Fruitcake Loaf Cake

Fruitcake Loaf Cake. A richly flavoured cream cheese batter is the star of this quick, easy fruitcake in a smaller, more economical loaf size for those who don’t want or need a large fruitcake.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake

Originally published Oct 2021.

This fruitcake loaf cake is a recipe for those who do not want to make a huge fruitcake for the Holiday season. It is also intended to be a bit more economical than a large fruitcake with many ingredients.

I grew up in a large family of 8 people with a throng of relatives who regularly visited during the Christmas season. Our fruitcakes back in those days were very large to accommodate such large numbers.

Dusting the fruit helps prevent it sinking to the bottom of the pan.

A recipe like our now famous Old English Fruitcake were very traditional and not a crumb would be left at the end of the 12 days of Christmas. But make no mistake, this is quite a large cake.

Smaller is sometimes better. A fruitcake loaf cake is the answer

Over the years I have had many requests from folks for scaled down versions of our fruitcake recipes. I totally understand that not everyone wants or needs an entire large fruitcake for their Holiday celebrations.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake fresh from the oven.

With that in mind, I set out to make a recipe, that was quick to make, smaller, budget friendly but still utterly delicious.

Along with scaling down this recipe to a more manageable loaf pan size, I also wanted to specifically focus on keeping it simple and relatively economical.

Creaming the butter, cream cheese, sugar and eggs.

This recipe uses a rich, easy to make, cream cheese batter as the base, and adds a manageable amount of fruit to keep it more budget friendly too.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake batter ready for the pan

We always made “light” fruitcakes like this every year. “Light” meaning no molasses or spices. Many people who don’t like dark fruitcake are more likely to enjoy a recipe like this.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake ready for the oven

Fruitcake loaf cake, flexible on timing.

The other important thing to note about this recipe is the flexibility of when it can be made. Unlike other, more complicated fruitcakes that take weeks of aging and alcohol soaking, this one does not.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake

We mostly freeze cakes like this now, if we want to make them in advance. If you want to though, you can easily make this recipe just a few days before the holidays to serve it fresh. It does not require a long time to age.

We also never used brandy, rum or any type of alcohol to soak into a “light” fruitcake. If you want to, that’s fine, but not necessary for a delicious end result.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake ready for teatime.

For those who still wish to do so, I’ve added an instructional tip in the recipe notes.

The recipe is ideal for couple or small families. It is also a great recipe to gift during the Holiday season. I still believe that a gift of baked goods, homemade with love, is always very much appreciated.

Fruitcake Loaf Cake.

For many other fruitcake suggestions for the Holidays, I’ve put together a whole collection of our best recipes from the past 12 years in our Best Newfoundland Christmas Cakes Collection. 

Like this Fruitcake Loaf Cake recipe?

If you’re looking for other food gift ideas for the Holidays or just lots of seasonal recipe suggestions for both cooking and baking, be sure to browse our Christmas Recipes Category.

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. 

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

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Fruitcake Loaf Cake

Yield: 24 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Fruitcake Loaf Cake. A richly flavoured cream cheese batter is the star of this quick, easy fruitcake in a smaller loaf size for those who don't want or need a large fruitcake.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup glacé cherries, quartered. 
• 3/4 cup raisins, any kind.
• 3/4 cup mixed glacé fruit (or glacé mixed peel)
• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cream cheese (One 8 oz or 250 g) block)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs (large or extra large)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp pure almond extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut the cherries into quarters and mix together with the raisins and mixed fruit (or glacé citrus peel). Measure the cherries AFTER they are quartered. In the cake pictured, I have used a mixture of half red and half green glacé cherries for the most colourful appearance.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch standard loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
4. Measure the flour, then remove 2 tbsp to dust the fruit with later.
5. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
6. Cream together butter, sugar and cream cheese, until smooth and fluffy,
7. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Next, beat in the vanilla extract (and almond extract if you are using it.)
9. Fold in the dry ingredients until almost fully incorporated. A few streaks of flour in the batter should remain at this point.
10. Toss the fruit mixture with the reserved 2 tbsp flour.
11. Add the flour coated fruit to the batter and fold in well. 
12. Spread batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
13. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. My oven actually took closer to 1 1/2 hours.
14. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. If freezing, wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap before placing it in a large ziplock freezer bag, removing as much air from the bag as you can before sealing it.

Notes

• This is not the sort of fruitcake that needs to age for a long time. It is best made closer to the Holidays or when you plan on serving it. Even making it just a couple of days in advance is perfectly fine.
• If you like you can soak this cake in a little brandy but don't overdo it. Poke holes in the top and bottom of the cake with a wooden skewer and brush on 1/4 cup of brandy or orange liqueur before sealing it in the plastic wrap. If you choose to do this step, I would recommend making it about a week in advance.
• Serving size is half slices for the purposes of this recipe.

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

• 
  AmazonBasics Carbon Steel Bread Pan - 2-Pack
• 
  Rock Recipes: The Best Food From My Newfoundland Kitchen
• 
  KitchenAid Professional 6 Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer with Food Grinder Attachment, Empire Red

Nutrition Information

Yield

30

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 118Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 27mgSodium 79mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 2g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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