Fruitcake-the Brussels Sprouts of Holiday treats! Come on, they can’t be that bad….they go as far back as ancient Egypt and are a staple of traditional Christmas on multiple continents. Don't give up on Fruitcake until you've tried Aunt Ellen's Fruitcake. It's full of sweet candied and dried fruit, marinated in Cherry Brandy, then mixed with nuts in a spiced batter that's baked to golden perfection before being soaked with more Cherry Brandy! The outcome is a sweet, moist pastry that just says Christmas is Here! If you haven't tried Fruitcake, this is the one to try. If you are a fruit cake lover, then you'll know that Aunt Ellen's Fruitcake is the best you have ever had!
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Fruitcake, really?
Fruitcake has a very interesting story that goes back centuries and involves countries and cultures all over the world. Learn a little more about this confectionary that is both reviled and adored at the same time by reading my Lagniappe post What You Need to Know About Fruitcake.
The best thing about Christmas traditions isn’t necessarily the food, but the fact that they involve family. I’m blessed with a wonderful Mother-in-Law, known as Grammie to everyone, who has been making Fruitcake every Christmas for so long that it's hard to remember when she didn’t. It's well known that her Fruitcake is so good that it's also hard for her to keep up with the demand! I'm blessed to have her spend a couple of days each year with us in the Sweet Daddy D Test Kitchen and the First You Have a Beer Studio to teach me about her famous fruitcake and help her make this year’s batch of this yuletide treat.
Grammie, as she is affectionately known to the grandkids and great-grandkids (and there are a bunch of them!), is a 90-something award-winning cook of South Louisiana cuisine. She wouldn’t make just any ole Fruitcake, her recipe is from her Aunt Ellen and goes back decades and decades. It's one of the Christmas traditions that means the most to her. Hopefully, the tradition will continue in the family and one of her daughters or granddaughters will carry on….who knows, maybe it will even be Sweet Daddy D! Here is some of what I learned….
Here's What You Need
These are the ingredients needed to make Aunt Ellen's Fruitcake. The exact quantities are listed in the Recipe Card below:
- Raisins
- Chopped dates
- Glazed fruit mix
- Green candied cherries
- Red candied cherries
- Red, green or yellow candied pineapples
- Cherry brandy
- Chopped walnuts
- Chopped pecans
- Butter or margarine (softened)
- Dark brown sugar (packed)
- Large eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Grated nutmeg
- Allspice
Ingredient Notes:
- It's Fruitcake so you need….fruit and cake and some alcohol. Pretty simple.
- The fruit is a mixture of various dry and candied fruits...you have some flexibility depending on your taste and what’s available.
- Aunt Ellen used plain raisins, pitted dates, and these preserved fruits: glazed fruit mix, green candied cherries, red candied cherries, and some red and green (or yellow) pineapple.
- The raisins and dates are dried and the sugar helps preserve the fruit.
- This fruit will be marinated in Cherry Brandy, then it will all be mixed with chopped walnuts and pecans.
- That takes care of the fruit part of the equation. The cake part is a simple, spiced batter.
- The main batter ingredients are:
- Butter or margarine (Grammie uses margarine)
- The dry ingredients are:
- Dark brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and baking soda.
- The spiced part comes from:
- Cinnamon, grated nutmeg, allspice, and some salt.
- Whole eggs make up the wet ingredients.
This post is not sponsored, but you will find affiliate links on this page. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase.
Amazon has a lot of candied fruit products and I've added some links right here:
Candied Red Cherries, Candied Green Cherries, Candied Mix Fruit, Candied Pineapple Wedges.
Here are some of the other important items that make this recipe easier:
Here's What You Do
First...you have a beer. Grammie decided that First...you have a Brandy. It's great being in the kitchen with her...the epitome of a no-angst cook, and that didn't all come from the Brandy! She’s a tough taskmaster and knows what she’s doing...and she practices mise en place...making sure she has all the ingredients and tools we need on hand, set out, and ready to go.
Prepare the Fruit
This step is best done the night before:
Lagniappe Tip: Make sure to reserve some of the cherries (sliced in half), pineapple chunks, and pecan halves to garnish the tops of the Fruitcake before baking.
