The Best Fruitcake for Christmas 2023

Fruitcake for Christmas has a bad reputation, but this moist, rum-soaked cake with dried fruits and pecans is sure to please your family and friends.

This Fruitcake for Christmas contains no glowing, candied fruit, and it is less dense and more cake-like than traditional fruitcake recipes. Allow Fruitcake for Christmas to age for at least 10 weeks (or longer!) before serving it for the best results.

Ingredients For Fruitcake for Christmas

Soaked Fruit:

• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup dried currants
• ⅛ cup chopped dried cherries
• ⅛ cup chopped dried mango
• ⅛ cup chopped candied citron
• ¼ cup dark rum

Fruitcake:

• cooking spray
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 6 tbsp dark rum, or more as desired

Directions For Fruitcake for Christmas

1. Soak the fruit: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cranberries, currants, cherries, mango, and citron. Pour in the rum and stir well. Store at room temperature for at least 24 hours, covered tightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 325°F when ready to make the fruitcake (165 degrees C). Using parchment paper, make a 6-inch circle. Coat a 6×3-inch round baking pan with cooking spray. Spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray and place the parchment circle on top.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Incorporate the egg until fully incorporated.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. In three batches, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the molasses and briefly beating the batter after each addition.

5. Fold in the soaked fruit and pecans. Smooth the top of the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Cut one piece of parchment paper and one piece of cheesecloth large enough to wrap around the fruitcake while it bakes.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan before sprinkling with 2 tablespoons of rum on top.

9. Soak the cheesecloth in 1 tablespoon of rum. Unmold the fruitcake onto it and place it on top of the parchment paper. Brush the remaining 3 tablespoons of rum over the top and sides of the fruitcake. Wrap the cheesecloth tightly around the cake, then wrap it in parchment paper.

10. Put the wrapped fruitcake in an airtight container or tin. Before serving, seal the container and leave it at room temperature for at least 10 weeks.

Preparation Time: 35 minutes – Cooking Time: 40 minutes – Extra Time: 1 day 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 day, 1 hour, 25 minutes Servings: 8

1 6-inch fruitcake yield

How To Make Christmas Fruitcake Recipe

Though making fruitcake is not difficult, it is a lengthy process. The full, step-by-step recipe is included below, but here’s a quick rundown of what to expect when making this traditional Christmas fruitcake.

1. To begin, soak the fruit in rum for at least one day. Beat the butter and sugar together, then add the egg. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In batches, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, alternating with molasses. Incorporate the nuts and soaked fruit.

2. Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

3. Soak the cake: Pour rum over the warm cake. Brush the rum over the cake. Wrap a rum-soaked cheesecloth around the cake with parchment paper.

4. Allow the cake to age: Place the wrapped Christmas fruitcake in an airtight container. Age for a minimum of 10 weeks.

How to Keep Christmas Fruitcake Fresh

For at least 10 weeks, store the fruitcake in an airtight container at room temperature, preferably in a dark place. If you intend to keep it for a longer period of time, you will need to brush it again.

A good rule of thumb is to add more rum after every 10 weeks of storage.

Is Fruitcake for Christmas Freezable?

Yes, Christmas fruitcake can be frozen. Wrap the cake in one layer of storage wrap, followed by one layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to a year. Defrost in the refrigerator.

More informations about how you can freez a fruitcake

What Exactly Is Fruitcake for Christmas?

Fruitcake for Christmas is a bread-like cake that is flavored with candied or dried fruits, nuts, and spices. Traditionally, both the fruit and the cake are soaked in liquor. During the holidays, sweet treats are typically served (and also gifted). Because Christmas fruitcake is soaked in liquor, it can be stored for months.

Despite the fact that some reviewers ate it right away and raved about it, this Christmas fruitcake is delicious on its own or with a thin layer of almond paste on top.

Christmas fruitcake is a contentious holiday treat, but this recipe will please everyone at your table! It’s soaked in rum and aged for weeks, and it’is full of festive flavor.

Ideas for Christmas Cake Decorations

Because a plain Christmas fruitcake appears to be a large, dark brown block, it is nice to decorate it! Here are some ideas, but keep in mind that they are purely decorative. This fruitcake is full of flavor and very moist, so unlike other cakes, it doesn’t require a frosting to be delicious to eat!

Easy – just sprinkle with icing sugar, or pile on cherries or other fruit and sprinkle with icing sugar;

• Christmas TREE decorations – yes, really. Decorations that aren’t edible are fine!!

• Drippy white glaze: follow the recipe for Lemon Cake with Drippy Glaze, but leave out the lemon in the ice. Turn the cake upside down for a perfectly level surface;

• Traditional white fondant (shown above) – I know some people despise fondant.

There have been far too many bad wedding cake experiences!! However, store-bought fondant is now far superior to what it used to be. Christmas fruitcake simply tastes like a soft, sweet sheet of frosting. A step-by-step visual of how to apply white fondant to your Christmas cake can be found below the recipe card.

This Christmas in 2023, share a delicious cake with your family and friends.

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• All Famous Cheesecakes for Christmas 2023
• Famous Vanilla Cake
• The Greatest Vegan vanilla cupcakes 2023
• Coffee Donuts with Maple Cashew Cream