Old Fashioned Fruit Cake Recipe

My mom made this old-fashioned fruitcake every Christmas, and she even mailed it to her brothers overseas during World War II. It's been in our family for generations, and I still think it's the best fruitcake in the world. Yes, I'm willing to argue about it.

Forget those dry, suspiciously heavy fruitcakes people use as doorstops. Forget the dry cakes with random pieces of questionable fruit. This one's packed with dates, candied cherries, pineapple, and pecans, with barely enough batter to hold everything together. It's sweet, sticky, chewy, and more like candy than cake.

Best of all? There's no soaking, no aging, and no waiting until next Christmas to eat it. It's delicious the day you make it. Oh, and check out the fruitcake cookies I developed from this recipe!

Table of Contents

• 🥰 Is this fruitcake recipe for you?
• 🎥 Video
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 📖 Recipe
• 🔪 How to make this old-fashioned fruitcake
• 😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
• 📝 FAQs
• 🎁 More holiday treats
• 👩‍🍳 From my mom's vintage recipe box to your table
• 💬 Comments

🥰 Is this fruitcake recipe for you?

• You think you hate fruitcake. So did a lot of people until they tasted this one. It's chewy and candy-like, not dry and bready.
• You don't want to babysit a cake for six weeks. No aging or alcohol-soaking required. Bake it today, eat it today.
• You believe pecans belong in practically everything. There's a whole pound in this recipe. Southern priorities for the win.
• You want a Christmas recipe with some history. My mom made this decades ago, and I've been making it for years. I even used to sell these fruitcakes on eBay for $30 apiece, back in the 1990s when $30 bought considerably more than it does now.

🎥 Video

🧾 Ingredients

The one thing that always amazes me about this old-fashioned fruitcake is how little batter holds all that sweet, sticky fruit and crunchy pecans together. It's practically sorcery making candy masquerade as cake, and I'm not complaining.

• All-purpose flour: Just enough to hold all that sticky fruit together. We're making fruitcake, not bread.
• Baking powder: Mom always used it, so I do, too. I'm not entirely sure what it accomplishes with this much fruit and so little batter, but I'm not arguing with a recipe that's worked for generations.
• Salt: A pinch to balance all that sweetness.
• Sugar: Good ol' granulated sugar. We're not pretending this is health food.
• Vanilla: Or, if you're feeling feisty, use a tablespoon of rum, bourbon, or brandy instead.
• Eggs: They help bind everything together. Nothing fancy here.
• Candied pineapple: Chunks are easiest, preferably red and green if you can find them. I've used the rings in a pinch. Just chop them up and pretend it was on purpose.
• Candied cherries: Red and green make the prettiest fruitcake. It's Christmas, not subtlety.
• Dates: These are what make the fruitcake so sweet and sticky. I prefer buying them already diced, but whole pitted dates work just fine if you chop them yourself.
• Pecans: A whole pound, because we're Southern and that's practically the law. Toasting is optional but adds flavor. Chop them coarsely with a knife, not a food processor, unless you're aiming for pecan dust.

⚠️ Marye's kitchen PSA: DO NOT use packaged fruitcake mix! The fruit is too dry, and you'll end up with a festive doorstop instead of a moist, chewy fruitcake. Buy the candied cherries and pineapple separately.

Want extra tips, FAQs, storage info and more? Be sure to download the free Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Kitchen Cheat Sheet!

📖 Recipe

🔪 How to make this old-fashioned fruitcake

Fruit cake is usually even better a day or two after it's made, and it will last several weeks, so I like to make it before the chaos of the holidays really gets going and I can't even pronounce oven, let alone use it.

1. Start by tossing the chopped pecans, sticky dates, and all that jewel-toned candied fruit into a big bowl. If it looks like Christmas exploded, you're on the right track.
2. Sprinkle in the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt-then roll up your sleeves and mix it like you mean it. Hands are encouraged. Maybe even required.
3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla (or your booze of choice) until they're smooth and sunny, then pour them over the fruit and stir until everything's coated and clinging like gossip in a small town.
4. Scoop the mixture into parchment-lined loaf pans, press it down like you're trying to shut your suitcase before vacation, and bake it slow and low just like the recipe card says.

😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)

🍍 Your fruitcake is dry. Did you use that packaged fruitcake mix after I specifically told you not to? Bless your heart. The individual candied cherries and pineapple have the moisture this recipe needs. Don't substitute the mixed stuff.

🍍 Your fruitcake is lighter or darker than mine. Don't panic! The color depends on the dates you use. Some make a lighter cake, others a deep, rich brown. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong.

🍍 The ingredients won't mix together. There's barely enough batter to hold all that fruit and nuts together, so put down the spoon and use your clean hands. It's messy, but it works.

🍍 Your pecans have disappeared. A food processor chops them too finely. Use a sharp knife and leave them in coarse pieces so you get that wonderful pecan crunch in every bite.

🍍 You forgot the pan of water. That pan of hot water beneath the fruitcakes is part of Mom's original baking method. It creates steam while they bake low and slow at 250°F, so don't skip it.

📝 FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions I get asked. You'll find more FAQs, tips, and information on the printable Fruitcake Recipe Kitchen Cheat Sheet above.

🎁 More holiday treats

👩‍🍳 From my mom's vintage recipe box to your table

I grew up loving dark fruitcake. To be honest, I could never figure out why people didn't like it.

To me, there was nothing more delicious than a piece of my Mom's fruit cake -  moist, chewy, and candy-like; thickly slathered with cream cheese or butter. Even better if it was sitting next to a cup of hot chocolate. Mmmmm - Christmas!

...And sugar overload.

That is, I didn't understand it until the fateful day when I tasted someone ELSE'S version of this traditional holiday cake. EWWWW!

I finally understood the jokes..the grimaces..the gagging. Right then I felt sorry for anyone who wasn't me, who didn't have access to this amazing stuff.

I can't imagine a Christmas dinner without it, her date nut bread, and a pan of homemade fudge cooling on the counter. It's not just dessert-it's tradition wrapped in wax paper and sealed with memory.

So if you're a fruitcake lover-or you love someone who is-bake this one. It's the kind of recipe that gets passed down, talked about, and maybe even fought over a little.

Print it. Pin it. Share it with someone who still swears they "don't like fruitcake." (They just haven't tried this one.)

❤️ Thanks for spending time in my kitchen today. Don't forget to clean up after yourself on the way out.