How to Make Fruit Cake

I learned how to make fruit cake for Christmas when I was young. They are very popular during the holiday season. Each country usually has a traditional recipe with a variety of other springing off of it. Here in the United States we have many different types primarily because we are the melting pot of the world. For years immigrants have brought to this country their original recipes. Now we have a blend of all of them.

Old Fashioned Currant Cake RecipeOld Fashioned Currant Cake Recipe

My parents knew how to make fruit cakes from our German ancestry.  The stolen was our traditional fruitcake recipe but as long as I can remember my family made the kind with dried fruits and nuts baked in a Bundt pan. This is what I bake and is now my traditional Christmas fruitcake recipe. Even among this type there are many different recipes like the dark ones and white ones.

Over the years I have learned to make fruit cakes with so many different recipes and finally found my best fruit cake recipe. This is the recipe that I have listed first below for you. It has a great flavor and is not as dry as a lot of the recipes. I prefer using only the candied cherries and pineapple instead of all the mixed fruit. I also like a lot of nuts in the recipe.

When you learn how to make fruit cakes you will find them to have a lot of advantages. Besides being so flavorful they also stay good for a very long time; in fact the older they get the better they taste. They also make wonderful gifts for our far away loved ones because they ship better than most other foods.

There are people who tell me they just absolutely do not like fruitcakes. When you learn how to make fruit cakes you will find there recipes to please every palate; they just are not what you call traditional and they are treated more like a regular cake. This means they do not get better with age and if made in advance should be frozen to keep like the cranberry nut cake recipe and the banana Bundt cake recipe.


NOTE: Cut up dried fruit sometimes sticks to the blade of the knife. To prevent this, coat the blade of your knife with a thin film of vegetable spray before using.

Old Fashioned Currant Cake Recipe

Old Fashioned Currant Cake RecipeOld Fashioned Currant Cake Recipe

Learn how to make fruit cake and make this old recipe which called for a yeast ale. I did not have yeast ale so I substituted the liquid from currants and yeast. This is not a SWEET cake so I added a little vanilla glaze after cooling also adding to presentation. VERY DELICIOUS FRUIT CAKE!

  • 1 Pound dry currants
  • Boiling water
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 Egg YOLKS
  • ½ Cup currant liquid
  • ½ Cup PLUS 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ Cup MINUS 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 4 ½ Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Pound flour (4 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 Tablespoon dry yeast
  • ½ Whole nutmeg ground (1 teaspoon)
  • ¼ Teaspoon mace 
  • ½ Teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ Teaspoon cardamom seeds 

Cover currants with just enough boiling water to plump; let stand 5 minutes.

Drain currants well SAVING liquid: set aside.

Beat eggs and yolks together; combine in saucepan eggs, currant liquid, butter, cream and sugar.

Combine flour and yeast in mixing bowl.

Over low heat warm mixture to about 112F degrees stirring to combine butter.

With mixer on low beat warm mixture into flour yeast mixture until well blended.

Cover bowl and let stand about 1 hour to rise; beat down occasionally.

With spoon beat in well drained currants and spices; spoon batter into greased Bundt cake pan.

Cover pan with plastic wrap; place in warm spot about 30 minutes to rise.

PREHEAT OVEN to 375F degrees; bake about 40 minutes until pick comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove and place on rack to cool completely.


Vanilla Icing

  • 1 Cup powder sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • Heavy cream (you could use milk)

Combine sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl; beet with mixer adding enough cream to desired spreading consistency.

Flour and Yeast Batter Before RisingFlour and Yeast Batter Before Rising
Currant Cake Batter in Bundt PanCurrant Cake Batter in Bundt Pan
Baked Currant Cake in Bundt PanBaked Currant Cake in Bundt Pan
how to make fruit cakeHow to Make Fruit Cake

How to Make Fruit Cake this is my traditional favorite 

Learn how to make fruit cake with my favorite recipe.

  • 1 Cup melted butter, cool
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 5 Eggs
  • 2 Cups self-rising flour, sifted
  • 1 Ounce vanilla extract
  • 1 Ounce lemon extract
  • 2 Cups broken pecans
  • 2 Cups walnuts
  • 2 Cups candied cherries
  • 2 Cups candied pineapple

Preheat oven to 250F degrees.

