Never-Fail Fruit Cake 🍰
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour 15 minutes–1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10–12
Ingredients
For the fruit mixture:
2 cups mixed dried fruit
1 cup raisins
½ cup chopped candied cherries
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup brandy or additional orange juice
For the cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
Instructions
Soak the fruit: Place dried fruit, raisins, cherries, walnuts, orange juice, and brandy in a bowl. Cover and let sit for at least 1 hour. For the best flavor, refrigerate overnight.
Prepare the oven: Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 9-inch round or 9×5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar: Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
Fold in fruit: Drain any excess liquid from the fruit mixture. Gently fold the fruit and nuts into the batter.
Bake: Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 75–90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For extra flavor: Once completely cool, brush the cake with 1–2 tablespoons of brandy or orange juice. Wrap tightly and let it rest overnight before serving.
⭐ Never-Fail Tips
Don’t overmix the batter after adding the flour.
Soaking the fruit keeps the cake moist and prevents dry fruit.
Bake at a moderate temperature so the outside doesn’t brown before the center cooks.
If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with foil during the final 30 minutes.
The flavor becomes even better after resting for a day or two.
