Bourbon Fruit Cake with Apple, Fig, Date, Raisins, Pecans, and Candied Citrus Peel

Fruitcake has been a traditional part of holiday meals for many years. It is the traditional wedding cake in England. And according to one of my cookbooks from the 1940s, it was the traditional wedding cake in the 1940s in the United States.

Now you may be thinking, “Fruitcake! Yuck! Hockey puck in a tin can.” And I agree- those fruitcakes in a tin can remind me of hockey pucks. However, a well made fruitcake is an absolute delight, packed with fruit and nuts and just a little bit “boozy.”

My fruitcake is a little different from the norm. You won’t find any red or green cherries, and I use both fresh and dried fruit. I also flavored it with bourbon. And it doesn’t need to sit in the refrigerator for a month, nor does it need to be “fed” to develop the flavor. After baking and cooling, simply wrap it in plastic wrap, let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours to allow the flavors to blend and the bourbon flavor to mellow, and it is ready to enjoy!

The Inside Scoop

This is a straightforward recipe. There are just a few baking tricks to be aware of:

Pans: When making large loaves (rather than mini loaves or muffins); double the pans; this reduces the likelihood of the edges or bottom of the loaves becoming too dark.

There’s a Hole in the Bucket…err, Cake. Have you ever removed a cake from a pan and found that the middle of the loaf on the bottom stuck to the pan? And now you have a hole in the bottom of your loaf? Line the pan with parchment paper to eliminate this problem. And leave enough parchment paper on the end to form “handles” so that the loaf can be easily removed from the pan without sticking or breaking.

I’m Nuts About Nuts! Nuts should be baked before adding them to the loaf. This enhances their flavor and ensures that the nuts stay crisp.

You’re such a softie! Let butter soften to a cool room temperature. To soften quickly, place the stick of wrapped butter in a microwave and microwave on low heat until slightly softened but not melted. This typically takes approximately 10 seconds. Leaving the butter in the original paper helps it soften evenly.

Getting “Eggcited” about eggs? Be sure eggs are at room temperature. Warm eggs hold more air than cold eggs, which means a lighter bread, and they are easier to whisk. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature before cracking, place eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.

Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs.

Don’t “Stick it to the pan.”: Once the fruitcake is done baking, let it cool on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. After cooling for 10-15 minutes, it is important to remove your baked fruitcake from the pan so that the fruitcake does not “stick” to the pan and the bottom of the fruitcake does not become wet from condensation as it cools.

ENJOY!

Print Recipe

Bourbon Fruit Cake with Apple, Fig, Date, Raisins, Pecans, and Candied Citrus Peel

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

By Connie Teunis – Serves: 16

A moist, rich fruitcake made with both dried and fresh fruit and flavored with Bourbon!

Ingredients

• 120 g./ ¾ c. of Chopped Dried Figs
• 120 g./ ¾ c. of Chopped Dried Dates
• 120 g./ ¾ c. of Raisins
• 120 g./ 1 c. of Fresh Tart Cooking Apple (Granny Smith or Braeburn), Peeled, Cored & Chopped
• ¾ c. Bourbon
• 90 g./ ¾ c. Pecans, Chopped
• 180 g./ 1 ½ c. All-Purpose Flour
• 1 t. Cinnamon
• ½ t. Nutmeg
• ½ t. Ground Ginger
• ¼ t. Cloves
• 1 T. Orange Zest
• ¾ t. Baking Soda
• ¾ t. Baking Powder
• ¾ t. Salt
• 40 g./ ½ c. Candied Orange Peel, chopped into ¼” pieces
• 40 g./ ½ c. Candied Lemon Peel or Glazed, Diced Citron, chopped into ¼” pieces
• 9 T. Unsalted Butter, softened
• 144 g./ ¾ c. Brown Sugar
• 2 Large eggs, room temperature
• 1 T. Molasses

Instructions

1

Day 1:

2

Place the prepared figs, dates, raisins, and chopped apple in a bowl. Pour the bourbon over the fruit; stir to ensure all fruit is covered with the bourbon. Cover the bowl and refrigerate. Let the fruit macerate overnight.

3

Day 2:

4

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

5

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes until nuts just begin to brown and an aroma rises. Cool completely.

6

Spray a 9 ½” x 5 ¼” loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. (See Note.) Line the bottom and 2 short ends with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment paper on the ends to form “handles.” If possible, double the pans to prevent excess browning. Set aside.

7

In a small/medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, orange zest, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

8

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar, scraping bowl and beaters frequently. Add the eggs and molasses; beat on medium speed until creamy.

9

By hand, or on the slowest speed of the stand mixer, add the flour mix; mix until well combined.

10

By hand, or on the slowest speed of the stand mixer, add the macerated fruit and any remaining bourbon, candied orange and lemon peel, and nuts. Mix until fruit and nuts are evenly distributed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl and the beaters frequently. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

11

Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes. The fruitcake should feel firm to the touch and a metal cake tester, when inserted into the middle of the fruit cake, comes out clean. If you have an instant read thermometer, the thermometer should read 210-215 degrees.

12

Once done, remove the fruitcake from the oven and place on a cooling rack; cool 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use the flat edge of a knife to loosen the cake along the long sides from the loaf pan. Use the parchment handles to lift the fruitcake out of the pan and place directly onto the cooling rack. Cool completely.

13

Once the cake has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the flavors to blend and the bourbon to mellow.

14

Day 3:

15

Enjoy!

Notes

Note: For a quicker baking time, or for smaller loaves to share, this can also be made in five 2 ½” x 4” x 2” loaf pans or two 7 ½” x 3 ¾” x 2 ¼” loaf pans.