This rich, delicious bourbon fruit cake is constructed with a variety of candied fruits and almonds. There is more than a hint of bourbon and a bit of orange in it. The preparation of the dish takes around three days, but it is totally worth it!
| Prep Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 3 hrs 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 day 12 hrs |
| Total Time: | 1 day 17 hrs |
| Servings: | 30 |
| Yield: | 2 9×5-inch loaves |
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped candied orange peel
- 1 cup chopped candied citron
- 1 cup chopped candied pineapple
- 1 cup halved red candied cherries
- 1 cup halved green candied cherries
- 1 cup dried currants
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped pitted dates
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ¾ cup chopped almonds
- ½ cup orange juice
- ⅔ cup bourbon whiskey
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ½ cup bourbon whiskey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup molasses
- 6 egg whites
Instructions
- On the first day, combine candied orange peel, candied citron, candied pineapple, red and green candied cherries, currants, raisins, walnuts, and almonds. Combine orange juice and 2/3 cup bourbon; pour over fruit and nuts. Stir and then cover tightly. Let fruit marinate in a cool place for a full day, or at least 20 hours.
- On the second day, line two 9×5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper or aluminum foil and grease the inside with cooking spray. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk to blend.
- In a separate large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Stir in egg yolks until blended and then mix in applesauce, 1/2 cup bourbon, and vanilla until fluffy. Continue stirring, and add flour mixture gradually until well combined. Add molasses and stir to combine. When batter is thoroughly mixed, gently mix in fruit and nut mixture with all of its juices.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Fold egg whites into batter. Divide evenly between the prepared pans. Cover loosely with a towel and let batter stand 8 hours to overnight in a cool, dry place.
- On the third day, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Place a large baking pan on the bottom shelf and pour boiling water into it until almost full. Place a baking sheet on the center shelf and place fruit cakes on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Check water level and refill if needed. Cover cakes with a sheet of parchment paper, taking care not to let it touch the shelf. Continue to bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour more. Cool fruitcakes in the pans, and set over a wire rack. Once cool, remove cakes from the pans, and leave the parchment paper on. Sprinkle with more bourbon if desired and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in a tin or other sealed container and let sit 8 hours to overnight before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 422 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 65 g |
| Cholesterol | 65 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 172 mg |
| Sugars | 33 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I liked the receipe and I was quite generous when adding the fruit and nuts. It made 5 of the handi foil loaf pans. I have also added more Bourbon once it was cooled. I’m happy with it for my first go at making this. I was unable to buy the candied orange and lemon so I made my own. When making it again I would cut the candied peel in smaller pieces and lighten up on the spices.
This is as good as Mama’s! I had to change a few insignificant things due to availability, but pretty much made it as written. I had to use “Holiday Fruit” (chopped citron and fruits) instead of the individual fruits called for, however, our store did have red and green cherries, so that I used. I also used pecans and walnuts instead of almonds just because I like them better, and hence, had them on hand. I also used Brandy instead of Bourbon because I had some and plus I like Brandy better to drink – don’t think it makes one iota of difference in the cake itself. And speaking of the CAKE – WOW! It is like a melt-in-your-mouth molasses cookie! I was truly impressed! I cut one of them to take to a cookie exchange (rolled small slices into balls and coated them in powdered sugar – what a hit!) It is just so moist and delicious it’s really hard to describe. Suffice it to say that if you are a true fruitcake afficiando, you will LOVE this cake!
A labor of love for Father’s Day. I left off the 1/2c white sugar since all of my dried fruit was extra sugary. I might even cut some of the brown sugar and then add a sauce on top. A delicious cake!
It was much better after setting 48 hours. Still too rich in alcohol after 24. Only think I changed was using a bundt pan and golden raisins instead of currants.
This is definitely worth the effort and time needed to complete. My grandfather made an amazing fruitcake and sadly that recipe was lost when he died. The only substitution I made to this recipe was that I used spiced rum instead of bourbon. I am excited this worked out so well and reminds me of my grandpa.
This cake is exceptional..packed full of flavor and perfect combination of fruit, nuts and spices..I substituted peach Brandy for the dark rum however did not altar the flavor…A+++
My husband made this last Christmas and it’s the best fruitcake I’ve ever eaten! We’re making it again this time for Thanksgiving. Tho, we baked them in bundt pans and just followed the directions above. You can freeze them as well and thaw when you need to. They are just as moist and tasty as when first made. My dad used to order some from Texas for he and I to enjoy, but never again, this is so much better!
FANTASTIC!! Made as is & it is perfect!
This was a home run! Made it for gifts (small loaves= less cooking time) then another batch for us. I used mixed fruitcake fruits, also cut down egg yolks to 3 and used margarine rather than butter. Canadian whisky instead of bourbon. Gets better every day.
this is just like my Grammie’s fruitcake!
This recipe was edited by the Allrecipes staff on 12/1/2008