Description
This Danish Fruit Cake is a perfect cake for the holidays! It’s super moist, packed full of nuts and Maraschino cherries and it also freezes beautifully. Oh…and don’t worry…there’s no bitter citrus rind in this cake.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
CAKE
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 cup full-fat buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 boxes chopped dates, 7 1/2 ounces each, or a scant one pound
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 large jar Maraschino cherries, (16 ounces)*
- Red and green candied cherries to decorate top (optional)
- Pecan halves to decorate top (optional)
ORANGE SAUCE
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup orange juice
- Grated peel from one orange
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Move the top oven rack down to one spot below the middle.
- Grease and lightly flour a tube or angel food cake pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Mix on high with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla, orange peel, and orange juice. Mix well to incorporate.
- Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately in 3 additions, starting with the buttermilk and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Using a spatula or spoon, fold in the dates, pecans, and Maraschino cherries. Make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter, but don’t over mix. Gently fold!
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon or small spatula to spread the batter out evenly. Gently shake the cake pan back and forth also.
- Bake the cake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out clean. Don’t under bake the cake or it will be soggy. You will be pouring 1 cup of sauce over the finished cake. Meantime, while the cake is baking make the sauce below.
- Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake and the center tube. Gently shake the cake up and down until you feel it letting go of the bottom of the pan. Gently invert the cake onto a plate. Then place a cake plate on the bottom and flip the cake over onto the cake plate. Using a skewer or something similar, poke holes all over the hot cake.
- Pour the orange sauce slowly and evenly over the top of the cake, covering all of the holes.
ORANGE SAUCE
- Add the sugar, orange juice, and orange peel to a medium pan. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat and remove. Pour over the cake as directed above.
DECORATING THE TOP
- Arrange candied cherries and pecan halves on the top right after pouring the syrup over the cake. See pictures above. I placed red & green cherries alternately with pecan halves. I don’t recommend placing the nuts and fruit on top of this cake before baking it. They will sink into the batter.
- Store cake in an air tight container refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- *If you prefer, you can use candied cherries in the cake instead of Maraschino cherries.
- Prep time includes chopping pecans and chopping the dates if you buy whole ones.
- The original recipe calls for 2 boxes 7/1/2 ounces each of chopped dates. I don’t see this size in the stores anymore.