This Fruitcake recipe from Rachel Dunston makes simple, delicious individual fruitcakes that are easier than the traditional version. Using fruit (including a fresh apple) and nuts in a simple spice cake batter makes a treat you'll get requests for!
Make this fruitcake recipe with either conventional AP flour or gluten-free with your favorite GF flour blend.
A fruitcake recipe you'll actually get requests for.
These individual fruitcakes - call them mini fruitcakes, fruit cake cupcakes, whatever you choose - skip the scary dyed-green cherries and use fresh apple, prunes, nuts and few chocolate chips to win hearts.
Seriously. This fruitcake can change minds.
Can you make fruitcake gluten-free?
Yes, you can make gluten-free fruitcake! For this easy recipe, all you need to do is swap conventional AP flour for gluten-free flour. If you want a more traditional cake, check out our friend Meg's aged gluten-free fruitcake recipe here.
King Arthur Measure for Measure or Pamela’s Gluten-Free Artisan Blend blend both make fabulous gluten-free cakes.
A bit if fruitcake history:
Many people think of England when it comes to the notorious fruit cake, but the cake actually dates all the way back to ancient Egypt. Fruitcake was made with pine nuts, honeyed wine, pomegranate, raisins, barley and other dried fruits. Many speculate that the first fruitcakes were made as a way to preserve fruit. By soaking dry fruit in alcohol the shelf life can be greatly extended. This preservation method has done such a good job that the oldest fruit cake is more than 4,000 years old. SERIOUSLY: A record holding fruitcake was discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb and dated to 4,000 years old. I’m willing to bet that the now famous fruitcake was given to that mummified person by some loving great aunt.
Fruitcake is a lot better when it isn’t 4,000 years old, and when you make it with quality fruits and good rum. What could be better than fruit soaked in rum? Baking that fruit into adorable Individual Fruit Cakes, that’s what.
I know you want to get into this Christmas cliché, so let’s get baking.
Here are the ingredients you need for this fruitcake recipe:
- flour or gluten-free flour
- brown sugar
- eggs
- granny smith apple
- orange juice
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- nutmeg
- semi sweet chocolate chips
- lemon zest
- orange zest
- butter
- salt
- baking powder
- prunes
- dried cranberries
- pecans
- walnuts
Sugar Plums dancing in your head? Try these next:
Once your love sugar plum everything, you'll be ready for more. Here's my recipe for traditional Sugar Plum candy - it's next level delicious, and full of Christmas cheer.
Rachel Dunston is one of our favorite master bakers! Try her Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Sticky Gingerbread Cake, S'mores Chocolate Banana Bread and Chocolate Orange Cake too.
A Fruitcake Recipe Everyone Will Love
Equipment
- 1 cupcake tin and liners
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chopped prunes
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup rum give or take
- 1 ½ cup flour conventional or gluten-free flour blend
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ginger
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, room temperature 1 stick
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
Instructions
Soak the dried fruit in rum. Yum.
- 24 hours before you want to bake your fruitcake, chop the prunes and combine the prunes and cranberries in a bowl. Pour the rum over all the fruit and give it a good mix. Cover this and let it sit out at room temperature for at least 24 hours. You may choose to let it soak longer if you wish.
Make the fruitcakes:
- When your dried fruit has soaked for at least 24 hours, you are ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (160 C). Prepare a cupcake tin with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, spices and citrus zests. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Slowly add in the orange juice.
- Grate the granny smith apple if you haven't already and add it to the mixture.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the nuts, and the chocolate chips if you're using them.
- Finally, strain the dried fruit and fold in the soaked fruit into the fruitcake mixture.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake cavity ⅔ of the way with the mixture.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Photos by Alycia Moreno
Love this fruitcake recipe? Here are more holiday favorites:
Individual Eggnog Bread Pudding
This gluten free Eggnog Bread Pudding is easy to make and chock full of holiday flavor. Pop a pecan or two on top of each pudding before baking for an attractive presentation.
Meg's Aged Gluten-Free Fruitcake Recipe
Meg's traditional Aged Gluten-Free Fruitcake recipe is not as dense as other fruitcakes. Plus, it's heavy on the citrus, and full of booze. Yum.
Gluten-Free Mini Sticky Toffee Puddings
This gluten-free Sticky Toffee Pudding is a great option for those who want to celebrate the holidays (or anytime) with an indulgently sweet treat that everyone can enjoy.
Rachel's Sticky Gingerbread Cake
Rachel's Sticky Gingerbread Cake is a riff on Nigella Lawson’s famous recipe. It’s a delicious treat during the holidays with its warm spices and tender crumb. Bonus: it has less refined sugar, is lower in fat, and egg free thanks to the addition of prune puree.
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