Fall Fruitcake

Some things just “are” fall. Like apples. And pears. And spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and others. And this cake!

Now I confess, I’m not a “pumpkin spice” gal and you likely won’t find any such recipes in my repertoire. I suppose it’s the pumpkin part.  Like butternut squash, I’ve never been a fan… although I do love all the other fall and winter hard squashes.

This recipe is a tweak of an apple cake I did for a recipe client a few years ago… this German Apple Cake.  Both of these cakes are easy to make and are so flavorful and moist from the fruits tucked inside.  You can easily change up the fruits to suit your tastes.

Serve the cake just as it is… or with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.  It reminds me of gingerbread and is also nice served with lemon curd or applesauce (my favorite)!  I hope you’ll give this a try… a simple comfort food dessert for fall.

This recipe created for and published in Carolina Country Magazine October 2022.
Food propping/styling and photography © (copyrighted) by Wendy Perry.
Carolina Country Magazine Contributing Recipes Editor

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Print Recipe

Fall Fruitcake

Who says you need to wait until the holiday season to enjoy fruitcake? So moist from all the fruits, this lightly spiced cake is reminiscent of gingerbread and tastes like autumn on a plate. It is easy to omit or change up some of the fruits as well. Enjoy as is or with a dollop of whipped cream, lemon or other curd… on a pool of applesauce or like we did, with ice cream dusted with cinnamon.

Course: Cakes, Dessert, Sweet Treats

Cuisine: American, Southern Desserts

Keyword: fall desserts, fruitcake, spiced cake

Author: Wendy Perry

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin or apple pie spice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rum extract optional
• 2 tablespoons sorghum molasses
• 3 gala apples peeled, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 pears peeled, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
• ½ cup chopped dates
• ½ cup raisins
• ⅔ cup chopped nuts any kind, optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Beat eggs with oil until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Combine sugar, flour, soda, salt and spice. Beat in a cup at the time until all has been incorporated into egg mixture. Using spatula, fold in remaining ingredients.
• Pour into 9x13” prepared pan. Bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes.