Easy Homemade Grandma’s Fruitcake Recipe

Grandma’s Fruitcake recipe is so yummy. If you’re looking for an easy way to make this old fashioned marinated fruit bread, homemade this is it!

You could make this into a handheld easy muffin recipe as well. Those will bake faster but with the same flavors that will bring you right back to your childhood just the same.

Easy Fruit Cake Recipe

Sometimes old fashioned means time intensive. That isn’t always true but many times I will agree that many times it is, that is why I appreciate these instructions. I would say the prep is about 15 minutes and then you can just pop it into the oven. Want to make this as gifts? You can double or triple it to share with friends too for sure.

What is candied fruit for fruitcake called?

Glace technically but most think it is just dried, it’s not. They are actually candied and preserved in a sugar syrup. Sold in small containers in the store you typically won’t find them marinated with alcohol but you can do this yourself if you’d like.

You can think about this mixture as a cross between fluffy yellow cake and a pound cake I guess. It is more on the dense side of things because of all the add ins. If you just made the cake by itself though it would be similar to those two. This is what you need:

What is Fruit Cake made of?

1. Container of fruitcake fruit
2. Pecans are of course optional but traditionally found in every bite
3. All purpose flour, make sure you know how to measure flour properly
4. Butter should be softened for best results
5. Sugar
6. Eggs are best added when at room temperature if possible
7. Baking soda
8. Salt and vanilla

The ingredients and instructions below will make one 9×5″ size loaf pan. If you are batch cooking more than 1 just ensure that each batch is made in a different bowl so an equal amount of batter is added into each pan.

How do you make fruit for fruit cake?

If you want to really make everything homemade you can!! You can do a sort of cheater way to make this;

1. Dice up dried fruits you love
   • typically you would want cherries, orange peel, dried pineapple and apricots would work well
2. Put into a bowl covered with either fruit juice or alcohol of your choice, brandy is a popular choice.
3. Microwave for 1 minute
4. Leave in there or remove and let them sit in the bowl to soak up and soften up for 1 hour.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove
6. Then you are ready to use them!

How to Make Fruit Cake from Scratch

Just like baking any other type of sweet bread you want to whisk wet ingredients together in one bowl, and dry in another. Then incorporate the two and add the fruit and nuts at the end. You just want to fold those in so they don’t break all apart.

• You will use a 9×5″ loaf pan for this. Spray inside with non stick spray lightly and shake some flour in while patting it around. It will slide out nicely when done if you do this. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a bowl whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla together and then add softened butter and whisk until smooth.
• Use another bowl whisk to together dry ingredients. Then slowly incorporate this into your butter, wet, mixture.
• Gently fold in marinated fruit and pecans so they are incorporated nicely. Then pour batter into your pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then loosen slides with a knife and slide out. Set that on your cooling rack to completely cool. Slice and serve.

How do you keep fruit from sinking in a fruit cake?

You would do the same thing as if you were baking with fruit. You don’t want to weigh these down but a very light coating of flour will do the trick. Toss to coat, lift out with a slotted spoon to allow the excess to fall off and then fold into your batter at the end. That way it won’t sink.

Can you make fruitcake muffins?

Yes!! If you do choose to make famous fruitcake muffins instead they would need to bake about 20 minutes or so. Use a toothpick inserted and take out right away once it isn’t wet in the middle. If a few crumbs are attached when you pull it out they are perfect. Take them out of the pan and let cool on a cooling rack when you take them out.

We do have a few other things to add to your Christmas brunch items with Grandmas fruitcake. If you’re looking for something new to add to yours here are a few favorites:

• Our German spice lebkuchen cookies recipe was made by Grandma too. These are a must once a year.
• Crinkle cookies are yummy and really pretty during the holidays too
• As a side dish goes, this ambrosia recipe is a family favorite too.

Best Fruit Cake Recipe

If you make more than one to save one or more loaves for yourself you’ll want to wrap and store them properly. This way it will stay as moist as possible as long as possible. It is already a little bit dry as far as sweet breads go so… First allow each one to cool completely. If you are storing a partial loaf don’t slice what you aren’t eating.

How do you freeze fruitcake?

Keeping the whole piece in tact will keep it as moist and tender as possible. Wrap each one separately in plastic wrap. Then either wrap again with foil or put into a gallon freezer bag and suck all the air out of that.

• Lay them flat in your freezer. Mark the date you baked it on the outside. It will last up to a year stored this way.
• Allow to come to room temperature on it’s own when you take it out and then enjoy Grandma’s fruitcake one slice at a time.

Before you go I want you to sign up for my free newsletter!! You will get all my new recipes emailed to you a few times a week that will help with meal planning for the week.