This is my grandmother’s recipe for a moist, incredibly flavorful fruit cake. The cake is well spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and then packed with dried fruit and nuts!
Spray and line a 10-inch tube pan with parchment paper. A non-removable bottomed tube pan works best. Bonus points for nonstick.
Preheat oven to 275°F. I preferred to bake it in the convection setting because the top got a nice golden brown and the cake baked faster.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add pecans, pineapple, cherries, and golden raisins. Toss to coat.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until the first has incorporated before adding the next.
Beat in the brandy.
Add the dry ingredient/nut mixture to the batter and fold to incorporate.
Pour into prepared pan and place in preheated oven.
Fill a large baking dish or roasting pan with hot water and place below the cake in the oven. Do not bake the cake in the water.
Bake 2 hours or until a cake tester comes out clean. Once the top crumb has set, but the cake is not done baking (after about 90 minutes), brush the top with warmed honey. Continue baking until done.
Cool and unmold cake.
Optional Soaking
Soak a clean kitchen towel in about ½ cup brandy. Wrap the cake in the kitchen towel, place a few slices of apple in the center and wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap. Allow to sit 2 weeks before unwrapping and serving. I repeated this soaking process one additional time. My grandmother would soak the cake twice a month for 3-4 months.
Optional Cream Cheese Glaze
Whisk together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk until smooth.
Add additional milk to thin it to your desired consistency. I kept mine thick and then drizzled it across the top with a spoon.
Video
Notes
Presentation – Use the simple cream cheese glace recipe in the card above or simply dust it with powdered sugar right before serving.Make it non-alcoholic – You can substitute the 1 ½ tablespoons of brandy in this fruit cake recipe with apple cider or another fruit juice. Simply omit the soaking or soak the cake in apple cider. Note that the resulting cake will not be shelf-stable and must be refrigerated.Storage – Store alcohol soaked fruit cake well wrapped at room temperature for up to 6 months. After two months it will begin to dry out if not re-soaked. Once done soaking, store the fruitcake well wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator or freezer.Nana's recipe is from Best Loved Foods of Christmas book by Pillsbury.