Let's make one thing perfectly clear.
This is not a fruit cake. It is a fruit bread. With hazelnuts. And rum. And dried cherries and dried pineapple and even golden raisins.
God forbid if this heavenly creation should be called a fruit cake. You might think I'm a fruitcake!
I mean really. The rum fruit cake recipe might be this blogger's demise, because we all know how people hate fruitcake.
I wouldn't want to be seen as trying to turn away readers now, would I?
It isn't like I have many to turn away and I do so appreciate all of my loyal fans.
So God forbid, if I call this a fruit cake with rum.
Heavens to Betsy. Where did the fruit cake get such a bad rap?
Perhaps it is the boxed cakes that appear in the grocery, laden with sugary fruits and citron, and wrapped in cellophane for $5.
Now that is as nutty as a fruitcake-I mean really-how can anyone make a fruitcake that sells for $5?
I didn't add up the cost of the ingredients in this cake, but let's just say that I'm sure it cost me more than $5.
Shoot- the shot of rum in this cake (I mean bread) is worth that alone. Just sayin'.
Apparently it was Johnny Carson who joked that there was only one fruitcake in this world and it got passed from family to family.
Everywhere else in the world the fruitcake is esteemed.
In Britain it is even served as wedding cake.
Now that's sure to get the bride and groom off to a great start, isn't it?
Here in Manitou Springs-near Colorado Springs- they even have the great fruitcake toss. Really.
Even you can attend on the first Saturday of January that is if it is still happening!
Personally, I feel the dear old fruit cake has gotten a bad rap.
Perhaps it is the neon day glow colors that emerge from those cellophane wrappers, that make me think the poor dear is radioactive.
Well, I hope you can see that my baby- so beautifully swaddled in natural cheesecloth- is pure and simple.
And purely and simply delectable. No neon colors. Only the natural taste of fruit and rum in this recipe for fruit cake with rum.
Let's not leave out the rum.
After all, the holidays wouldn't be the holidays, if there wasn't a fruitcake running around, now would it?
So call it what you will. Fruit cake. Fruit Bread. Even those nuttier than a fruitcake, generally know good food.
And this rum fruit cake recipe certainly qualifies as totally delicious!
More to Try:
Recipe
Rum and Fruit Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 45 Minutes
- Cook Time: 2.5 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 2 cakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
This simple fruit cake is full of flavor and as long as you are a lover of rum and dried fruit and nuts, then you will live this cake!
Ingredients
Rum Fruit Bread Cake with Dried Fruits
Ingredients:
½ c dried pineapple chopped into ½" pieces
½ c chopped dried apricots
½ c gold raisins
½ c dried cherries
1 c pitted and chopped dates
¾ c sliced almonds
1 ½ c chopped hazelnuts
1 ¼ c flour
½ t baking powder
¼ t salt
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter softened
1 c brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 T rum, plus ¼ c more for dousing
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300. Brush an 8" spring form (if you want just one cake) or a 6" spring form pan and an 8 x 4" loaf for two cakes. Line bottom and sides with parchment; brush with butter.
Combine fruit and nuts in a bowl. Set aside.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Add vanilla and rum and mix in. Add dry ingredients on low speed and beat until flour is incorporated. Scrape down bowl if needed. Fold in fruit and nut mixture.
Scrape batter into prepared pans. Bake until golden-about 2.5 hours. Cover with foil if it browns too much. Cool on a wire rack, Remove from pan and discard parchment.
Wrap in cheesecloth and douse with ¼ c rum. Store in a cool dry place. This can be doused each week for up to a month before serving, but it is also perfectly fine to let this set for a few days before you devour.
Notes
Feel free to substitute your favorite dried fruits and nuts in this recipe.
FireRunner2379 says
I follow you on Pinterest.
jlammers002 at woh dot rr dot com
FireRunner2379 says
My favorite dessert is my very own Dark Chocolate Stout Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.
jlammers002 at woh dot rr dot com
Two Healthy Kitchens says
Oh, Abbe! What a great post! The photos are just gorgeous, and I love your little history of the fruitcake (Wedding cakes in Brittain, huh??)! Such a perfect bread for the holidays (but it looks so darn good ... it might just have to get pulled out at other times of the year, too!). Love this! ~Shelley
DeniseL says
I also follow on pinterest as deniseleb.
