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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 with the liqueur of choice or enjoyed as is. Fruitcake just leveled up this holiday season.
White Fruitcake Ingredients
- Sour cream
- Baking powder
- Dried diced fruit
- Walnuts
- Eggs
- Bourbon
- Almond extract and vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Orange zest
How to Make White Fruitcake
Step 1: 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 them into the batter with the yuletide mix.
Step 2: Bake the fruitcake – Split the batter into two 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch 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 50-60 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Step 3: 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 4 weeks.
Recipe Tips
- 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
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 and orange liqueur are both great choices to pour over the top of this fruitcake. In terms of a non-alcoholic substitute, there is no 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
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White Fruitcake
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ⅓ cup bourbon (optional)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups diced dried fruit mix
- 1 cup toasted and chopped pecans
- finishing alcohol: bourbon or orange liqueur
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Grease one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set it 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. Scrape down the bowl and add the oil and mix. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time, letting each incorporate. The batter will look broken. Mix in the orange zest, vanilla extract, almond extract, and bourbon (if using).12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, 1 tablespoon orange zest, ⅓ cup bourbon (optional)
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix until no streaks of flour remain. Pour in the dried diced fruit and toasted chopped pecans. Fold to combine, then spread into the prepared loaf pan.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 ½ cups diced dried fruit mix, 1 cup toasted and chopped pecans
- Bake in the preheated 325°F oven for 60-75 minutes. Once baked, the edges will be golden brown, and a skewer inserted in the middle will come out mostly clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing (see next step if brushing with alcohol)
- Optional finish: Brush each loaf with 3 tablespoons of finishing alcohol (bourbon or orange liqueur) 1 time per week for up to 4 weeks. Keep the bread in an airtight container between brushings.finishing alcohol: bourbon or orange liqueur
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Where did u get fruit and what is the name u mention u got ur on line i want to make i bought ur book and live watching u making sourdough bread