Applesauce Fruit Cake
Not all fruitcake is a doorstop in disguise!
This recipe takes fruit cake to a whole new level.
This is the only fruitcake I will eat. My stepmom gave me this recipe. She has been giving this fruitcake to me for Christmas for 25 years.(no, I don’t have them all stored away.) LOL.
When I take this Fruit Cake to a gathering I always take my cake stand. I put it on the tiered platter along with a bit of cookies, fruit and coffee cakes.
Even cut in squares this Applesauce Fruit Cake looks more like a Spice cake than the traditional fruit cake.
When I bring it covered tightly, the smell of the rum catches attention as it wafts through the air.
You don’t have to worry about the alcohol in the cake. Cooking it evaporates it.
“Alcohol is volatile, meaning it evaporates easily. When the alcohol evaporates, it carries other flavors from the cake with it. These “hitchhiker” flavors to seem more pronounced because they are carried by the alcohol through the nasal passages to where the flavors are interpreted.” Courtesy of The Cake Blog
Even if you hate fruitcake you have to try this Applesauce Fruitcake. It will change your mind.
What more can you ask for? Dried fruit, nuts, it is better than stollen!
Oh, did I mention there is rum? LOL
Go ahead and add a bit from the bottle. You may just find this recipe is a keeper! But the adults I serve love it.
They always try it and are surprised it is an Applesauce Fruit Cake.
These are the INGREDIENTS you will need:
- 1 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apples
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla or rum extract
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
These are the INSTRUCTIONS For preparation:
- In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients; add 1 cup flour.
- Stir to coat. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Add the applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Add the applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Combine the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and remaining flour; stir into applesauce mixture. Stir in fruit mixture.
- Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan.
- Bake at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Enjoy!
Applesauce Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apples
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup butter, siftened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla or rum extract
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients; add 1 cup flour.
- Stir to coat. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Add the applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Add the applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Combine the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and remaining flour; stir into applesauce mixture. Stir in fruit mixture.
- Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan.
- Bake at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Conversion Information We get a lot of requests to help with conversions especially between various countries like Canada, the U.K. and Australia. These tables should help you make those conversions. For your convenience we have included a Conversion Chart.
Disclaimer Unless indicated recipes influenced by cookbooks, magazines or family traditions.
Marilyn,
I need to make this cake for my father-in-law. He loves fruit cake and would love this.
Congratulations, You are being featured at Thursday Favorite Things. I hope you stop by. https://www.eclecticredbarn.com/2020/12/thursday-favorite-things_10.html
Hugs,
Bev
You will love this cake Bev. It has all the ingredients of a fruit cake but you won’t know it when you eat it. The applesauce is genius! My step mom makes this every year. Thanks for the feature and enjoy your week!
Another great recipe! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you this Sunday at the party.
Thank you so much Helen. Enjoy your week and stay safe!
Your Applesauce Frit Cake looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday in 2019 and hope you will include the party in 2020. Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!
Miz Helen
Thank you for the kind words about my Applesauce Fruitcake Miz helen. I am hoping you had a wonderful New Year!
This looks so moist – Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Hope your holidays are wonderful!
Thank you Helen. This is a fruitcake one step above the rest!
I adore fruit cake in general and in this one looks pretty gosh darn tasty too!!! Hand me a fork!!!
I love this fruitcake Collen. It made it to the top of my Christmas list!! I hope you have a relaxing weekend.
This sounds wonderful! I’m sure the applesauce makes it so moist! Pinned! P~
The applesauce is the key to this fruit cake! I hope you are enjoying your week!
Yummy! This sounds so good! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
You are welcome Kirsty. This fruitcake is more of a cake than a bread. I hope you had a Happy New Year!
Oh my goodness, another yummy looking recipe!!
Thanks so much for linking up! 🙂
Blessings,
Amy
I am so glad when my recipes bring back wonderful memories. I love my rectangualr pans so you can pretty much count on everything I do can be masde in ine! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you as well!!!