DeniseL says
I'm email subscriber - dmarie824 at aol dot com
DeniseL says
I love cookies! My grandma used to make these Italian sesame cookies every year at Christmas. They are so simple and not very sweet, but I love them (probably because my Grandma made them)!
dmarie824 at aol dot com
Linda says
I follow on Pinterest.
cbythesea5 at gmail dot com
Linda says
My favorite cookies are sugar cookies.
Jasanna Czellar says
Following you on twitter @MunchTalks
Sue/the view from great island says
I really think it's time for fruitcake to make a comeback, and this recipe could be the one to start it all off!
Biz says
My Aunt and Uncle sent a fruit cake every.single.christmas and it weighed about 9 pounds - no joke. My Dad would be the only one to eat it, and he was diabetic and I'd tell him how much sugar must be in that thing, but that never deterred him!
Pecan pie was my favorite!
Chris Scheuer says
Fruitcake has never been my favorite dessert but this one might just change my mind!
nicole branan says
What a delicious fruit cake bread, I love it! Whatever happened to the poor fruit cake's reputation is a mystery to me too, I mean fruit, nuts, spices, alcohol... What's not to love? 🙂
Beth says
Fruit cake has a bad rap because of store-bought fruitcakes. Properly made homemade fruit cake is awesome! (Also, since I'm not from the U.S. don't enter me in the draw.)
Tricia Buice says
I love a rum spiked fruit cake - this looks beautiful Abbe! Happy Hanukkah to you and yours 🙂
Kristen says
I follow on Twitter @rubylorikeet
Kristen says
My favorite dessert is cherry cheese pie.
Melanie @ Melanie Cooks says
I love alcohol in bake goods! Rum sounds like a great addition to this yummy fruit cake!
Kitchen Riffs says
Good fruitcake is wonderful stuff. Bad fruit cake? Ugh. Too much of the bad around, not enough of the good. Too bad, because the good stuff is so worth having. Nice fruit cake. Bread. whatever. 🙂
SavoringTime in the Kitchen says
My mother made the best fruit cake with real fruit, not that gummy candied stuff.I think that's what people hate. This sounds wonderful, Abbe!
Rose-Marie says
I've been following you already on Pinterest - yummy yummy!
Rose-Marie says
I'm already subscribed to your blog - happy holidays to you!!!!!
Rose-Marie says
I love fruit cake! although I didn't when I was a kid! My favorite cookie over the holidays are gingerbread men! I keep making different recipes all through the holiday!
Liz Berg says
I'll call it a fruit bread---and go back for seconds! YUM!
Paula | Vintage Kitchen says
Whenever I make or eat fruitcake I think of that comment too from J. Carson! I do love fruitcake though, it has all the things I love: booze, dried fruits, nuts... This one looks amazing Abbe. Have a wonderful holiday season my friend!
Bam's Kitchen says
Such gorgeous Photos Abbe! Actually my favorite holiday cookie is called a fruit drop. I know I would love your recipe. Perfect with a cup of tea and some friends to make the perfect little holiday gathering. Wishing you a very safe and happy holiday.
Angie Schneider says
I love fruit bread too. Yours has turned out so great, Abbe.
Ali says
I follow on twitter @sockmonkeydiva
Ali says
I subscribe via email!
Ali says
My favorite dessert is Creme Brûlée.
Holly says
You are exactly right-- the British LOVE fruit cake. My mother-in-law made a layer to go into our wedding cake and brought it to the bakery in the States so that they would incorporate it into the cake. And now, for this current visit she brought a fruit cake that she made in England all the way here in her hand luggage. Do you know how heavy those are? I don't care for it. Now, your take on it is something I would like-- more cake like and less brick like!
helenlam says
At this time of year...I can't get enough of rum balls. Yum yum yum!
Georgette C says
I follow on Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/ladygduran/
Georgette C says
I am an email subscriber also.
gigicoan at yahoo dot com
Georgette C says
My favorite cookies are peanut butter chocolate chip!
Georgette C
gigicoan at yahoo dot com
traveler says
I am an e-mail subscriber.
traveler says
My favorite dessert is Apple cake.
HS says
I follow on pinterst.
HS says
I subscribe to This is How I Cook
HS says
I love sugar cookies.
Sharon Schoepe says
My favorite cookie is Snickerdoodles