Fruit Cake Recipe {Best in the World!} (2024)

Next time try this bourbon cake!

Thiseasy fruit cake recipeis 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.

Ingredients for Old Fashioned Fruit Cake

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.

• 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.

Fruit Cake Recipe: Love It or Hate It

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 untilthe 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. 😉

Fruit Cake FAQs

This recipe is rated: Easy

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

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.

More Holiday Recipes from Restless Chipotle

One of the things I absolutely love about the holiday season is all of the holiday baking! Here are some of my favorites -

And if you are thinking of parties you'll definitely want to take a look at these -

• 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!!

You May Need...

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What’s new? A brand new store full of things to help you make the recipes, celebrate the days, and create the memories! Check outRestless Chipotle & Co. As always, thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

I use thesePyrex glass loaf pansfor all of my bread baking whether I’m making yeast bread, quick breads, or loaf cakes like this fruitcake recipe. I love that they’re easy to clean and last forever.

📞 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. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published December 22, 2011. Last updated October 16, 2021 for structure and editorial fixes.

More Southern Cakes for All Occasions