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This fruitcake recipe has been around our house since Noah was a first mate. More cake than fruit, and the added Grand Mariner makes it extra yummy. Might want to keep the cake away from the small ones. They’ll love the fruitcake cookies from earlier! Mind you, this ain’t ya mamma’s fruitcake and certainly not the one you’ll find in the grocery store. You know the one, the little bricks from the Claxton Company are southern staples, but this is the real deal and good enough to convert even the staunchest anti-fruitcake member of the family! You will need a heavy bundt pan
Southern Christmas Fruitcake Simple Syrup
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest (cut in strips)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Make a simple-syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Southern
Southern Christmas Fruitcake
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 pound mixed dried fruits (such as blueberries, cranberries, cherries, raisins, and chopped apricots)
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks unsalted)
- butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 ounces almond paste
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup
- Grand Marnier (or other orange-flavored liqueur)
- 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
- 1/2 cup pecan pieces
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 1/4 cup bourbon
Instructions
- Cream the butter, sugar and almond paste together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle at low speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing in between each addition on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add 1/4 cup of the Grand Marnier and mix to incorporate.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium-size mixing bowl and blend well. Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the butter mixture with the mixer on low speed, each time mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The batter will be thick.
- Add the warm fruit and all of the nuts a little at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a bundt pan with butter or non-stick baking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until golden brown and the top springs back when touched, about 45 to 50 minutes (turning the pan to ensure even browning after 30 minutes.)
- Cool the cake for 20 minutes in the pan, then remove and continue to cool upside-down on wire racks.
- Make tiny holes with a toothpick randomly on the rounded end of the cake. Combine the remaining simple syrup with the remaining 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier and the bourbon. Wrap the cake in a layer of cheesecloth and pour 1/4 cup of the syrup over the top of each cake. Store in a plastic zip bag for 3 or 4 days until the cake is slightly stale. Sprinkle syrup over cakes once every 2 to 3 days until all of the syrup is used. Let the cakes age for up to 3 weeks before eating.
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Southern
Whiskey Sauce
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine 2 3/4 cups of the cream with the bourbon and sugar in a medium-size nonstick saucepan over medium-heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup cream. Add this to the cream-and-bourbon mixture and simmer stirring often, until the mixture thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm with the fruitcake.
- The sauce may be stored, after it has cooled, in an airtight container for 24 hours. When ready to serve, warm over low heat.
One time Nanny messed up her fruitcake recipe. Its was the best batch she EVER made and then she couldn’t remember what the Hades she did, LOL! I have another recipe with brazil nuts and eagle’s brand, I need to pass it to you!
I made this tonight. To the letter. When I dumped it out of the pan it came apart! I cooled it as long as it said to and everything. What could have happened?? The cake itself tastes wonderful. I went ahead and put it (all it’s bits and pieces) in a big Tupperware container and and poured the sauce over it. Every couple of days I think I will flip it and in a week or two I will make the whiskey sauce and go ahead and try it just crumbled in a bowl. No way I can throw away all those ingredients! Any ideas what may have gone wrong?
I’m not certain actually what could have happened there. I’ve had cakes of all types fall apart tho. It could have not been completely cooled. Fruitcake is dense and needs much longer cooling than the average cake. Sorry you had an issue, but enjoy all the good crumbles!