Fruit cake recipes were typically found in magazines and newspapers back in the ’50s and ’60s, and the cakes themselves often made an appearance at family holidays when I was growing up. My family loved to make them because they were packed with different fruits, and due to their moisture, they seemed to last around the house for the entire holiday season! While the modern audience doesn’t always appreciate a good fruit cake, it’s about time they had a comeback.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup glazed red cherries, chopped
- ½ cup glazed green cherries, chopped
- ½ cup glazed citron, chopped
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Coat the parchment paper with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and sour cream.
- In another small bowl, combine the dates, raisins, cherries, citron, pecans, and ¼ cup of the flour. Stir gently to coat the fruit and nuts.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and lemony yellow. Mix in the egg until combined, then the salt, followed by the sour cream mixture.
- Add the remaining 1¾ cups flour in batches, mixing until just combined. Fold in the fruit mixture gently. The batter will be very heavy.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 1½ to 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Let cool completely before slicing.
