Christmas Fruitcake
THIS fruitcake is sooooo yummy. And, yes, there is booze in it! But the alcohol does cook off when it’s baked. Of course, you could also brush on more AFTER it’s baked if you want to make it a grown-up holiday treat. 😁 You could avoid the alcohol completely—just use an extra cup of orange juice, or sub with one cup of apple juice.
There are no weirdly colored, dried fruits in here. You’ve seen them, haven’t you? Green cherries? I don’t think so. No wonder fruitcakes have gotten a bum rap! Nothing but whole food goodness is what this version delivers. I hope you will try it and let me know what you think!
For this recipe you will need:
Ingredients
~ dry
2 cups tightly packed, blanched almond flour
1½ cups flour of your choice (I used Bob’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour, but you could also use any gluten free mix, regular wheat, whole wheat, etc.)
3 TBS psyllium husk powder
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 TBS flax meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
~ wet
½ cup dried cherries*
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dark raisins*
½ cup golden raisins* (I used organic Hunza raisins from Nuts.com)
½ cup candied citrus (see NOTE)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup rum, brandy or bourbon (I used a combination of bourbon and B&B) OR sub with all orange juice or apple juice, or a combination if you prefer no alcohol.
¼ cup raw almond butter
½ cup molasses (I used sorghum molasses, which has a wonderfully mellow flavor)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp anise extract
~ poke & soak syrup
½ cup water
½ cup liquor
½ cup sugar (I used coconut sugar but you can use brown sugar or regular organic unbleached or even maple syrup will work
* Try to get only organic dried fruits, especially raisins as the grapes are highly sprayed.
Method
Soak the fruit overnight in the alcohol and orange juice.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Line the bottom and the sides of your pan with parchment paper. I use a little spray oil to get it to stick.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the soaked fruits, with the alcohol they’ve soaked in, with the remaining wet ingredients and add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well to combine. The dough should be very thick.
Portion into your pan, smooth the top of the dough and covered loosely with foil.
LOW AND SLOW is the key to a great Christmas cake. Start the bake at 350° F for 15 minutes, then reduce to 300° and bake for 1½- 2 hours, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Check it at 1½ hours.
If adding more liquor: after baking and before the cake has cooled, poke it on top many times with a skewer and then brush on the syrup. I’m not doing it the old-fashioned way of adding the spirits to the top every week for Lord known how many weeks. I’m sure there are many recipes out there for this technique. 😁 I do soak it VERY well though. I even turn it upside down after it’s cooled and soak the bottom a bit. (You can also soak it with more juice if not using liquor.)
When completely cool, unmold your masterpiece and transfer it to a pretty plate or a cake stand. Garnish as desired.
Make sure you keep the cake sealed airtight (if there’s any leftover that is!). I wrap mine in parchment, then plastic wrap, then foil.
P.S. These cakes make GREAT gifts and travel well in the mail! 🎁 I’m sending one to my cousins in New York this year. Try to find a large enough cookie tin for it to travel in. A 9.75” round x 3” tall fits it perfectly! Cheers! 🥂
THIS IS NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S FRUITCAKE!
No weirdly colored fruits, not dense as a brick. Just moist gobs of holiday flavor with healthy fruits and nuts!
NOTE You can really use whatever dried fruits you prefer, or have on hand for this cake. I found a great source of candied citrus on Etsy HERE. It’s a combination of lemon and orange. I guess I could try to make my own candied peel but I’ve heard it’s not easy! If you know of a good recipe please let me know.
Merry Christmas!🎄 Enjoy!
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