Fruitcake 2.0 is an updated version of the popular holiday cake that we all know — and a few of us love. This recipe uses a mix of fresh and dried fruits and doesn’t require multiple days to make.
A simple cake batter lightly flavored with cinnamon is made, then mixed with rum-soaked currants and cranberries, chopped sweet cherries, fresh apricots, and a handful of toasted almonds. The cake is baked, then soaked with a concentrated rum syrup. The result is a soft, tender cake studded with flavorful fruit and incredible flavor.
Rum is my alcohol of choice for this cake, but cognac works well, too. And yes, the cake keeps for weeks.
Fruitcake 2.0
Servings: 8
Calories: 543kcal
Ingredients
Fruit
- 1 cup rum (or cognac)
- ¼ cup cranberries dried
- ¼ cup currants or raisins
- 8 ounces cherries pitted and halved
- 2 small apricots pitted and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup almonds toasted, sliced or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Cake
- 12 tablespoons butter (unsalted), soft
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ground
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan and set aside.
Prepare fruit:
- Warm the rum in a small pot over medium heat. Place the cranberries and currants in a small bowl and pour the rum over the fruit to rehydrate them. Set aside.
- Combine the cherries, apricots, almonds, sugar, and extracts in a large bowl and toss well. Set aside.
Make cake:
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed and scrape well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix just until incorporated. Drain and reserve the rum from the cranberry-currant mixture and add the fruit to the mixing bowl along with the cherry mixture. Mix until the fruits are evenly distributed. Scrape bowl well and transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. While cake bakes, reduce the rum in a small pot over high heat until about ¼ cup remains.
- Use a toothpick to poke about 20 holes on top of the warm, baked cake and pour the reduced rum on top. Let cool completely before removing the cake from the pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 783IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg