This easy fruit cake recipe is full of pecans, candied pineapple, candied cherries, dates, and just enough batter to hold it all together.
It's moist and sticky - more like a candy than a cake! It's a traditional fruitcake with old-fashioned flavor, and it's been a family favorite for generations.
Table of Contents
- This is the fruitcake of my dreams!!
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store fruitcake
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 🎄 Why Is Fruit Cake a Christmas Tradition?
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- old-fashioned fruitcake
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Sweet and chewy, this fruitcake is more like candy than a cake.
- This is a staple for the holidays at our house - I can't imagine Christmas without it.
- If you watch the video you'll see that putting the pecans in a food processor just doesn't work well. Coarsely chop them for the best results.
I grew up loving dark fruitcake. To be honest, I could never figure out why people didn't like it.
To me, there was nothing more delicious than a piece of my Mom's fruit cake - moist, chewy, and candy-like; thickly slathered with cream cheese or butter. Even better if it was sitting next to a cup of hot chocolate. Mmmmm - Christmas!
...And sugar overload.
That is, I didn't understand it until the fateful day when I tasted someone ELSE'S version of this traditional holiday cake. EWWWW!
I finally understood the jokes..the grimaces..the gagging. Right then I felt sorry for anyone who wasn't me, who didn't have access to this amazing stuff.
I mean, how could it be Christmas without it?
I used to sell this homemade fruitcake on eBay for $30 ...and that was twenty years ago or more! No one that has tasted this recipe doesn't like it...It is moist..and more chewy than cakey...there are no golden or dark raisins in it and no "junk" mixed candied fruit...
A few years ago I had the opportunity to interview the folks at Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. I think they make the SECOND best fruitcake in the world. 😉
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
The one thing that always amazes me about this old-fashioned fruitcake recipe is that there is almost nothing holding all of that sweet, sticky fruit together. Make sure you DO NOT buy fruitcake mix - you want to get each type of fruit called for individually.
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
- Candied Pineapple chunks are called for but sometimes I haven't been able to find it and used the rings instead. Just cut them in chunks. Red and green are the most festive if you can find them.
- Candied cherries are usually pretty easy to find. If you can use part red ones and part green ones it's prettier.
- Pitted dates are what makes this cake sweet and sticky. I prefer to get the diced dates but you can get pitted whole dates and dice them yourself.
- Pecans don't need to be toasted but I think they add more flavor.
- Sugar is just granulated sugar.
- All-purpose flour is what creates the batter that holds this together.
- Baking powder is one ingredient that I add because mom always did - but honestly I have no idea what it does here.
- Salt helps to balance the sweetness of all the candied fruit.
- Vanilla adds a rich dimension.
- Large eggs work with the flour to create the batter.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Mix chopped pecans, dates, and candied fruit.
Add in sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
Whisk eggs and vanilla together. Mix into the fruit mixture.
Press into parchment lined loaf pans and bake according to instructions in the recipe card below.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Showing my decadent side here - During the holidays one of my favorite breakfast treats is a slice of fruit cake smeared with cream cheese. Heaven!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- parchment paper
- loaf pans, I use Pyrex 1-½ quart size glass loaf pans
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowl
🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
Hey y'all! Don't forget to check out my latest video where I guide you through each step of this delicious recipe. It's always great to have a visual guide, right? And as always, my cooking show, Restless Chipotle Kitchen, has got your back. If you're looking for more yummy ideas, dive into our full recipe collection on YouTube. You're gonna love it!
🥫 Leftover love: how to store fruitcake
Fruitcake stores really well at room temperature if it's wrapped in plastic wrap. I usually leave the parchment wrapped around it and then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil
It's fine for a month or so at room temperature, up to 6 months in the fridge, and for an eternity in the freezer.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Don't use the "mixed candied fruit". It isn't moist enough and your cake will be dry and tasteless.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- The color may be lighter brown or a darker brown - it all depends on the dates that you get. It has nothing to do with the actual bake on the cake.
- Mixing the batter together with your (clean) hands is honestly the easiest way to get everything blended properly.
- Don't chop the pecans in a food processor. I tried that and it makes them too small. Just coarsely chop them with a knife.
- The pan of water on the rack beneath the fruit cake in the oven is important. Don't skip it!
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Short answer: yes!
I have no clue where my mom got the recipe but she made it for her 6 siblings every single year.
Numerous fruitcakes were wrapped in waxed paper, then boxed, then covered with brown postal paper and tied with a string. It happened just after Thanksgiving just like clockwork. My job was holding my finger on the string so Mom could make the knot tight.
This Christmas cake was mailed overseas to my uncles during World War II ... it has been mailed overseas to my kids in the military. It always arrives perfectly intact and fresh.
You can make in November and let it sit in a cool place or make it closer to Christmas..either way it will be great.
A fruitcake that's stored properly can last for years - not at our house though because we eat it long before it has a chance to go bad.
Fruitcake will last a month or so at room temperature if it's properly wrapped. It will also keep for up to about 6 months in the refrigerator.
This traditional fruit cake recipe is moist because of the baking technique and we've eaten the last few bites of it a month or so after making it - it's not dry. Just keep it wrapped. Some people wrap it in a cheesecloth that's been soaked in rum or brandy - and that's a good way to ensure it doesn't mold if you are storing it at room temperature for a long time.
Short answer: nope. Fruit cake is high in calories and sugar so you probably shouldn't make a habit of having it for breakfast. Generally it's considered a holiday treat so whether or not it's healthy isn't usually a concern.
Let the cake cool and remove it from the pan. Leave the waxed paper on it and then wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil.
🎄 Why Is Fruit Cake a Christmas Tradition?
Fruitcake dates to ancient times when the Romans ate a satura cake, a mixture of barley mash, raisins, nuts, pomegranate, and wine.
Over time it evolved into fruitcake - with the candied fruit added to help preserve the finished cake during a season when fruit was not normally available.
It was popular in Victorian England, where it was called a "Christmas Cake" and the tradition was brought to the United States.
Fruitcakes were used as wedding cakes during Victorian times, as a matter of fact, partly because they could be made well ahead of time.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Fruit cake is usually even better a day or two after it's made, and it will last several weeks, so I like to make it before the chaos of the holidays really gets going.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- Gingerbread House Party is so much fun for the kids! I've been doing it since the early 1980s. You make easy houses out of graham crackers and let them decorate with all kinds of candy. SO much fun.
- 50 Best Red Velvet Recipes because what's Christmas without red velvet? Seriously!!
- 91 Best Christmas Cookies means that not only do you have plenty to choose from but your holiday cookie tray are going to be amazing!
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
This is the exact holiday cake my mom made. I have no idea where she got the original recipe but I do know that everyone who's tried it loves it!
I can't imagine a Christmas dinner without it and a batch of her homemade fudge.
If you're a fruitcake lover, or you know someone who is, give this recipe a try.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Fruitcake Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound pecans
- 1 pound dates, pitted and chopped
- ½ pound candied cherries, (red and geen)
- ½ pound candied pineapple, (red and green or yellow)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1 tablespoon rum, bourbon, or brandy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250° degrees (that is not a typo-TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY degrees)
- Place a pan ⅓ filled with boiling water in the oven to create steam. Put it on the rack under the rack where the fruitcake pans will got.
- Fill the pan with hot water as needed during baking.
- Spray two 9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and line with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Spray wax paper with cooking spray.
- Chop dates and nuts.
- Add them to a large bowl.
- Sift dry ingredients over fruit and nuts and mix in with your hands.
- Beat eggs until light, add vanilla and pour over fruit, mixing well. (you will probably need to mix with your hands - it's messy.)
- Spoon fruit cake batter into prepared pans, pressing down gently to remove large air bubbles and spaces.
- Place the filled loaf pans onto the rack above the pan with hot water.
- Bake at 250 for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Let cool.
Notes
- To store: let the cake cool and remove it from the pan. Leave the waxed paper on it and then wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil. Store in a cool dark place.
- This fruit cake ships well. Just wrap it in waxed paper, then in aluminum foil.
- You can brush this with rum or brandy if you like but I never do - it's good without it.
- No need to let fruitcake age. It's delicious the same day it's baked.
- Don't use the "mixed candied fruit". It isn't moist enough and your cake will be dry and tasteless.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published December 22, 2011. Last updated September 14, 2024 for structure and editorial fixes as well as new images.
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old-fashioned fruitcake
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Jim Raine says
Thats moms cake also. I remember cracking pecans in Ga as a kid. I’m getting ready to make two this week!
Lisa Tate says
What is your advice for making this recipe in a fluted Bundt pan??
Marye says
I've never made it in anything but a loaf pan. It MUST be baked at the low temperature and I don't think a bundt pan would work.
Maria Gratski says
Can you tell me how long this can store at cool room temperature? I would like to get a head start on Christmas baking!
Marye says
We've never had it last more than a few days so I honestly can't say. You could freeze it, though.
carol e hawley says
This fruit cake looks scrumptious, a must try for me.
Jane says
I don't have any dates could I use raisins?
Marye says
I have never used raising so I'm not sure? I don't think they are sticky enough.
Lynne says
I love this cake!! My grandmother made the only fruit cake I ever liked and this is so very close to hers. Thank you for sharing!!
Agatha says
Read article for tips, watched video, read recipe and steps before starting and it turned out as nuts and candied fruit, no cake. Not sure what I did wrong and will try one more time but today I'm very disappointed.
Marye says
Agatha - the recipe clearly says that it's more like candy than cake and there's less than a cup of flour in it for the whole cake. I'm sorry you didn't care for it but there's really no point in making it again - it sounds like it came out perfectly.
Joy says
Hi Agatha! Add your dry ingredients to your fruit and nuts and stir to coat everything well. Then add your beaten eggs and stir well to combine. Like she said, there's not much batter - it's just enough to hold everything together. Pour into well greased pans, can even line with parchment. Make sure to press everything together. Not so hard as to smush it, but enough that everything is touching and it will come together as a cake. After baking, let it cool in the pan for a bit before removing to finish cooling. You should have a solid loaf when you are done. Good luck!
