 1 1/2 cups (1/2 pounds) dates, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup (1/2 pound) red candied (glace) cherries, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup (1/4 pound) green candied (glace) cherries, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (1/4 pound) candied pineapple (yellow and/or red, green), coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (1/4 pound) citron peel, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 orange (2 tablespoons orange juice + 1 teaspoon orange zest)
- 1/2 lemon (1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 teaspoon lemon zest)
- 3/4 cups (1/4 pound) walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cups (1/4 pound) almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon mace (or nutmeg)
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup (1/2 pound or 2 sticks) butter
- 2 1/4 cups (1/2 pound) brown sugar
- 6 large eggs
directions
- Mix the raisins, dates, red cherries, green cherries, candied pineapple, citron peel, orange juice, zest, lemon juice, and zest in a large bowl, and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes to overnight. (This helps soften the fruit.)
- Mix the walnuts, almonds, and 1/4 cup of the flour, before mixing into the fruit mixture.
- Mix the remaining flour with the salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, mace, and cloves.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar before mixing in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture before mixing in the fruit mixture.
- Pour into parchment lined baking pan(s) and bake in a preheated 250F/130C oven until a knife pushed into the center comes out clean, about 3 hours. Place a pan with some water on the shelf below the cake in the oven as it bakes.
- Let the cake cool completely before wrapping it in foil, sealing in a zip bag, and let sit in a cool dark place for 4-6 weeks before enjoying or transferring to the fridge or freezer for longer storage.
Note: This recipe easily doubles or halves. If you double the recipe use 10 eggs instead of 12.
Option: Replace the orange juice and lemon juice with brandy for a boozy version.
Option: Replace some or all of the raisins with sultanas and/or currants.
Option: Add 1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped.
Option: Replace some or all of the walnuts with pecans.
Option: Add 1/2 teaspoon ginger.
Option: Wrap the fruitcake in cheesecloth and lightly spray with brandy once a week as it ages.
I love home made fruitcake..grew up where my mother made it for Christmas every year…she was older and this recipe you have is so similar like your grandmother’s recipe Absolute perfection…There is no comparison to a home made old fashioned fruitcake people should never buy store bought fruitcake they are horrible….Homemade fruitcakes Gets better even months later wrapped up…Thank you for bringing this recipe to us..I had been thinking about fruitcake for awhile then I saw this so I had to do it..
You are a tremendous artist in all of your recipes..Great mind….one day everyone will know your name.🤒
hi it says mix the butter and brown sugar can u be more specific must one cream butter and sugar well adding sugar bit by bit and then add eggs 1by one
Nothing can beat a real “homemade” fruitcake. I’m 81 years old and I still have the top layer of my wedding cake which I’ve kept in the freezer now for 58 years and it’s still as good as the day it was made. May not be the same is Kevin’s recipe, but I’m sure his would taste as good as my wedding cake. So I’ll just have to make Kevin’s for Christmas for next year as it’s too late now for this Christmas already being 22/12/25 because it will need time to mature to it’s full potential. Thank you Kevin for sharing as I’ve shared my little tit-bit story.
Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year from Australia.