This Kicked Up Fruit Cake Is the Perfect Holiday Loaf
Loaded with brightly colored jellied fruit and soaked in boozy syrup, old school fruit cakes may seem like a baking relic, but fruit cake doesn’t have to be stuck in the past. This modern, lighter version suspends sweet dried apricots, macadamia nuts, and zippy candied ginger in delicate cake that’s soaked in spiced rum for a sweet, boozy kick. Topped with a rum icing, this reduced sugar fruit cake is a perfect holiday food gift, but you should plan on making a double batch so that you can keep a loaf for yourself.
Line for Insurance
Whenever you make loaf cakes of quickbreads, take the extra minute to line the pan with parchment paper long enough that it extends over the long sides. This ensures that the finished cake will come right out of the pan, which, in the case of this fruit cake, is especially useful since it’s soaked with rum and softens a bit as it sits.
Fruit cakes can be notoriously sweet, but they don’t need a lot of sugar to be tasty. Use a combo of Sugar In The Raw® and Stevia In The Raw® here for the perfect balance of sweetness while still keeping it reduced sugar. While the Sugar In The Raw® contributes a boost of molasses-y flavor, zero-calorie Stevia In The Raw® also adds sweetness without any additional calories. Stevia In The Raw® is also used in the smooth icing, where it dissolves beautifully when creamed with the butter.
One of the best things about fruit cakes is that they can be made ahead, as in months ahead. The cake just gets better and better as it sits and has time for the flavors to meld, so it’s the ideal make-ahead baking project to tackle before the hectic pace of the holidays begins.
Reduced Sugar Ginger-Apricot Fruit Cake with Hard Sauce Icing
Prep time 1 hour
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the cake:
Cooking spray
- 2 cups
all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 cup
coarsely chopped, toasted macadamia nuts
- 1/2 cup
coarsely chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup
coarsely chopped candied ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon
fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons
butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup
Sugar In The Raw®
- 1/2 cup
Stevia In The Raw®
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 3
large eggs
- 1/2 cup
spiced rum
For the hard sauce:
- 1 stick
butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup
Stevia In The Raw®
- 1 tablespoon
spiced rum
Instructions
For the cake:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325℉. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper so it extends over the 2 long sides of the pan.
In a medium bowl, toss 1/4 cup of the flour with the macadamia nuts, apricots, and ginger.
In another medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together.
In a large bowl or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and stevia on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the eggs 1 at a time just until combined. Add the flour mixture and fold to combine. Add the fruit and nut mixture and fold to combine. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack, then poke the cake all over with a skewer. Very slowly, pour the rum all over the cake. Let sit 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan to the rack to cool completely.
If desired, cake may be wrapped in a rum-soaked piece of thin kitchen towel, sealed in a plastic bag, and kept refrigerated for up to 2 months before serving.
For the hard sauce:
In a medium bowl or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and stevia until smooth. Beat in the rum.
To serve, spread the icing on top of the cake before slicing.