Fruitcake has a bad reputation, but I promise this homemade version is delicious! I came across it years ago in Country Woman magazine and made one for Grandma Marilyn. She loved it, so I’ve been making her a fruitcake for Christmas ever since. I make one for Tim, too, which only seems fair since I use his alcohol for soaking the cakes!
The recipe is altered a tiny bit from Sharon Hoffman’s original. I can never seem to find Brazil nuts, so I use all pecans. And one year I forgot to get dates, so I used dried apples instead. This year, I used whiskey instead of brandy. There’s room for creativity with this recipe!
Jeweled Fruitcake
Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) pitted dates, chopped
1 lb. pecan halves
8 oz. container red maraschino cherries
8 oz. container green maraschino cherries
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Brandy or whiskey for soaking
Instructions:
If possible, soak the cherries in brandy or whiskey overnight—or at least right as you start baking.
Grease and flour four small loaf pans (5 3/4-in. X 3-in. x 2-in) and then line with waxed paper.* Grease the paper and set the pans aside.
Mix the flour, nuts, and cherries in a large bowl. Mixing with flour will help keep the fruit and nuts from sinking to the bottom. Add the dates and coconut and stir.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the fruit and nut mixture.
In the same small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla until foamy. Add to the fruit mixture and mix well. The mixture will seem very dry, but keep stirring. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake at 300 degrees for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on racks. Let the cakes cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Place the cakes back onto the racks to cool completely.
After the cakes have cooled, poke holes in each with a toothpick and sprinkle with brandy or whiskey. Wrap each cake several times in cheesecloth that you’ve soaked in brandy or whiskey and then wrap each individually in plastic wrap. Store the cakes in a tin in a cool, dark place (like your garage or basement).
Repeat the dampening process every few days or if the cakes feel dry. You can make the cakes months ahead if you’d like!
- If you prefer, you can use two floured 8×4-in. loaf pans lined with waxed paper. Bake at 300° for 70-80 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean).