This fruitcake is different from the traditional Old-Fashioned Fruitcake in that it is largely concentrated with chopped nuts and dried fruits. The cake part is there to bind everything together. It’s quite nice. We doused with with B&B liquor, but other brandies would do. Another difference is this fruitcake rests in the refrigerator, as opposed to in a dark cabinet somewhere.
Start this fruitcake anywhere from one week to two months before you plan to enjoy it. An excellent choice for Christmas giving, the Western Fruitcake relies on dried fruit rather than the candied fruits so many people find objectionable in fruitcake.
Ingredients
- Softened butter (for buttering the pan)
- 1 8-ounce package pitted dates, cut into quarters
- 2 cups quartered dried apricots
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup whole blanched almonds
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup candied cherries
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Rum or brandy (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment or waxed paper. Then butter the paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the dates, apricots, raisins, almonds, pecans and cherries.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and baking powder, then stir in the beaten eggs and vanilla, combining well.
- Stir the flour/egg mixture into the fruit mixture, stirring thoroughly. A stout wooden spoon works well for this purpose.
- Spoon batter into prepared pans, pressing batter into the corners of the pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours until golden brown. Let cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out of pan. Peel off paper and let cake cool completely on rack.
- Wrap airtight with plastic wrap, and store in refrigerator for at least one week before serving or giving. If desired, sprinkle top of cake with 1 tablespoon rum or brandy once a week for up to two months.
- Makes one fruitcake.
Don’t just dump the brandy over the cake. It takes a little patience, but let the brandy drip onto the cake so that it is absorbed. If you like, use a toothpick to make fine holes in the surface of the cake.
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
Recipes
- Fruitcake Subculture Conspiracy
- Favorite Chocolate Layer Cake & Frosting
- Old-Fashioned Brandied Fruitcake
- Grandma’s Spice Cake
- Red Velvet Cake and the Great Neiman Marcus Cookie Hoax
- Texas Sheet Cake: Hospitality in a Cake
I like the idea of dried fruit. My mom made tons, yes, tons of them in the 50’s. Dad sold them where he worked & they wanted them year after year.