Old English Fruitcake
Old English Fruitcake. NEW VIDEO! Dark and moist with plenty of spices and packed with plenty of sweet glacé fruit. It's been a Christmas tradition in my family for decades.
Originally published on November 7, 2007. Updated to provide new featured photos and a new video!
It's still weeks away, I know, but I've got a head start on a dark old English fruitcake for Spouse. It's a real old English style, dense, dark fruitcake.
I think this one weighs in at between 7 and 8 pounds. It's her absolute favourite. Tomorrow she goes to the rum spa for a soak and a wrap. The cake, that is, not Spouse!
Inspired by my Newfoundland upbringing, this dark English fruitcake with roots in the UK is one of my favourite things to look forward to at Christmas. This is a large cake meant to be served in small pieces.
There are easily 40 portions or more which means there's plenty to share with friends and family whenever they pop by during the Holidays.
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Old English Dark Fruit Cake
Old English Fruitcake - A dark, rich, well spiced old fashioned English style fruitcake that can be made weeks in advance of Christmas.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups chopped dried prunes (6 oz), chopped
- 1 ¼ cups chopped dates (6 oz), chopped
- 1 ½ cups dark raisins (8 oz)
- 1 ¼ cups golden raisins (6 oz)
- 1 ¼ cups currants (6 oz)
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup molasses
- ½ cup coffee liqueur, or ½ cup strong black coffee
- Zest and juice of 2 oranges
- 1 cup chopped glace cherries
- 1 cup candied citrus peel
- 1 ½ cups toasted pecans (7 oz), roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 tablespoon cocoa
- 3 eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup ground hazelnuts or almonds
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and add the raisins, dates, prunes, currents, brown sugar, molasses, spices, coffee liqueur (or coffee) and the orange zest and juice.
- Bring to a gentle boil and very slowly simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes.
- When cool stir in the beaten eggs.
- Sift together, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda.
- Add the ground nuts and fold through the boiled mixture. Fold in cherries, citrus peel and pecans. Pour into prepared baking pan. You can decorate the top with additional pecan halves, cherries etc., if you like.
- Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 ½ to 2 hours depending upon the size of your pan. Mine took the full two hours in a 10 inch spring form pan.The cake should feel firm to the touch at the center and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. The cake should be cooled completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing.
- At this point you can poke small holes in the top and bottom of the cake with a fork and pour on 4 ounces of dark rum or your favorite whiskey, half on the top, wait ten minutes, then flip it over and pour the remaining half on the bottom.
- Soak several layers of cheesecloth in additional rum if you like and wrap completely around the cake, then cover with several layers of plastic wrap and store in a COOL place.
- When serving, you can add a layer of marzipan or if you have decorated the top with fruit and nuts, brush with a simple glaze of equal parts water and sugar boiled together for about 10-15 minutes.
Notes
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.
Nutrition Information
Yield
40Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 231Saturated Fat 2gCholesterol 21mgSodium 62mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 24gProtein 2g
How many 9x5 loaf pans would this make and how long approx cooking time?
Probably 2or 3. I would check on them using the toothpick method at 1 hour
2 family members are pregnant this year. Do you think if I cooked the fruit with rum, it would cook out the alcohol? Would still be nice to give them the rum flavour.
You can purchase artificial rum flavouring if it’s a concern
Hi Barrie I found your recipe last year for this fruit cake and it was awesome. So easy to make and tasted great.For this year I decided to bake and sell them.From Oct.19th to Dec 7th K have made 57 fruit cakes and the orders keep coming.I have 6 in the oven as I white this.Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your sharing the recipe
Its a great cake, so delicious quite easy to make. Would like to know if I could use e bread size loaf pans next time.
This looks like a delicious fruitcake. In the video I noticed that no ground almonds were added with the dry ingredients. Are the ground nuts optional? Thanks and have a good day.
After successfully completing my first Victorian Christmas pudding last year I have decided to give a traditional fruitcake a go this Christmas. One question; should I soak the raisins, currants, prunes and candied peel and in alcohol (brandy) for a while before starting the cake? I was thinking for a couple of days to a week? I can hardly wait to get started.
Some do it for a week or more. That is an option I sometimes use.
@David Carr, I also think it would be a personal preference. The whole cake is soaked in alcohol for at least 4 Weeks or more. I have been making this cake for many years& we find the soaking of the entire cake enough for our tastes. Enjoy it however you decide to go!!
@Barry C. Parsons,
@Barry C. Parsons, I decided not to put any alcohol in the fruit before cake assembly. I put it together according to the recipe, and the consistency was like that of the Christmas pudding I made last year. I have just removed it from the oven and it looks GORGEOUS! I'd love to send you a picture. Is there any way to do that. Also, if I opt for the simple glaze, how long before serving would you apply it?
For the last 10 years, I have made this every year for my mother‘s Christmas present. She passed away five months ago, and I don’t know if I can bring myself to make it this year. My kids are already begging for it though, so maybe I’ll have a change of heart.
I'm making this again this year. The best recipe I have ever found and so close to the one I grew up eating that my mom would make in November and hide away in a secret spot and bring out at Christmas. Both my parents have passed in the last two years so anything that reminds me of those wonderful holiday seasons of childhood is priceless. Thanks.
I think this is my fourth year making this fruitcake and I love it! However, I didn’t have cheese cloth this year. Is it really necessary? Why?
Just helps with even absorption.
This is an amazing recipe! I’ve been following it for a number of years now but using two longer loaf pans rather than one round. The cakes taste just like my late mother’s. Sweet memories for our family each Christmas! Question: I have a good friend who has celiac, can you make this cake with gluten free 1:1 flour without impacting the end result and taste?
People tell methey have done this successfully.
Do you have a recommended internal temperature? I find visually checking isn’t always accurate nor is the toothpick method.
Afraid not.
Hi Barry, Just wanted to check one thing. In step 5 it says to sift the dry ingredients together. Are the ground nuts added to the dry ingredients and then folded into the boiled mixture?
Thank you
That's what I do.
A couple of years ago when making this cake I accidentally grabbed the cayenne bottle instead of cinnamon. I managed to scrape most, but not all, out of the bowl. But guess what? It was delicious. The tiny hint of heat worked beautifully with all the sweet fruit. I add 1/4 teaspoon every year now!
Hi, if I omit the ground nuts and pecans, do you think I should add more flour and fruit?
Not necessary, I don't think.
@Barry C. Parsons, it is astonishing to me how you answer every question so nicely. Thank you. I will be making the cake tonight or tomorrow. Also, I love molasses and specifically was looking for a recipe that used it.
I make the Dark English fruitcake every year. Just let me say people who don’t even care for fruitcake generally will eat this baby up.