Best Newfoundland Christmas Cake Recipes

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Best Newfoundland Christmas Cake Recipes. A collection of 16 recipes for traditional Christmas Cakes from my childhood, plus new twists on tried & true favourites.

Best Newfoundland Christmas Cakes Collage
Best Newfoundland Christmas Cakes.

Updated 2023.

I come from a long tradition of great bakers in my family and have sampled literally hundreds of different cherry cakes, apricot cakes, pineapple fruitcake, peach fruitcake, dark fruitcake and more over the years.

I have a big collection of Christmas cake recipes but there are some that I return to year after year and some that I like to play with as a base to create another great version of a classic Christmas fruitcake.

Even if you are not a fan of traditional fruitcake, you are bound to find one like the Apricot Raisin Cake that will be sure to satisfy your own taste and appeal to your visiting guests this Christmas Season.

By the way, if you are looking for recipes for traditional Newfoundland cookies, cookie bars and squares, please be sure to Cookies Pages where you'll find links to over 200 recipes. Many of them are traditional favourites and most are very freezer friendly.

Rock Recipes Best Newfoundland Christmas Cakes Collage for social media

Need last minute cake suggestions?

In the final week before Christmas, people tend to get a bit panic-y if the have fallen behind but still would like at least one traditional Christmas cake. Not all Christmas cakes have to be soaked in booze and aged. My top picks from the list below for baking, even in the final day or so before the Holidays are:

  • Any of the cherry Cakes in the list below, Cherry Pound cake, Cherry Orange Cake or Cherry Pecan Cake.
  • Apricot Raisin Cake even Apricot Fruitcake
  • Poor Man's Cake
  • Fruitcake Loaf Cake
  • Peach Fruitcake

2020 Update:

This year we have added yet another cake to this delectable recipe collection. This Peach Fruitcake is an old favourite from decades ago which uses mashed canned peaches to give plenty of moisture to the batter and ultimately, the fruitcake itself.

It is also another easy suggestion for a fruitcake which you can bake right before the Holidays because this one does not need to age at all, like a darker fruitcake would.

Peach fruitcake slice
Peach Fruitcake.

2019 UPDATE: A new, smaller and more budget friendly fruitcake recipe has been added at the end of this list.

Ultimate Nut Fruitcake plus how to make homemade marzipan and fondant to finish it.

Ultimate Nut Fruitcake slioce on plate with gold leaf, Christmas tree ornaments in background.
Ultimate Nut Fruitcake

Newfoundland Cherry Cake

Newfoundland Cherry Cake photo of a cake being sliced on a marble cutting board.
Newfoundland Cherry Cake

Old English Fruitcake

Close up square cropped picture of uncut cake for featured photo
Old English Fruitcake

Orange Brandy Fruitcake

Orange Brandy Fruitcake
Orange Brandy Fruitcake

Apple Bourbon Fruitcake

Bourbon Apple Fruitcake
Bourbon Apple Fruitcake

Cherry Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Cherries & Orange
Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Cherries & Orange

Apricot Raisin Cake

Apricot Raisin Cake
Apricot Raisin Cake

Cherry Pecan Cake

Cherry Pecan Cake
Cherry Pecan Cake

Poor Mans Cake (War Cake)

War Cake a.k.a. Poor Man's Cake
War Cake a.k.a. Poor Man's Cake

Hazelnut Coconut Fruitcake

Hazelnut Coconut Fruitcake just out of the oven
Hazelnut Coconut Fruitcake fresh from the oven.

Brandied Pineapple Cream Cheese Fruitcake

Pineapple Fruitcake single slice shown on white plate
Pineapple Fruitcake

Apricot Light Fruitcake

Sliced Apricot Fruitcake with title text added for PinterestUPDATE! Two new additions for 2017!

Rum Raisin Fruitcake

Rum Raisin Fruitcake
Rum Raisin Fruitcake

Apricot & Brandy Fruitcake

Apricot & Brandy Fruitcake
Apricot & Brandy Fruitcake

2019 UPDATE.  A new smaller fruitcake that's quick, easy and budget friendly. Find our new Fruitcake Loaf Cake here.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake close up of cut cake and slice on white plate
Fruitcake Loaf Cake

It's easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram

Rock Recipes Best Newfoundland Christmas Cakes Collage for Pinterest

Plus you'll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too. 

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22 Comments

  1. I love the Nfld. recipes. My husband comes from "The Rock" and I spent 12 years there myself teaching.,

    Have been looking for some good recipes. How can I get them?

  2. What a great collection of cakes can't wait to bake the cherry just plain so it's flavours of cherry and butter. I am going to post a lot of them. Then I will look into some traditional recipes of cookies, I read recipes instead of novels lol. I look forward to your emails from the rock. Thankyou

    Anne from a village outside of Ottawa

  3. OMG i just want to make all of them i love Fruitcake and all of these are
    being printed for my collection & will be passed around to Friends & Neighbors
    the big decision which one to make first maybe i will have to make two
    but now the problem is not cutting until Christmas but i should really taste before giving .
    Right Barry ?
    Thank you so much take care .
    Lila

  4. Do you know of a cake recipe that is made with salt pork? It was dark in color. My grandmother was from Newfoundland and we had it often. Thanks.

          1. Old time pork Christmas cake

            1 cup finely ground salt pork
            1 cup hot strong coffee
            1 1 cup granulated sugar
            1tsp. each of allspice ,nutmeg,and cinnamon ,
            1tsp.baking soda.
            2 eggs well beaten
            2/3 cup molasse
            3 cups flour
            2 cups mixed peel
            2 cups raisins
            1 cup currants.

            Place pork in a bowl and pour hot coffee over it and let cool.
            Combine sugar spices and soda and stir into pork mixture and then add well beaten eggs and molasses.
            Sprinkle 2 Tblsp. flour over the fruit. Add remaining flour to pork mixture.Stir until well blended. Add the floured fruit.
            Use a large 9 or 10 inch baking pan lined with three layers of brown paper.
            Bake at 275 degrees for about 3 hrs.

  5. Would appreciate knowing what else fruit can be soaked in other than alcohol. Thank you.
    I do not have brandy, rum or any such things our home but we love fruitcake and I want to make one.

  6. I can’t seem to get the apricot raisin cake,I touching the pic but nothings happening,I never had this issue before

    1. That link is fixed but for future reference the recipe titles are also links. Anything in red font is a link.

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