Grease and lightly flour tube pan.

Beat butter, sugar and eggs until creamy. Add flour, vanilla and lemon and blend well. Fold in the fruit and nuts and spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until a pick comes out clean. Cool a little before removing from pan.

When cake is cold drizzle with a little apple cider or rum (about ¼ cup). Wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap and store in a cool place.

CRANBERRY NUT CAKE RECIPE

cranberry nut cake recipeCranberry Nut Cake

Learn how to make this fruit cake recipe; it is one of my favorites to make at Christmas with cranberries.

  • 1 Cup sugar
  • ¾ Cup oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 1/2 Cups flour
  • ¼ Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 Teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Cup chopped dates
  • 1 Cup chopped nuts
  • 1 Cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan.

Cream together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients with the creamed mixture until well blended.

Fold in the dates, nuts and cranberries until well blended.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan; Bake for 1 hour or until pick comes out clean. Cool and remove cake from pan.

Set on a deep serving dish. Slowly spoon the topping over the cake until it is all soaked in.

Topping: Heat 1 cup orange juice and 1 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved.

cranberry nut cake recipePiece of Cranberry Nut Cake Recipe

BANANA BUNDT CAKE RECIPE

Learn how to make fruit cake with bananas. It is an easy cake recipe from my banana cake recipes. Although it is lighter in texture, I still consider it a fruitcake. It is so delicious and easy to make. Many people who do not like traditional fruitcake will love this one.

  • 3 Cups flour
  • 1 Teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Cups sugar
  • 1 ½ Cups oil
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 Can (8 ounce) drained pineapple
  • 2 Cups diced ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Grease and flour a bunt cake pan.

Sift dry ingredients together. Cream together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add all together and blend well. Add the pineapple and bananas and mix together on low speed just until blended. Bake about 40 minutes or until pick come out clean. When slightly cooled, remove from pan. Sift powdered sugar over top, if desired.

CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE RECIPE

I learned how to make fruit cake in pressure cooker. This is one of the unique old fashioned ones which is first cooked in a pressure cooker then moved to the oven. It is very moist and delicious because of the cooking method.

  • 1 ½ Pounds currants
  • 3 Pounds raisins
  • 1 Pound citron
  • 1 Pound candied pineapple
  • 1 Pound candied cherries
  • 1 Cup softened butter
  • 1 Pound brown sugar
  • 6 Eggs (separated)
  • 4 Cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon allspice
  • 1 Teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ Teaspoon cloves
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 Cup wine

Grease and line with wax paper 3 loaf pans. (Use 4 if pans are small so as to not overfill)
Cut all fruit in small pieces; cream butter, sugar and egg yolks until fluffy.
Sift and mix all dry ingredients together; add alternately with wine to creamed mixture.
Blend fruit into mixture.
Beat egg whites until stiff; fold whites into batter.
Divide batter among the prepared pans.
Tie 3 thicknesses of wax paper over the pans to keep out moisture.
Pour 2 ½ cups of water in bottom of pressure cooker.
Put pans of fruitcake batter, one above the other on the pressure cooker rack.
Cook 45 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure and 30 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure.
Preheat oven to 250F degrees.
Remove fruitcakes from pressure and place in oven for 12 minutes to dry.

NO BAKE FRUIT CAKE RECIPE

Learn how to make fruit cake that is a unique recipe because it requires no baking or cooking but is equally delicious.

  • 1 Cup candied pineapple
  • 1 Cup candied lemon peel
  • 1 Cup candied cherries
  • 1 Cup dark raisins
  • 1 Cup figs
  • 1 Cup candied citron
  • 1 Cup candied orange peel
  • 1 Cup dates
  • 1 Cup light raisins
  • 1 Cup pecans
  • 1 Cup walnuts
  • 1 Cup softened butter
  • 1 Cup honey
  • 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 Teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 Pound graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon allspice
  • ½ Teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 Teaspoons cinnamon

Cut fruit and nuts in small pieces and mix well.
Cream butter and honey; add flavorings and pour over fruit.
Let mixture stand for two hours.
Roll crackers into fine crumbs; add salt and spices.
Combine crumb mixture with fruit mixture and mix well.
Pack mixture into wax paper lined loaf pans; keep in refrigerator.