Best Light Fruitcake for the Holidays
This recipe will change your mind about fruitcakes! This beautifully golden and buttery Light Fruitcake, filled with candied fruits and nuts, is delicious from the first bite to the last.
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Fruitcake. That most maligned of holiday desserts. The butt of hundreds of holiday jokes.
Theories abound about fruitcake. Some people say there’s really only one, and it gets passed from person to person. Other people swear it’s best used as the filler for potholes. And, honestly, there are some fruitcake recipes that are deserving of that treatment.
Still others adore fruitcakes with a rich, dark, candied texture. People seem to be of two minds about fruitcake – they either love it or they don’t. Not much ambivalence about fruitcake.
🔱 Fruitcake Has a Long, Long History
Did you know that fruitcake has been around for hundreds of years? In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and dried fruits were added to bread dough for special occasions. Fruitcake was once even protected by laws that restricted its consumption to celebrations such as Christmas and weddings.
Most traditional recipes that have come down to modern cooks contain loads of candied citron, raisins, and either dark brown sugar or molasses, with a healthy dose of rum or brandy. They’re dense, heavy, dark, and rich. They’re also loaded with booze. Maybe that’s part of the appeal for those in the fruitcake lovers camp.
👱🏻♀️ My Blonde Fruitcake Recipe
This fruitcake has many of the same ingredients as the traditional holiday cake, but instead of dark and dense, it’s light in color, texture, and taste. It’s what Southerners call a “blonde fruitcake.” It’s loaded with candied pineapple, candied cherries, orange peel (no citron!), and pecans. And the cake is light golden in color — rich and buttery.
I’ve been making this fruitcake (with my own personal tweaks and additions) every year since I first saw the recipe in the November 1991 issue of Bon Appetit. I really need to re-write that recipe card before I forget what it says in all the places that are spattered with butter and vanilla.
This is one of the treats that BeeBop looks forward to every Christmas, and every crumb is consumed by the end of the holidays. For several years, I sent one to work with him near Christmas, and it became a standing request from the guys he worked with starting about November first each year. It’s really that good.
If you haven’t made a fruitcake for the holidays yet, I highly recommend this one.
❤️ What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Light, golden texture that’s a departure from traditional dense fruitcakes.
- A perfect balance of candied fruits and crunchy pecans.
- A delightful buttery richness that’s sure to please.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“This is a wonderful cake for the holidays! It is so much better than a traditional fruit cake!”
— Shelly
🛒 Essential Ingredients
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- Candied Pineapple, Candied Cherries, and Candied OrangePeel — You may notice that there is no candied citron or raisins in this recipe. That’s one of the reasons why it has a lighter taste than dark fruitcakes, where those ingredients play a major role. There are two primary suppliers of candied fruits in the U.S. – Sunripe and Paradise – and both have excellent products.
- Pecans — In my opinion, they’re essential to this cake. I couldn’t recommend substituting with anything else.
- Butter — You’ll find that most Southern home cooks use salted butter for everything — even baking — and I do, too. If you prefer to use unsalted butter, that’s perfectly fine.
- The remaining ingredients are standard pantry items.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
My Favorite Fruitcake Pan
- Large-capacity pan for beautiful pound cakes with a golden crust or light and fluffy angel food cakes and sponges cakes
- Durable cast aluminum distributes heat quickly and evenly for perfect results
- Premium nonstick coated interior ensures quick release and easy cleanup, hand wash recommended
- 18 Cup Capacity
🥄 How to Make Light Fruitcake
Prepare the Pan and Fruits
- Position an oven rack in the lowest third of your oven and preheat to 250°.
- Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan and set it aside.
- Chop the candied pineapple into about 1/3 inch pieces. Cut the cherries in half.
- In a large bowl, mix the pecans and fruit with 3 tablespoons of flour.
👉 PRO TIP: Mixing the fruit and nuts with flour helps them stay suspended in the batter. Otherwise, they all sink to the bottom of the cake while baking.
Mix the Batter
- In another large bowl, cream the butter with sugar with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Sift 1 ¾ cups flour with baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and stir until blended.
