Light vs dark fruitcake: everything you need to know about the two types of this popular and delicious dessert! What makes them look different, do they taste any different, and which one is the best for me? I'm going to show you all of the similarities and differences between the two!
Comparing Light & Dark Fruitcake
When Christmas rolls around and holiday baking is in full swing, fruitcake is a popular dessert choice for holiday festivities! Of course, this tasty cake is commonly at the punchline of many jokes. However, so many people enjoy this cake that it is actually a $100 million per year business!
If you've ever perused pre-baked fruitcakes in the bakery (or even made your own) you may have noticed one distinct separating factor. Some fruitcakes are light and some are dark, but why exactly is that?
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What Is Fruitcake
Fruitcake is exactly what the name implies: a cake packed with fruit. However, there is a little more to it than just that.
Packed with nuts, fruits, and just enough cake to keep it all together, fruitcake is one of the densest baked goods around! In fact, dried fruits and nuts make up 70% of the cake itself!
Another distinguishing factor is its shelf life. When stored properly, fruitcakes will last 1 month in the pantry, 3 months in the fridge, or even a year in the freezer (or longer, considering the oldest aged fruitcake was 125 years old)!
Many people actually prefer to age their fruitcake for at least a month (or up to a year or longer). It is believed that this allows the dried fruit to become sweeter and the flavors to deepen before being served. This process consists of drizzling alcohol over the top of the cake before tightly wrapping it and storing it in a cool, dry place.
If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, check out my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, my fantastic Christmas cake, fruitcake and more cake ideas, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
What Makes Fruitcake Dark
There are a few different factors that can make a fruitcake dark in color.
First of all, if dark fruits are baked into the cake (such as currants), then the cake can easily take on a darker color. Additionally, liquors that have been baked into the cake can also make the fruitcake dark (such as scotch, brandy, or whiskey).
Now, there is one other ingredient that will make your fruitcake dark, regardless of whether or not it contains currants or whiskey. Molasses! This very thick and dark liquid is actually a byproduct of the process in which sugar is made.
Molasses has a unique and robust flavor that is different than the sweetness obtained from sugar. When baked into fruitcake, it will give the cake a darker appearance.
Light vs Dark Fruitcake
Of course, light and dark fruitcakes have different appearances. However, they have differences in flavor as well!
Light fruitcakes tend to use granulated sugar, fewer spices, lighter fruits, and have an overall lighter and less rich flavor. Meanwhile, dark fruitcakes have a more complex flavor profile due to more spices, molasses, brown sugar, and darker fruits. Plus, they typically have a higher amount of alcohol. In fact, dark fruitcakes are the ones that more people are familiar with.
Now that you know all about fruitcakes, do you prefer the light or the dark variety? Leave a comment down below and let me know!
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📖 Recipe Card
Light vs Dark Fruitcake: Light Fruitcake (+ Similarities and Differences!)
Ingredients
Fruit
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup dried pineapple (chopped)
- 1 cup candied lemon peel (or candied mixed peel)
- 1¾ cup candied red cherries (red and green glace cherries, quartered or chopped)
- ¾ cup brandy (or rum, whiskey, orange juice, orange pineapple juice, or apple juice - plus more for brushing over the top of the cake)
Cake
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 5 large eggs (room temperature)
- 3¾ cup all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled)
- 1 cup milk (room temperature)
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 1 large lemon (optional, zested)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Prepare The Fruit
- In a large bowl, combine your raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried pineapple, and candied lemon peel (or mixed peel).
- Cover the fruit with the liquid of your choice (brandy, rum, whiskey, orange juice, orange pineapple juice, or apple juice). Cover the bowl and allow the fruit to soak overnight (up to 2 days) at room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Prepare The Cake
- Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) and lightly grease and flour two 9x5 loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer), cream together the room-temperature butter and sugar until fluffy and light.
- Beat in the light corn syrup, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt, and nutmeg until well combined.
- Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well in between each addition and scraping down the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl if necessary.
- Alternate between adding the all-purpose flour and the room-temperature milk. Make sure you only mix long enough for the flour to be just combined, being careful to avoid over-mixing the batter.
- Pour the soaked fruit into the batter without draining off the liquid, as well as the candied cherries, coconut, and optional lemon zest. Stir until all of the fruit is evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans, only filling them ¾ of the way full.
- Bake the cakes in the preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) for 80-110 minutes. Your cakes will be ready when they are a nice golden-brown color and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs. *If your cake is browning too much while baking, you can place a piece of aluminum foil over the top and allow it to finish baking.
- Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and brush the top of them with your preferred apple juice or liquor while they are still warm.
- Once your fruitcakes have cooled entirely, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and let them rest for at least 24 hours.
Aging Your Fruitcake
- If you want to age your fruitcake or keep it stored for longer than 24 hours before serving, simply unwrap the cake once a week and brush the top of it with your preferred liquor or apple juice.
- Re-wrap the cake with plastic wrap and store it in a cool, dry place.
- Repeat the process of brushing liquid on the cakes once a week until ready to serve.
Notes
- This recipe will yield 10½ cups of batter, so you can choose to make different-sized cakes or loaves using a variety of pans. Feel free to prepare it in a bundt pan, mini loaf pans, or 9x13 pans. Just remember to adjust the bake time accordingly as smaller cakes will bake faster.
- If using 9x5 loaf pans, this will yield 2 cakes. An 8x4 pan will yield 3 cakes.
- The fruit in the fruitcake can easily be customized to your liking. Opt for dried or candied fruits. Some great options are raisins, mixed peel, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, dates, dried cranberries, dried peaches, dried apricots, dried currants, and dried pineapple! Just make sure that the total amount of fruit is equal to about 6¾ cups.
- Fruitcakes have an amazing shelf life and also taste better as they age (if you can wait!). Of course, this fruitcake will also be delicious if you eat it as soon as possible!
- Letting the fruitcake rest for a minimum of 24 hours allows the flavors to mingle and the crust to soften. It really does help to boost the flavor!
- To store: Keep your fruitcake tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
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