Stop saying you don’t like fruitcake and read this entire post, ok?
According to my blog, it was 2010 when one of my online friends, CJ, posted her fruitcake recipe. I think she said “This is not your grandmother’s fruitcake!” How right she is. This fruitcake is amazing.
CJ’s Fruitcake
Through the years, I’ve shared this fruitcake with many friends and they always love it, even though most of them start out saying “I don’t really like fruitcake!”
The fruit is soaked in brandy for 6 weeks or longer before making the cake. I started my fruit soaking last weekend . . one of the first things I did when I got home from Missouri.
This morning, CJ posted the recipe on Facebook. She no longer has her blog. I asked her about sharing it on here and she said that was fine. This truly is one of the best fruitcakes ever. I make some in little mini loaf pans and give them as gifts but, for the most part, we eat them.
CJ has shared a lot of wonderful recipes and caused me to go down a lot of rabbit holes but this fruitcake is one thing that will make me forever remember her and be thankful for her generosity in sharing her recipes and knowledge.
Here’s CJ’s recipe along with her notes. I’m going to post it here in the body, and in the recipe app but sometimes, if an app stops working, the recipe is lost so we should have it forever this way:
CJ’s Fruitcake:
This is not your mother’s fruitcake. Rather than dark and spicy (good too!) this one is light and bright, fruity and sumptuous all at the same time.
Ingredients:
FRUIT
6 cups Dried fruits of your choice, apricots, cherries, figs, dates, cranberries, etc
CAKE
1 cup Butter (unsalted)
2 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
4 large Eggs
3 3/4 cups Flour (all-purpose, unbleached)
1 cup Orange juice
2 cups Pecans (or walnuts)
Directions:
- Prepare the fruit Cover the diced fruit with enough brandy to cover it, or (my preference) put it in a large heavy duty bag and vacuum seal it.
You can bake the cakes with the fruit having marinated for only 24 hours, however the longer the fruit is in the brandy, the better the end result. I like to marinate mine for several months.
- Prepare the cake Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease three 8 x 4 inch loaf pans, or 8 mini loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar and add the baking powder, salt and vanilla; mix. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour alternately with the orange juice.
- Drain the fruit (reserve the brandy/juice) and stir in along with the nuts.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. They should be about three quarters full. Bake the cakes for about 60 minutes (45-50 minutes for the smaller loaves). They will be golden brown in color, and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pans. Brush with the reserved brandy/fruit mix leftover from marinating. Brush a couple more times over the next 24 hours with brandy.
I prefer to wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point, or you can wrap in cheesecloth and brush with brandy weekly.
CJ's Fruitcake
This is probably the best fruitcake you’ll ever have! It’s moist and light, as far as fruitcakes go.
- 6 cups dried fruit (diced)
- 1 cup butter, unsalted
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 3-3/4 cups flour, all purpose, unbleached
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 cups pecans or walnuts (chopped)
-
1. Prepare the fruit: Cover the diced fruit with enough brandy to cover it, or (my preference) put it in a large heavy duty bag and vacuum seal it.
You can bake the cakes with the fruit having marinated for only 24 hours, however the longer the fruit is in the brandy, the better the end result. I like to marinate mine for several months.
2. Prepare the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease three 8 x 4 inch loaf pans, or 8 mini loaf pans.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar and add the baking powder, salt and vanilla; mix. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour alternately with the orange juice.
4. Drain the fruit (reserve the brandy/juice) and stir in along with the nuts.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. They should be about three quarters full. Bake the cakes for about 60 minutes (45-50 minutes for the smaller loaves). They will be golden brown in color, and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
6. Remove the cakes from the oven, cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pans. Brush with the reserved brandy/fruit mix leftover from marinating. Brush a couple more times over the next 24 hours with brandy.
I prefer to wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point, or you can wrap in cheesecloth and brush with brandy weekly.
Cilla Tyler says
Anything soaked in booze that long HAS to be good!!!! Yes, I’m one of “those” people who don’t like fruitcake. In fact used the same one as a doorstop for 3 or more years and it still looked good. I just may try this one. Thank you and CJ for this recipe.
Vicky says
I’ve made this fruit cake for several years ever since I saw it on your blog. I don’t use brandy. Instead I use apple cider. This is a great recipe. Everyone loves it.
Linda says
Vicky do you still soak fruit for several months when using apple cider?
Judy Laquidara says
That’s a great idea for anyone opposed to using brandy. Thanks for sharing that.
Sherrill Pecere says
I HATE fruitcake and because I hate it so bad, I feel the need to try this!! What fruits do you put in there and about how much brandy do you use? I don’t drink brandy so don’t want to buy too much as it’ll just get wasted. She says she soaks hers for months so assuming you have to add brandy on occasion if it’s not vacuum sealed.
Judy Laquidara says
I use whatever I find in the store – apricots, figs, cherries, blueberries, pineapple. I can’t tell you how much brandy I used. I just pour it over the fruit. I put mine in a half gallon jar, then I emptied two partially full bottles of brandy and had to open a third bottle of brandy and used some of that. My guess is about 6 – 8 cups of brandy. With a tight lid, I’ve never had to add more brandy. I started mine last week and will probably make the fruit cakes around the 15th of December.
Phyllis says
I love fruit cake. Brandy, not so much. Love the idea of using apple cider. Should it be pasteurized?
Donna says
I absolutely love any fruit cake but since no one else does, I buy a very small slice at the store!
Rebecca in SoCal says
Thanks for sharing this at the time to make it. I remember you posting this before, and have wanted to make it, but never thought of it in time. (I absolutely resist any Christmas before Halloween).
cassews says
I used to say I really disliked my grandmother in law’s fruit cakes. But a friend showed me that fruitcakes can be delish. She uses a white quality cake mix then mixes all the soaked fruit ,that she had soaking for months in the bourbon, then bakes it .. Light and wonderful …. Thanks for sharing the recipe !!
Wendy P says
So, do you just buy the dried fruit in the bulk section?
dezertsuz says
The photo looks like the kind I always buy from Claxton’s, my favorite since I was about 13. If I made it, I wouldn’t be soaking the fruit in brandy, though, so I’ll try it with the apple cider – sounds like a tasty plan, also. It does look delicious.
Vicky says
As to the question about using the apple cider: I soak the fruit in it for a week. I try to use unhomogenized cider but that can sometimes be hard to find. If bought at a store, get the cider that’s the cloudy kind (can’t think of what it’s called) and not the kind that is clear.
Vivian Oaks says
I’ve always loved fruitcake, but I’m the only one in the family, so I generally do what Donna does… I find one of those little rectangular ones at a store and then don’t feel so guilty eating that much. (Always trying to lose weight…)
Twyla says
This sounds like a fruitcake I should make. Thanks for the info on soaking fruit and to you and CJ sharing recipe. I have made one from a very old little cookbook that has a can of condensed milk in it. Is there anything not good made with condensed milk?
JudyCinNC says
Is the fruit/brandy mixture left out (on the counter) unrefrigerated? Definitely going to try this and thanks. JudyCinNC
montanaclarks says
I’ve made CJ’s fruitcakes before and in Montana could never get the cakes to rise up and look as pretty as CJ’s. I took my mini loaf pans to Arizona and may try again. Same here, everyone LOVED these cakes in spite of “not liking fruitcake.”