White Fruitcake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What alcohol is best in fruitcake? ›

What alcohol should you use? Strong, flavourful spirits with a high ABV are ideal for feeding fruitcakes. You can use rum, brandy or whisky for spice, or if you like citrus flavours, try an orange liqueur. Cherry brandy and amaretto will also work well if you prefer these.

The fruit in a fruitcake is often dried instead of fresh, which reduces moisture and creates this dessert's notoriously dry texture. This, along with the high sugar content, sucks up much of the water that bacteria need to survive.

Fruitcakes were so rich, they were considered sinful and were outlawed in Europe in the early 18th century. Restrictions eased later in the century.

Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective! Other than that, there's nothing unusual about how this fruit cake is made.

Whiskey serves as a great substitute for brandy in a fruitcake. Although whiskey comes from fermented grain mash while brandy is made from fermented grape mash, the process is so similar, that the flavor will be similar as well.

Brush cakes generously with sweet sherry, brandy, rum, port, liqueur or fruit juice; do not use wine. Using fruit juice can increase the chances of your fruitcake going mouldy. Wrap each cake in several layers of cheesecloth and then in plastic wrap.

Eilenberger's Bakery World Famous Fruitcake

Its nationally renowned fruitcake is said to be the same recipe that the founder, Fred H. Eilenberger, brought to the states from Germany—and it's still working for them after more than 120 years in business.

The most common duration to properly age a fruitcake is about three months. Any quicker will limit the development of complex flavors attributed to the maturing process. You can certainly age your cake for much longer than several months if you'd like, but we know how busy everyday life can be.

We recommend wrapping your fruitcake in plastic wrap before placing it in an airtight container. Then, place that container in the fridge. Doing this can ensure your fruitcake stays fresh for up to two months.

With overbaking, the outcome causes the cake to be dry and hard and have a flat or bitter taste. In addition, other people don't like fruitcakes due to the unnaturally colored fruit that is sometimes used in mass-produced fruitcakes.

What is the derogatory meaning of fruitcake? ›

If you refer to someone as a fruitcake, you mean that they are crazy or that their behavior is very strange. [informal, disapproval]

Fruitcake in America

Homemade fruitcakes are often soaked in liqueurs or brandies and are very dense and heavy. In 1913, fruitcakes became widely available through mail-order catalogs. The glut of mass-produced cakes could be partially responsible for the bad reputation, says Jesse Rhodes for Smithsonian.com.

One of the most common misfortunes among bakers is that they are using too much baking soda or baking powder. Know that too much baking soda or baking powder in cakes will not just lead to a metallic and bitter taste, but it can also make a big mess in the oven as it will rise beyond expectations.

The top can overcook before the middle even gets started. * The cake pan could be overfull. A full cake pan takes a lot longer to cook, and you can very easily end up with a cake that is both under, and over cooked.

Have you ever had fresh or dried fruit sink to the bottom of a cake or loaf? Don't worry, it's a common problem and generally happens when the cake batter isn't heavy or thick enough to hold the weight of the fruit as it bakes.

You can replace the alcohol with fruit juice, such as orange juice or apple juice, to soak the dried fruits, adding flavor and moisture to the cake. What is the difference between a fruit cake and a regular cake?

But if you really want to substitute the brandy, you can happily use freshly squeezed orange juice. Once the cake has been baked it will need cool to the point where you can remove it from the cake tin and you can place it on top of a large sheet of foil.

Baking with booze—such as bourbon, rum, port and vodka—can add additional flavor, texture and even change the consistency of many baked goods. Take pie dough for example, adding a splash of vodka produces a super flakey dough and develops less gluten in the dough than water.