Fruit cake is a super moist and spicy cake made with dried fruit and nuts and typically made around the Holidays. For this particular fruit cake recipe, the dried fruits get soaked in rum. This type of cake doesn’t get as much love as it should around the Holidays, not, where I’m from it, does anyway. The process of making fruit cake takes a couple of days. First, the dried fruit has to soak or macerate in some rum. If you don’t like rum use something else like apple juice or water. Second, the rum and dried fruit simmer on a stove. This will cook off any alcohol flavor.
Macerating is the process of soaking dried fruits in some type of liquid. After the dried fruits are done macerating, they get even more love with butter, sugar, and apple juice. Whoever thought fruit cake was boring? It’s not and I’m a fan now. 

Ingredients for Fruit Cake

There’s a lot that goes into making a fruit cake. Most of the dried fruit except dried currants and candied ginger was found Aldi. If you can ’t find some of the dried fruit it is ok to leave them out. Rum - use a good spiced Rum

How to make Fruit Cake 

Combine dried fruits, candied ginger, and both zests. Add rum and macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit. Place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices. Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.) Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, then fold in nuts. Spoon into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check again. Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet. Baste or spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan. When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, spritz with brandy. The cake’s flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks. If you decide to give the cake as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient that they are very lucky indeed.

Tips for Fruit Cake 

Let the fruit mixture cool completely before adding the dry ingredients.  What to serve with fruit cake? A good amount of butter. 🙂 

Other Cake Recipes 

Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake  Air Fryer Chocolate Cake  *If you make this recipe please comment and rate the recipe below to let everyone know how it is, or tag me on Instagram! If you want to upload a photo you can do that on Pinterest. Just find the post for it.  1 cup currants ½ cup sun-dried cranberries ½ cup sun-dried blueberries ½ cup sun-dried cherries ½ cup dried apricots, chopped Zest of one lemon, chopped coarsely Zest of one orange, chopped coarsely ¼ cup candied ginger, chopped 1 cup gold rum 1 cup sugar 5 ounces unsalted butter (1 ¼ sticks) 1 cup unfiltered apple juice 4 whole cloves, ground 6 allspice berries, ground 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs ¼ to ½ cup toasted pecans, broken Brandy for basting and/or spritzing