Old Fashioned Fruitcake Recipe

Closeup of a slice of fruitcake on a plate.

Old Fashioned Fruitcake Recipe

This easy fruitcake recipe has been in our family for years. It's full of dates, candied cherries, candied pineapple, and pecans that make it more like candy than a cake! This recipe makes 2 (5x9-inch) loaves in about 2 hours.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Amercian Heritage, Holiday

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 45

Total Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 350kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

Ingredients

1 pound pecans
1 pound dates pitted and chopped
½ pound candied cherries (red and geen)
½ pound candied pineapple (red and green or yellow)
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon rum, bourbon, or brandy

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250° degrees (that is not a typo-TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY degrees)
Place a pan ⅓ filled with boiling water in the oven to create steam. Put it on the rack under the rack where the fruitcake pans will got.
Fill the pan with hot water as needed during baking.
Spray two 9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and line with wax paper or parchment paper.
Spray wax paper with cooking spray.
Chop dates and nuts.
Add them to a large bowl.
Sift dry ingredients over fruit and nuts and mix in with your hands.
Beat eggs until light, add vanilla and pour over fruit, mixing well. (you will probably need to mix with your hands - it's messy.)
Spoon fruit cake batter into prepared pans, pressing down gently to remove large air bubbles and spaces.
Place the filled loaf pans onto the rack above the pan with hot water.
Bake at 250 for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Let cool.

Video

Notes

This is one of our favorite holiday cakes! During the Christmas season I'll even serve it with a little cream cheese for brunch.

To store: let the cake cool and remove it from the pan. Leave the waxed paper on it and then wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil. Store in a cool dark place.
This fruit cake ships well. Just wrap it in waxed paper, then in aluminum foil.
No need to let fruitcake age. It's delicious the same day it's baked.
Don't use the "mixed candied fruit". It isn't moist enough and your cake will be dry and tasteless.

Nutrition