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Never Fail Moist Traditional Holiday Fruit Cake

Close-up of a moist traditional fruit cake, showing rich dark dried fruit and candied peel inside, served on a white plate.
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A recipe for a rich, moist, and traditional fruit cake perfect for holiday baking.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (240ml) orange juice
  • 1 pound (450g) mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, candied peel)
  • 1/2 pound (225g) chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/4 cup brandy or dark rum (optional, for soaking)

Instructions

  1. If using alcohol, soak the dried fruit in the brandy or rum for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain excess liquid before mixing.
  2. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt.
  6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
  7. Fold in the soaked and drained dried fruit and the chopped nuts.
  8. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top.
  9. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. If you prefer a very moist cake, you can brush the top lightly with a tablespoon of brandy or orange juice while the cake is still warm.

Notes

  • For a deeper flavor, you can feed the cooled cake weekly with a small amount of brandy or orange juice for up to four weeks before serving.
  • If you skip the alcohol soak, use an extra 1/4 cup of orange juice in the batter for moisture.
  • This cake keeps well when tightly wrapped in cheesecloth soaked in brandy, then wrapped in foil, and stored in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://epicureempire.com/moist-traditional-fruit-cake-recipe/