- Stir the fruit and nut mixture into the batter.
👉 PRO TIP: At this point the batter becomes heavy weightwise. It gets pretty hard to turn it all around and mix it well, but just keep pulling the wet batter up from the bottom of your bowl and mixing until everything is well combined.
- Put the batter into the prepared pan.
👉 PRO TIP: This is not really a pourable batter. I use a wooden spoon to put big blobs of batter into the pan. When all of the batter is in the pan, smooth the top.
Bake Until Golden Brown
- Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted halfway between the outside and tube of the pan comes out clean, about 2 ½ hours.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
- Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional).
⚠️ Troubleshooting Tips
⚡To Prevent Sticking: To stop your golden fruitcake from sticking to the pan, make sure to thoroughly grease and flour the bundt or tube pan. You can also use parchment paper to line the bottom (if it’s flat) for extra insurance against sticking.
⚡Even Mixing: As mentioned earlier, the batter can become quite heavy due to the fruit and nuts. To ensure even mixing, use a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula and pay special attention to scraping the bottom of the bowl. This will help incorporate all ingredients evenly and avoid pockets of dry or over-mixed areas in the cake.
⚡Checking for Doneness: To check whether the fruitcake is done, insert a toothpick or cake tester halfway between the outside wall and the tube of the pan. It should come out clean when the cake is fully baked. If there’s batter or moist crumbs clinging to it, the cake needs more time in the oven.
⚡Cooling Time: Allow the cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for the specified 15 minutes initially. This rest period helps the cake set and release from the pan more easily. After the 15 minutes, gently turn the cake onto a rack and allow it to cool completely before storing.
⚡Dusting with Powdered Sugar: The dusting of powdered sugar is optional and can be adjusted according to your preference. If you choose to dust, wait until the cake has completely cooled to avoid the sugar melting into the cake’s surface.
⚡Overbaking: Avoid overbaking, as this can result in a dry cake. Keep a close watch on the cake during the last stages of baking, as ovens may vary in temperature accuracy.
🍽️ How to Serve
- Slice your light fruitcake into thin wedges and enjoy it with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
- Serve it as a delightful dessert at holiday gatherings.
- Pair it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.
🍚 How to Store
- Store your fruitcake in a plastic cake container or cake tin at room temperature, keeping it cool. It should stay fresh for about 10 days.
- To freeze, cover it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, then freeze it for up to three months.
❓ Questions About Light Fruitcake
I’m just going to be honest and say that if you don’t like candied fruit, then this is probably not the recipe for you. The purpose of a recipe for “fruitcake” is kinda to highlight the “fruit.” Might be better to look for another sort of cake recipe.
It’s really common for people to douse fruitcakes (especially the dark ones) with rum or bourbon and let them sit for weeks to really mellow. However, my opinion is that this particular recipe is better without any added liquor.
To keep the fruitcake nice and moist, be sure to store it in an airtight container and only open the container when you’re cutting and serving the cake. Mine usually stays moist for at least a week.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
📖 Recipe
Best Light Fruitcake
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped pecans
- 16 ounces candied pineapple chopped
- 8 ounces candied cherries halved
- 4 ounces candied orange peel
- 1 ¾ cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the lowest third of your oven and preheat to 250°.
- Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan and set it aside.
- Chop the candied pineapple into about 1/3 inch pieces. Cut the cherries in half.
- In a large bowl, mix the pecans and fruit with 3 tablespoons of flour.
- In another large bowl, cream the butter with sugar with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Sift 1 ¾ cups flour with baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and stir until blended.
- Stir the fruit and nut mixture into the batter.
- Put the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted halfway between the outside and tube of the pan comes out clean, about 2 ½ hours.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
- Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional).
Notes
- Before storing, cool the fruitcake completely. Keep in a covered cake container at room temperature for about 10 days.
- To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
🧾 More Cake Recipes You’ll Like
— This post was originally published on December 21, 2010. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
This is a wonderful cake for the holidays! It is so much better than a traditional fruit cake!
Thanks, Shelly. I think so, too!
I made this yesterday, it really looks pretty. My question is…how do we keep it? I know my mom soaked hers in alcohol.
I’ve never soaked this cake as you would do with the dark fruitcakes. I keep it in a regular cake carrier/storage container for about a week. You can wrap it well and store in the refrigerator to extend it for about two weeks. This cake also freezes very well. To freeze, wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy aluminum foil. Freeze for up to two months.
This was my Daddy’s favorite fruit cake. Mama baked a dark fruit cake for herself, but he always wanted the light. I am going to try this. Wish I had Lana here to help me make it.
I wish I could help you make it, too!
My mom used to make a fruitcake almost exactly like this and the whole family loved it. I would like to make it in smaller pans to send to relatives around the country; any suggestions on temp and time to bake mini cakes?
Hi Patricia. I wish I had cooking times for the mini pans, but I’ve never tried this recipe that way. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out.
I made this on 11 Oct 2020, substituting chopped mix fruit for the orange peel. I cooked it for exactly 2 1/2 hours, and it turned out beyond all expectations! I served this after a family get together dinner, and all said this is excellent! My Dad had the best comment, he stated “I could eat this every day instead of regular cake.” Thank you Lana for the wonderful recipe, and it will be a regular.
I’m so glad your family liked the fruitcake! It’s been our favorite for years.
I’m not a big pineapple fan… Could I swap out the amount of pineapple with the amount of cherries?
Honestly, I believe that amount of candied cherries would be overwhelming. I’d suggest substituting candied citron instead.
When’s the best time to likker it up? My Aunt SadiePearl used to make her secret fruitcake every year. She had tons of orders for it. It was heavy, moist & rich… After making it she’d wrap it in cloth, probably cheesecloth and brown paper & store in a dark cupboard. I remember her opening them every few days & splashing them with more bourbon. This went on for several weeks before she gave it to the person who ordered it, so it must have been good & pickled!
One day she gave me the recipe but when I went out for the day, she’d gone & taken it back! It was HER secret
Amy, sorry I can’t help you because I don’t put liquor on mine. If I did, I’d probably use a very good bourbon and start several weeks in advance of when I wanted to serve it.
Your recipe looks very light and tempting. I intend to make it this Christmas. Could you give NE storing instructions and shelf life if this cake.
Pumla from Cape Town South Africa
This is as close as I’ve ever found to a recipe that was in Woman’s Day or Family Circle in the 60’s. It was part of my cookbook for ages and disappeared. When you make the fruitcake it seems there isn’t going to be enough “cake” to hold it together! Thank you.
Wow, I’m so happy to find this recipe! We made the dark fruitcake from Joy of Cooking this Christmas. It was good, not great. Have you heard of Collin Street Bakery in Texas?
No, I’ve never heard of them. Good, huh?
Fruit cake is so maligned indeed. I love it though, in moderation. LOL. Happy holidays!
This DOES look like a wonderful recipe but being a Georgia girl, I can’t read a post about fruitcake without mentioning Claxton fruitcake made right here in Claxton, Georgia. Definitely one of my own Christmas indulgences — I always seek it out. A small square with a glass of eggnog is the best holiday dessert ever!
I agree about Claxton Fruitcake.. none compare. At the Christmas grab bag that’s what I would want.. I’m trying this recipe with the container of chopped candied fruit..I hope that works. I have raisins, cranberries and apricots to add if needed. I like this recipe because I have butter on hand, not shortening..Everything baked is better with butter!’
Glad you’re trying the recipe, Polly. Just be aware that that container of mixed candied fruit is mostly citron and this recipe calls for only pineapple, cherries, and orange peel, so your cake will be an entirely different taste.
I’ll bet this is wonderful! You reminded me about a bread I usually make at Christmas, I call it Christmas Bread (original I know:@). Carrots, cherries, coconut and cloves! Gotta get my apron on and get busy-Merry Christmas!
I have never gotten brave enough to attempt this, you just gave me inspiration, its simply elegant. Everyone loves this cake, all that I bake this is one I have never tried, amazing! I love yours going to book mark thanks for posting this one! Merry Christmas and have a blessed and healthy New Year!