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Fruitcake is generally one of those misunderstood recipes, and it’s time for that to change! A fruitcake should be a celebration of the holidays, bringing flavors of cranberries, pineapple, citrus, and walnuts to a soft, bright form. This modern take on a holiday fixture will make you rethink your baking ways.
Why I Love This White Fruitcake Recipe
Fruitcake has grown to have a bad name. Be honest: what do you think of when you hear the word fruitcake? Most likely a dense, moist brick of something heavy with fluorescent pieces of colored fruit. It’s fair to say this is not appetizing. Thankfully, this recipe will change your mind, dare I say, heart, on fruitcake. This is a simple loaf cake with all of the goodness a fruitcake can have and none of the gross add-ins. The cake is white with a bit of almond and vanilla for background flavors. The mix is an updated mixture of dried fruits and toasted walnuts. The outcome is a moist and tender festive seasonal loaf cake. The finished cake can be brushed in the liqueur of choice or enjoyed as is. Fruitcake just leveled up this holiday season.
Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Sour cream
- Baking powder
- Dried diced fruit
- Walnuts
- Orange zest
Here’s how to make this recipe.
- Create the batter. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer. Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix together. Once combined, slowly mix in the eggs one by one. Then, grate in the zest of an orange and add flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Roughly chop the walnuts and fold into the batter with the yuletide mix.
- Bake the fruitcake. Split the batter into two 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pans. If desired, run a line lengthwise through the center of the loaves with a knife to create a crack. Place into the preheated 350°F oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool before serving.
- Add additional flavor. Brush 3 tbsp of liqueur/bourbon on top of each loaf. Do it while it is still warm from the oven, then repeat once or twice per week until serving, for up to four weeks.
These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- Mixing in the eggs one by one helps create a good consistency in the batter. By slowly mixing them in, the batter is also more evenly incorporated, making for a superior fruitcake.
- Be mindful when baking with flour. When measuring, don’t pack it into the measuring cup. Instead, gently sift it into the cup using a scoop. This gives you a proper measurement. When it comes to mixing it in the batter, mix just until it’s incorporated. Overmixing can make the batter coarse and dry.
- Brushing on the liqueur once weekly adds incredible flavor to the cake. It can be made up to four weeks prior to serving.
Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
Yuletide mix is a combination of fruits and nuts whose flavors work perfectly during the holiday season. If you want to make it at home, combine cranberries, orange peel, lemon peel, and golden raisins. Personally, I love the Yuletide Cheer fruit blend from King Arthur Flour (available seasonally).
Bourbon or orange liqueur are both great choices to pour over the top of this fruitcake. In terms of a non-alcoholic substitute, there is not a great alternative. Simply leave off the alcohol altogether and eat as is.
This fruitcake has two options: made with alcohol or made without alcohol. If making the recipe without alcohol, the bread can be consumed as soon as it has finished cooling after baking. If using alcohol, the bread should be allowed to absorb the alcohol for at least one week and up to four weeks. The amount and frequency of alcohol added is up to you, but at least one week should be allowed for the correct level of absorption.
More Holiday Desserts
Watch How to Make This White Fruitcake Recipe
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Quick & Easy White Fruitcake
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups diced dried fruit mix
- 1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
- bourbon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease two 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pans and set them aside.
- Prepare the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Mix until it is light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the sour cream and mix. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, allowing them to incorporate. The batter will look broken. Mix in the orange zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract.16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 large eggs, 1 tbsp orange zest, ¼ tsp almond extract
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix until there are no streaks of flour remaining. Pour in the dried diced fruit and toasted chopped walnuts. Fold to evenly combine and divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until they are domed. The edges will be golden brown, and a skewer inserted in the middle will be clean, 50-60 minutes.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 ½ cups diced dried fruit mix, 1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
- Finish the bread. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool. Optionally, if brushing with liqueur, brush each loaf with 3 tbsp. The loaves can be brushed one to two times per week for up to four weeks. If using no liqueur, allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.bourbon (optional)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
This looks so good, I want to try it. What is the brand for the dried fruit and nut mix. I have looked and not sure what to use. Thanks
This was a hit at Christmas at home. Everyone loved it and it was easy for me to make. It also traveled well.
Thank you for the amazing recipe.
This was ok. I halved all ingredients in order to make 1 loaf. I also used half AP flour and half whole-wheat flour as well as half Splenda and half real sugar. I made my own dried fruit mix: dried apricots, dates, golden raisins, dried pineapple, green cherries, and red cherries. Each slice was gorgeous, like an edible stained glass window. Maybe bc I used 1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour, my loaf was a caramel-brown, and it was very inviting looking. The cake had a great crumb. I brushed it with bourbon each day for eight days before cutting it, and I didn’t taste any bourbon at all. Yet it was bland and I would’ve liked a bit more sweetness. If I make it again, I will increase the sugar a bit and add some warming spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice.
Hi Marsha! Glad you made my Grandma’s recipe for white fruit cake. I love the simplicity of the almond and orange. You definitely could add a number of spices to change the flavor profile for personal preferences. One year I added cognac for 2 weeks before slicing for a more intense flavor, it just depends who is eating the cake and what they prefer. Happy Baking.
Does the white fruitcake need to be refrigerated if you are adding liquor to it?
Your FAQ don’t have links to your answers. And they’re questions I have too. I want to make this
R
That looks delicious. What dried fruit mix do you use and where can I get it?
This is a total game changer for fruit cake. 😊
I’m definitely going to try this. Can you tell us where you buy your yuletide mix? Love your channel!