[1] Make a fruitcake look dazzling with a Bundt pan and a topping of frosted grapes (all photos © King Arthur Baking).

[2] This fruitcake is made with a kit and recipe. Get one for yourself or as a gift.

[3] The Golden Fruitcake Kit has the essentials you need to bake the cake.

[4] A quick fruitcake that’s less sweet, dense and spicy. The recipe is at the right.

[5] Homemade candied cherries. Here’s the recipe.

[5] You can garnish the fruitcake with coarse sparkling sugar, available at retailers or online from King Arthur Baking.

National Fruitcake Day is December 27th, but we didn’t want to wait to share these recipes. Besides, all of December is National Fruitcake Month.

If you’ve always wanted to bake a fruitcake but have hesitated, hesitate no more. King Arthur Baking* has put together a bundle that makes it a cinch to produce a beautiful, delicious fruitcake easily at home.

The essentials are bundled together (photo #3), including a recipe and a lovely star-shaped baking pan (photo #2) that you can use for other cakes year-round.

You can get the Golden Fruitcake Bundle here, for yourself or as a gift.

Plus, there’s an easy fruitcake recipe below.

So is it fruitcake or fruitcake? Both are correct, although we prefer the more elegant-appearing two-word form.

Before you proceed to the recipe, and additional fruitcake recipes below, check out:

> Beverages To Serve With Fruitcake

> The History Of Fruitcake
 
 
RECIPE: QUICK FRUIT BREAD (FRUITCAKE)

Some fruitcakes, made with less sugar, are called fruit breads. This quick and easy batter bread is packed with fruit and nuts, but is less sweet and very mildly spiced, unlike traditional fruitcakes.

If you find traditional fruitcake cloyingly sweet, too heavy, and too packed with candied fruits, this recipe is for you.

It’s a great cake—or bread—for dessert, breakfast, brunch, coffee breaks, or snacks.

You can serve it a la mode with caramel sauce, custard sauce, or raspberry purée. And for a different texture, you can toast the slices.

Thanks to King Arthur Baking for the recipe.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.

2. PLACE the butter, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, salt, and vanilla in a bowl, and beat till smooth.

3. ADD the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, stirring to combine.

4. STIR in the undrained crushed pineapple. Stir in the fruits, nuts, and candied cherries.

5. SPOON the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.

6. BAKE for 60 minutes, then tent the cake with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. REMOVE the cake from the oven. After 20 minutes loosen its sides, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Cool the cake completely before slicing.
 
 
RECIPE #2: FRUITCAKE CUPCAKES

1. PREPARE the cake batter according to the recipe instructions, and scoop a heaping 3 tablespoons of batter into the wells of a cupcake pan (a jumbo cookie scoop heaped with batter works well here). You’ll be baking another batch, so about half of the batter will remain.

2. BAKE the cupcakes for 15 to 18 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack, and after 5 minutes turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
 
 
MORE FRUITCAKE RECIPES

 
 
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*Formerly King Arthur Flour.

†Candied cherries can be found at most supermarkets and online. You can also make your own with this DIY Candied Cherries recipe.