Best 7 Holiday Bourbon Fruitcake Recipes

REALLY GOOD FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Place pineapple, figs, apples, persimmons, peaches, golden raisins, cinnamon stick, bourbon, and brandy in a large bowl; stir to coat fruit in liquid. Cover and let stand at room temperature 24 hours, stirring once every 8 hours. Discard cinnamon stick.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray 2 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pans with baking spray; line pans with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on the two long sides. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar to butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just incorporated. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to mixer bowl; beat on low until just combined, about 30 seconds.
• Remove mixer bowl from mixer. Fold in zests, juice, cherries, pecans, and soaked fruit mixture. Batter will be very thick. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each fruitcake comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Place pans on a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Remove fruitcakes from pans. Slice to serve, or if storing, dampen cheesecloth with bourbon and wrap fruitcake tightly with cheesecloth, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 month, changing cheesecloth once a week. To store for a short period of time (less than 1 week), wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

BOURBON FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Relative amounts of dried and candied fruit can be varied, but the total amount of fruit should be about 5 cups.
• Additional fruit and nuts can be added if you like lots in your fruitcake.
• Chop fruit as necessary.
• Halve the green and red candied cherries, and very coarsely chop apricots and dried pineapple.
• Very coarsely chop pecans.
• Place fruit and nuts in a large bowl, and toss well with the 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.
• Cream softened butter and sugar, using an electric mixer, until well combined.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, and set aside.
• Sift all dry ingredients, and stir until well combined.
• Stir 1/3 cup bourbon into milk in measuring cup.
• Using an electric mixer, alternately, add flour mixture and milk mixture to the creamed butter, starting and ending with flour, mixing to combine well after each addition.
• When thoroughly combined, toss flour coated fruit and nuts again, and fold into batter using a large wooden spoon or spatula.
• Place rack in middle of oven with second rack below, place a cookie sheet on the lower rack to shield loaf pans from heat.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease 5-6 mini-loaf pans (3"x5½”x2") loaf pans or a 10" tube pan (preferably with a removable bottom), and line with greased wax paper.
• If using mini-loaf pans just press 5 or 5½” wide pieces crosswise in pans; don’t worry about the pan ends.
• Fill pans just to the top or a little below with batter, dividing evenly.
• Fruitcakes will rise just a little above the top a little during baking, but they won’t overflow.
• If using mini-loaf pans, bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean, If using a tube pan, bake for about 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Pans should be shuffled about and turned after half of baking time has passed to ensure that fruitcake (s) bake evenly.
• When done, remove fruitcakes from oven, and set on cooling racks to cool for 10 minutes.
• Turn fruitcakes out of pans, peel off wax paper, and set on cooling racks for another 10 minutes.
• Brush loaves generously with dry sherry, and return to racks to cool completely.
• Allow to set overnight, covered, for sherry to soak in to loaves.
• Cut cheesecloth into pieces large enough wrap each loaf in a double or triple layer, and soak cheesecloth pieces in 1/2 cup bourbon.
• Wrap loaves in the cheesecloth, and sprinkle any remaining bourbon on top.
• Wrap in foil, and set in a cool place to age for 1 week.
• Carefully peel back foil, and brush or spray each loaf with remaining 1/2 cup bourbon.
• Replace foil, and allow loaves to age 1 more week before eating or giving as gifts.
• This brushing and aging process can be repeated several more times if desired, assuming that you started well before Christmas.
• This recipe can easily be doubled if your oven is large enough to handle all the pans.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE (FRUIT CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
• Combine flour and baking soda; set aside.
• In a large bowl combine mincemeat and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in beaten eggs then the fruit and walnuts. Add the flour/baking soda mixture and stir until combined.
• Spoon batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake approximately 1 hour 20 minutes or until test in middle of cake comes out clean. (I cook to 1 hour 10 minutes then start testing every 10 minutes until cake tests for doneness. If it's over baked it will be dry, otherwise the cake will come out perfectly moist. Be diligent with your testing.).
• Cool 15 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Cake may be cut into individual portions and wrapped in foil and frozen.
• To make in loaf pans, spoon 3/4 full. Bake 300 degrees for 1 hour or until test in middle of cake comes out clean.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Combine fruit and nuts. In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Pour over fruit and nuts; stir to coat. , Transfer to a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 2 hours. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool place. Bring to room temperature before serving; slice with a serrated knife.

BOURBON FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the candied fruits, raisins, currants, and bourbon. Mix well, cover and marinate 3 hours on the counter.
• Cream together the butter, and brown sugar until fluffy in a KitchenAid mixer.
• Beat in the eggs, on at a time.
• Add the melted chocolate, walnuts, and the marinated fruit along with the bourbon.
• Blend for a minute and add the flour, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until all is incorporated. Pack the heavy batter into a greased 10 X 4 tube pan.
• Bake in a preheated 300 deg. oven for 2 hours and 10 minutes. Remove to a rack.
• When the cake is cool enough to handle. Remove from the pan and cool on the rack.
• Place the cooled cake in a stainless steel pot iwth a lid and drizzle half of the brandy over it. Cover and allow to rest on the counter for 1 week. After 1 week, drizzle with the remaining brandy, cover and allow to rest another week.
• Slice and serve. This cake will keep for months in the refrigerator.

FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Stir together dried fruit, candied ginger, peel, and 1/2 cup liqueur. Let stand at room temperature 3 hours or overnight.
• Cut parchment paper to line the bottom of a 7-by-3-inch or 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Coat pan with cooking spray; line with parchment. Spray lining. Flour pan; tap out excess.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle; mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in eggs (1 at a time), molasses, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until smooth. Mix in fruit, nuts, and coconut.
• Pour batter into pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 2 1/2 hours for 9-inch cake or 2 3/4 hours for 7-inch cake. If desired, brush with up to 1/2 cup liqueur. Unmold; let cool.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Soak cherries, mango, cranberries, currants, and citron in 1/4 cup rum for at least 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 6x3-inch round pan or loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix into butter and sugar in three batches, alternating with molasses and milk. Stir in soaked fruit and chopped nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum.
• Cut out one piece parchment paper and one piece cheesecloth, each large enough to wrap around the cake. Moisten cheesecloth with 1 tablespoon rum. Arrange cheesecloth on top of parchment paper, and unmold cake onto it. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with remaining rum. Wrap the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake, then wrap with paper. Place in an airtight tin, and age for at least 10 weeks. If storing longer, douse with additional rum for every 10 weeks of storage.