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‘Tis the season for holiday baking and I’ll admit to being on a little bit of a fruitcake bender, recently giving a Black Fruitcake a go and revisiting one of my all-time favorite recipes, Fruitcake Bars which won accolades from several French friends. (They were also surprised at how easy there were to make, too.)
A while back, I gave the much-maligned fruitcake a makeover, dressing this one up with plumped-up sour cherries, chocolate chips, a dark chocolate batter, and a boozy bath of liquor added at the end.
I’ve been making this dark chocolate fruitcake since 1998 and every few years, I seem to tweak the recipe, and here’s the latest incarnation. I’m a big fan of dried sour cherries, which I find especially appealing with chocolate, but diced dried pears, cranberries, or apricots would work, although I do recommend it with cherries if you can find them; when I specify a specific ingredient (or quantity) in a recipe, it’s for a good reason. (Honest!) I ask friends heading from the U.S. to Paris to pack a few packages of them for me since they are elusive here.
One thing we have no shortage of in France, though, is chocolate. But for those of us in Europe where chocolate chips can be difficult to find, chopped bittersweet chocolate works in lieu of chocolate chips. (In Paris, G. Detou sells them.) I do prefer chocolate chips in this cake as they tend to hold their shape when baked and gives neater slices when you cut it. But it’s up to you.
You can also use another favorite liquor in place of the rum. A FAQ involves skipping the liquor entirely. If you’d like, you can soak the cherries in boiling water or hibiscus or rooibos tea until plump. If taking the water route, squeeze any excess water from the cherries before using them. There are also now a number of non-alcoholic “spirits” and it might be fun to experiment with one of them.
Adapted fromReady for Dessertby David Lebovitz
I've revised and updated this recipe over the years, adding a bit more flour (previous versions of the cake sometimes dipped in the middle when cool, which didn't affect the flavor) and making other adjustments. In place of rum, you could use kirsch, whiskey, or amaretto. If you have an issue with the cake sinking in the middle, I posted a
to show how I followed the recipe and how the cake was prepared. To make it easier to slice, I like the chop the cherries a bit before adding them to the rum.
Course Dessert
- 1 1/2 cups (180-200g) dried cherries, sweet or sour, chopped
- 1/4 cup (60ml) plus 2/3 cup (160ml) rum
- 1 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 10 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (180g) buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 1 cup (135g) walnuts, pecans, or almonds, toasted and finely-chopped
- 3/4 cup (120g) chocolate chips
A day or two before you make the cake, toss the cherries in ¼ cup of rum. Cover and let macerate, stirring a few times.
To bake the cakes, butter two 9-inch (23cm) loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or by hand in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until very light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir together the eggs and yolk with the vanilla in a small bowl, then dribble them in while beating at medium speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure they're getting completely incorporated.
Mix in one-third of the flour and cocoa mixture, then half of the yogurt or buttermilk. Then mix in another third of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the yogurt. Finally add the remaining dry ingredients, and gently stir in the nuts, chocolate chips and cherries. (Which should have absorbed all the liquid. If not, add that as well.)
Divide and smooth the batter into the two prepared loaf pans and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center just about comes out clean, but avoid overbaking it.
With a toothpick skewer, poke 50 holes in the cake and spoon 1/3 cup (80ml) of liquor over each cake. Let the cakes cool completely.
Notes
Storage: These cakes will last, well-wrapped, for 3-4 days at room temperature. If you want a more boozy cake, or one that keeps longer, you can "feed" the cake with rum. More information about how to do that is posted at the end of the Black Fruitcake recipe.
Related Links and Recipes
For tips on adapting recipes to European ingredients, read my post on American Baking in Paris.
Pumpkin Ice Cream
Why you should use aluminum-free baking powder
Holiday Recipes
Cocoa Powder FAQs
Nonfat Gingersnaps
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