Not Your Grandmother’s Fruitcake

Submitted by Zac Young

"Fruit cake gets a bad rap. And normally, rightfully so. Most fruitcakes are best suited as doorstops, or substitutes for dumbbells. The only bicep curl you will do with this recipe is bringing another piece to your mouth. The combination of dried fruits, bourbon and spice results in a delectable cake that also makes a great holiday present."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 21
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1⁄2 cup golden raisin
• 1⁄2 cup dried peaches, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup dried strawberries
• 1 1⁄4 cups Bourbon
• 1 cup dark brown sugar (or turbinado sugar)
• 5 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs large eggs
• extra Bourbon, for basting

• FOR THE GLAZE

• 1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons Bourbon
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

directions

1. FOR THE CAKE:

2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. In a medium pot, cook the dried fruits, bourbon and orange juice just until the fruits are plump — about four to five minutes. There will be some liquid left.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the orange juice bourbon and fruit mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool.
6. When cake is completely cooled, seal in an airtight container. Every two to three days, feel the cake and if dry, brush with more bourbon. Continue to baste for two weeks for maximum flavor, or eat whenever you want.

7. FOR THE GLAZE:

8. Mix all glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top of the cake.

9. OPTIONAL:

10. Feel Free to use any and all dried fruits in this: chopped dried peaches, dried apples, dried pears, dates — if it’s dried, it will work!
11. For a chocolatey twist, add ¾ cup chopped semisweet chocolate to the batter.
12. Get nutty: add pecans or hazelnuts to the batter or the top of the cake for a nutty, crunchy variation.
13. Garnish the top of the cake in festive holiday style. Dried fruit slices, cinnamon sticks, red and green cherries are all seasonally appropriate.
14. Traditionally, fruitcake is boozy, but feel free to use apple cider in place of the bourbon.
15. I like to use a bundt pan for this but you can use a loaf pan, a 9-inch cake pan or even make fruit cake cupcakes!

Reviews

[rachelstarrball]

I made this for the first time last year. It was a hit with everyone. People who hate fruitcake love this. I called it Christmas cake, lol. It disappeared so quickly, that this year I made two. The hardest part is waiting to eat it while it soaks up all that lovely bourbon.