- Chop the the fruit into small pieces (about ⅛ to ¼ of an inch, the raisins are good to go).
- Start by putting the raisins in a large bowl and mixing in some Brandy.
- Add the rest of the chopped fruit, then some more Brandy, about a ½ cup total.
- Give it a good stir to make sure all the fruit is getting a drink.
- Let the fruit and brandy mixture stand at room temperature overnight (or at least 12 hours), stirring often to mix the fruit.
Prepare Everything Else
Prepare some 8” X 4” aluminum loaf pans by spreading a thin layer of shortening all over the inside, then lining each loaf pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
Chop the nuts into small pieces (don't pulverize) and set aside.
Combine the flour, cinnamon, allspice, grated nutmeg, and salt. Use a kitchen strainer or sifter to sift all these dry ingredients together into a bowl, then set them aside.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the Batter then add the Fruit
When you are ready to put it all together, mix the chopped nuts into the fruit and Cherry Brandy mix and set it aside.
Using a stand mixer, cream the softened butter or margarine until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the brown sugar gradually, allowing the brown sugar and butter to completely combine before adding more brown sugar.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is completely mixed in before adding the next egg.
Lagniappe Tip: Break your eggs one at a time into a prep bowl or measuring cup. This will ensure you won't have any broken shells in the mixture.
Keeping the mixer on low, add the sifted spiced flour to the butter, brown sugar, and egg mixture, a little at a time, making sure that it is all incorporated before adding more.
Turn off the stand mixer and transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the fruit and nut mixture in small batches.
Grammie's Tip: After you empty the mixing bowl, put a spoonful of the fruit and Brandy mix into the mixing bowl and stir it around really well, then add it to the batter. This will get the last little bit of the batter left in the mixing bowl.
Make sure you mix everything very well so that the fruit mixture is evenly distributed with the batter...then mix some more!
Lagniappe Tip: Take your time with this step to make sure that all the fruit and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Fill the Loaf Pans and Bake
Turn the mixture into the prepared loaf pans and smooth out the top.
When all the pans are filled, place the reserved cherries, pineapple chunks, and whole pecan halves (can you have a whole half?) on top of each as a garnishment.
Place the Fruitcake into the preheated 250-degree Fahrenheit oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick into the top. If it comes out clean, they are ready. See the Hints and Tips (FAQ) Section below for more info on that.
Lagniappe Tip: The cooking time is a good estimate and depends a lot on the size loaf pans you decide to use. Check after about 2 hours if they are done the cakes should be firm when you press down on them and just start to pull away from the sides of the pans.
A properly cooked Fruitcake will be firm and slightly pulled away from the side of the loaf pan. Remove them from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before turning them out onto cooling racks to rest until fully cooled, making sure to remove the wax paper or parchment paper. This will take a few hours. If you allow them to cool overnight, place a clean dish towel over them.
Finishing Touches
Last...you have a Brandy! After they have completely cooled, the final step is to pour some more Brandy right over the Fruitcake:
- Start by poking several holes in the top of each with a toothpick.
- Next slowly pour some Brandy over each Fruitcake
- It does not need much Brandy. Depending on how many fruitcakes you’ve made, it should be around a half cup of Brandy. (Resist the urge to use more Brandy than that!)
Once the Cherry Brandy has been absorbed, individually wrap the finished Fruitcake tightly in plastic wrap (airtight) and then a tight layer of aluminum foil for storage.
Lagniappe Tip: These fruitcakes can be eaten right away or stored for several months in the refrigerator or pantry. They can be frozen for a year.
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Hints and Tips (FAQ)
Something that stirs up as much emotion as Fruitcake must have an interesting story...check out my Lagniappe article What You Need to Know About Fruitcake.
Marinate the chopped fruit in the Cherry Brandy for at least twelve hours....feel free to do it longer if you want. Just keep stirring it every few hours!
Yes, this recipe is easy to increase, just keep all the ingredients proportional.
Sifting the dry ingredients together before adding them gradually to the butter, brown sugar, and eggs will make sure that the spices are distributed evenly throughout the batter.
This recipe will fill approximately five 8" x 4" X 2 ½" loaf pans, or about 15 of the little 6" x 3 ½" x 2" loaf pans. The little ones are the perfect size for gifts. This is also great in larger loaf pans or round bundt-cake pans. When we made this recipe we used various size loaf pans plus an angel food pan, so use whatever suits your needs.
Poke them with a toothpick if it comes out clean and just a little sticky from the fruit, it's done! If you are cooking various-size loaves, the smaller ones will finish sooner, so just remove those and keep baking the others until done.
I have to say, the Cherry Brandy is the secret to this recipe. It gives this fruitcake its punch by accentuating the cherries in the mix. However, if you can’t find it or just want to change things up a bit, try Dark Rum, regular Brandy, or Orange orange-flavored liqueur. Also, some bourbon whiskey wouldn't be bad either! Most importantly, don't leave out the booze!
It seems that these can be stored forever….the sugar in the candied fruit and the alcohol serve as preservatives. Make sure to wrap the Fruitcake tightly with plastic wrap then cover with aluminum foil. Make them airtight! The wrapped Fruitcake can be placed in freezer bags and stored for up to six months, either in the fridge or out. They can be frozen for a year.
Don't forget to try these Fruitcake Cookies:
These Pecan Tarts are outstanding during the Holidays!
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This recipe and article were originally published in December 2018. I have published this update with more Tips, improved photos, and FAQs.
Yeah You Right!
Recipe
Aunt Ellen’s Fruitcake
Here's What You Need
The Fruit
- 15 ounces raisins
- 8 ounces chopped dates
- 16 ounces glazed fruit mix
- 8 ounces green candied cherries
- 8 ounces red candied cherries
- 8 ounces red, green or yellow candied pineapples see Recipe Notes
The Batter
- 1 cup cherry brandy in all
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1½ cups butter or margarine softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Here's What You Do
Prepare the Fruit
- The night before you make the Fruit Cake, chop the fruit into small pieces (about ⅛ to ¼ of an inch); Set some red and green cherries (sliced in half), some pineapple chunks and some pecans halves aside for topping the fruit cakes. Place the raisins and chopped fruit in a large bowl. Pour ½ cup cherry brandy over the fruit and toss well.
- Let the fruit and brandy mixture stand at room temperature overnight, stirring often to mix the fruit.
Other Preparation
- Prepare some 8 X 4 aluminum loaf pans (see Recipe Notes) by spreading a thin layer of shortening all over the inside, then lining each loaf pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Chop the nuts into small pieces (don't pulverize) and mix into the fruit and cherry brandy mix; set aside.
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, allspice, grated nutmeg and salt and sift all together into a bowl; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Mix the Batter and Fruit
- Using a stand mixer, cream the softened butter or margarine until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on a medium speed, add the brown sugar gradually, allowing the brown sugar and butter to completely combine before adding more brown sugar.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is completely mixed in before adding the next egg.
- Keeping the mixer on low, add the sifted spiced flour to the butter and brown sugar mixture, a little at a time, making sure that it is all incorporated before adding more.
- Turn off the stand mixer and transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the fruit and nut mixture, a little at a time. Mix everything together well, then mix some more!
- Turn the mixture into the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake at 250 degrees for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The fruit cakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean, but slightly sticky. (see Recipe Notes)
- Cool the fruit cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks until fully cooled. This will take a few hours or can be cooled over night.
- To finish the fruit cake, poke several holes in the top of each with a tooth pick and pour a little cherry brandy over the fruit cakes slowly.
- Once the cherry brandy has been absorbed, individually wrap the finished fruit cakes tightly in plastic wrap (airtight) and store. These fruit cakes can be eaten right away or stored for a couple of months in the refrigerator or pantry, or can be frozen for several months.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Estimate
It's Me!
Louisiana is a wonderful place where the rich cultural heritage enriches and entertains. I'm Dave Howson, aka Sweet Daddy D. I'm glad you found my website and I look forward to exploring the cultural mosaic of Louisiana with you…
read the "It's Me" page to find out more about me and this website…
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