How to Make a Holiday Favorite: Fruit Cake

When did Americans fall out of love with the fruitcake? With all that hosts have to prepare before the big day, this easy to make, few ingredient cake should be the talk of the table. With just a few weeks until the biggest holidays of the year kick-off, we’re sharing a fruitcake recipe that’s so unique, your guests will be begging for seconds.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dark rum

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

Your favorite dried fruits (We suggest cherries, strawberries, mangoes, and cranberries)

Directions

Step 1: Soak all of your fruits together in 1/4 cup of dark rum for at least 24 hours. To prevent the rum from evaporating, cover the bowl with a piece of aluminum foil and store it at room temperature.

Step 2: Butter a 6x3-inch round pan and line it with parchment paper. Then, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3: In a large bowl, slowly cream together butter and brown sugar until it’s fluffy. Then, add one whole egg.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into the butter, brown sugar, and egg mixture 1/3 at a time, alternating with milk and molasses (essentially, you should pour in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then milk, then 2/3 of the flour mixture, then molasses, then the rest of the flour mixture). Make sure to whisk the ingredients together before each new addition.

Step 5: Stir in your soaked fruits and pour the entire, combined batter into the already buttered pan (from step 2).

Step 6: Bake your cake for roughly 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Once it’s done, leave it for 15 minutes to cool, before poking a few shallow holes over the top and brushing it with rum.

Step 7: Remove the fruitcake from the pan and cover it in plastic wrap. Then, cover it again in aluminum foil and leave it to sit in an airtight storage bag or cake tin. Once or twice a week, brush the cake with a little bit of rum. Do this for several weeks or until you’re ready to serve it.

Looking for another way to add more fruit to your holiday table? Our Christmas Tree Treat centerpiece adds a festive touch to your celebration!