What makes Brenda Gantt’s Fruitcake so special are the small touches at the very end. Time-honored tradition meets fond family memories with every garnished slice of this holiday dessert.
Brenda Gantt’s Fruitcake
Makes about 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound candied red pineapple
- 1 pound candied green pineapple
- 1 pound candied red cherries
- 1 pound pitted dates (cut)
- 2 cups plain White Lily flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 quarts of Priester’s pecans halves, plus more for garnish
- Bourbon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all fruit together. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and pie spice. Pour flour mixture over fruit mixture and toss well with your hands. Don’t be shy; mix it well.
- Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer at medium speed; add to flour mixture. Mix well. Lastly, add in pecans and mix gently, so as to not break the pecans all to pieces.
- Line a tube pan with wax paper. Sometimes, I even smear a little Crisco shortening on the tube pan so the wax paper will stick well. Spread the batter into the tube pan. Push down hard on the batter as you fill the pan; you really want it to pack in tightly. Bake for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, find a suitable pan for the cake to age and for serving it. I like to use a cookie tin, because the lid provides airtight storage and it helps with my secret last step. Line your container with a piece of wax paper.
- After the cake comes out of the oven, remove it from the pan and let it cool. Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but while cake is cooling, dribble just a little bourbon on top of the cake. Not much though, just use enough to give it a hint of bourbon flavor. Too much bourbon will overpower the rest of the cake.
- Place fruitcake in the prepared storage container. Cover with a thin piece of cheesecloth and place the lid on top. Every couple of days, dribble just a little more bourbon on top and cover cake with cheesecloth. I like to let my cake sit for a few days before I eat it. That gives all the flavors time to dance with each other! Pair this cake with a big cup of black coffee or a chilled glass of eggnog. Merry Christmas, y’all!
You can find this recipe and more in Brenda Gantt’s “It’s Gonna Be Good, Y’all!” or our November/December 2021 issue! And make sure to follow Brenda Gantt for announcements, recipes, and more.
I have all three of Brenda Gantts cookbooks and treasure every one I haven’t purchased her 4th book yet but it’s on my wishlist. Everything she makes is absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try this recipe.