Carol says
We loved this recipe! I used 16 0z fruitcake mix plus the indicated ingredients because I had them, and everything else the same. The flavor was great and not dry. I had all the glacéd fruits already so I wanted to use them up.
Jessica says
The recipes calls for 3 large eggs but in the video you used 6? I didn’t see anyone comment on the number of eggs….My chickens lay roughly a med-large egg but I don’t think 3 would make the batter wet enough, can you clarify that for me? Thank you!!
Jessica
Marye says
In the video I was making double the recipe.
Jessica says
Thank you clarifying my egg question so promptly❤️ and I’ve got two cakes in my oven right now. My mom always orders the 2 or 3lb fruitcake from Beatrice Bakery in Beatrice, Nebraska and that’s the only fruit cake I’ve ever had that I liked. In our opinion it’s better than a Collin’s Street fruitcake. My mom is from Dallas and she still mail orders her’s from Beatrice’s. 😉
Ok, they are out of the oven, cooled and I just took my first taste………very nice we will be enjoying these on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day . Thank you for sharing this recipe with all of us!!! Merry Christmas 🎄
Valerie Peterman says
Super moist and sticky. No overpowering spices or flavors. The fruit and the pecans gave it a subtle sweet, fruity flavor.
Absolutely the best Fruitcake I've ever had. You won't be disappointed with it. I didn't use any alcohol, just the vanilla the recipe called for. Try it out and enjoy. Hats off to Marye. Another fantastic recipe.
Celest says
Hi! I love your recipe. Ive made it two years in a row, we don't have pineapple at our supermarket so I used more cherries instead. I followed the recipe and watched the video. However when my cakes are fully baked, they look more like your before photos (showing yellow batter between ). Wondering how to avoid this and get the pretty glossy dark look as in your photos.
Thank you!!
Celest says
Also, in the recipe it says 3 eggs but in your video there are 6?
Marye says
I was making a double batch in the video.
Marye says
Celest - I think it's the dates? This year I used a different brand and they seemed drier - my fruitcakes came out less dark and more yellowish. I have the best luck when I use the diced dates rather than cutting whole ones. If you figure it out let me know.:)
Steven covatti says
Hi there, can I tried your recipe and it was phenomenal! Can I double the batter in the loaf pan to get a thicker cake? Thank you!
Marye says
My loaf pan wouldn't hold double the batter so I'm not sure what size pan you have? If y ou make it thicker it's going to take days to bake.
Gary says
Love the fruit cake recipe that you for sharing it Gary
Carole Collier says
Oh my, this is the exact recipe I've been looking for. Easy, has everything I was looking for in a fruitcake. Very delicious, moist and perfect in every way. I put in in small aluminum loaf pans and it turned out great. It is so good I'll have to make another batch for more gifts.
Pam A says
Oh, my goodness!!! I've been trying to find something close to the CSB one and this is perfection!!! This recipe is gold! I need to lock it in a safe, put it in the cloud and never ever lose it. Absolutely delicious. Angels in Heaven were singing!! I toasted the pecans (per your suggestion), cut the cherries and pineapple in halves, chopped the whole dates (per your suggestions), followed your recipe exactly, and it turned out perfect! Simply divine
Alicia G says
Thank you!!! We misplaced Mom’s recipe that she’s had for forever and this is the exact one! The only thing she does differently is coat it in Karo Syrup after is baked, though she wants to change it to Agave syrup next time she makes it.
I also love it slathered in cream cheese! People don’t know what they’re missing!
I’m curious if this recipe comes from the PA Dutch or a general German influence. That’s what a lot of my mom’s recipes are from, PA Dutch/Mennonite influenced. Hmm, curious
Thank you for Sharing!!!
Marye says
As far as I know it didn't come from PA. Mom was from Michigan and I think she made this in the 1940s.
Mr. Terry L Schwerin says
I love fruitcake. This one is easy to make and taste delicious. I made it today and could not wait for it to be completely cooled before trying it. The taste and texture were perfection. My only problem is no one else in my extended family likes fruitcake so i will be eating it all, which will not help my waistline but it will be worth it.
Kayla says
Can this be made in a bunt pan?
Marye says
I've never tried. I'm sure it could but have no idea how long it would take.
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have my Mother's recipe but it was missing a few key ingredients and information. Your recipe helped piece my childhood back together and I am excited to share this fruitcake with my Brothers. I made it with my sons and DILs of course they said yuck. I told them it was like a KIND bar because there was so little "cake" they all loved it and want to make a second batch... Millennials! You have made our holidays complete and I wish for you the same. Liz
Bonnie says
The perfect fruitcake recipe! I've been looking for this recipe for literally years. Didn't have any candied pineapple so sub'd in some golden raisins. Can't wait to try it with all the right stuff for the holidays. Used the brandy instead of vanilla, didn't brush it. It was outstanding!
Donna says
Has anyone converted thos recipie to cups? Thanks.