My grandmother made great fruitcake! My grandmotherly neighbor made fruitcake cupcakes that were out of this world! I’ve made both but it’s been fifty years. Your recipe sounds much easier and I like the idea of making it in a 9 x 13″ cake pan.
The candied fruit should be marked down now that C’mas is over – seems like baking a fruitcake is in my future.
Thanks,
Sheila
Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday in 2017. Wishing you the very best in 2018 and hope to see you soon.
Happy New Year!
Miz Helen
Thank you for another year of continuing support for bloggers and their dreams. Happy New Year!
I love this kind of fruitcake! Thanks for sharing at Friday Frenzy Link Party! Pinned!
This is a fruitcake that is really a cake! Happy New Year!
My mother made a white fruitcake that I absolutely loved! This one looks yummy as well. I will definitely give it a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
I have never seen a white fruit cake. I am definitely going to have to look that up! Thanks Jann. Happy New Year.
I was surprised to see so many ingredients. Can remember as a kid going to an aunts house or friend of parents who made fruit cake, always got sick from the fruit. In those days kids didn’t say they didn’t like something, they had to eat it.
Your cake looks and sounds, from list of ingredients, to be much tastier. Will try this soon as Mr. Furry loves fruit cake.
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you HAPPY NEW YEAR
Most of them are seasoings. The applesauce is the key vto this fruit cake. I hope you get a chance to try it. It is definitely not your grandma’s fruit cake!! Happy New Year!
It sure looks softer and easier to eat than traditional fruitcake!
This fruit cake is lovely. It is more like a sticky sweet bread than the traditional fruit cake. Happy New Year!
I have never made fruitcake. This makes me quite curious to try.
This fruit cake is more like adenser cake but still easy to enjoy. Unlike the common fruitcake that requires a chef knife to cut this one can break apart easily and eat in your hand. The applesauce is a great substitute for sugar!
Better than stollen…that’s a big promise. Will definitely have to give this a try sometime. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
I sure hope you do give this gruit cake a try. I know you will enjoy it. Happy Holidays!
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – and Merry Christmas!
Thanks for commenting Helen! Happy Holiday!
Marilyn, that looks wonderful. I’m sure to love it! Hope you’re having a marvelous weekend! #DIDI
Thank you Jean!! Happy Holiday!
I love how your recipes so often have something special or different!
Thank Michele. I live the applesauce is better than other sugars and keeps it moister too. Enjoy! Happy Holiday!
The photo is not a tube pan. How long would I bake it in the 9 by 10 pan or loaf pan? Thanks
For this recipe I wold start checking 10 minutes sooner in the 9×13 than the bundt pan. Each oven cooks different as well as electric or gas, so I would start checking at that time. Mine was done in 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!!
There are lot of people I personally know that do not like fruit cakes, but I love them. Your fruit cake looks amazing . I can hardly wait to try and make this.
Thank you Ivory. This one is worth trying. Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday.
I love this cake, my mom made something like this too.The sodium is high, but once in a while its ok.
Maria
This is so good and even moist. Unless you try it, you wont beleive it. I am glad it brought back some fond memories. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Could you give me the carbohydrate on this my son is a diabetic. I would love to make this.
Sure! I m diabetic also. For serving size this makes 16, and these counts are per serving: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 482 calories, 22 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 57 mg cholesterol, 451 mg sodium, 70 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein. Sorry the recipe plugin doesn’t show them all. Thx for giving me the idea to include them all in a note at the end!
Hi Marilyn,
I know that you are as busy as a bee getting ready for the holidays, your Applesauce Fruit Cake will be a perfect addition. Thanks for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
The best part of this is you can make it in advance! Enjoy your week and stay safe and warm!
I was always the odd kid who loved fruitcake during the holidays lol … this looks yummy, Marilyn xo
Thanks Carla. This is a great one to try. Enjoy. Have a safe and warm week!
This sounds really great! Thanks for sharing at our Tips & Tricks link Party.
You are welcome! Enjoy.
Yum, thanks for sharing!
You are welcome! Enjoy.
This sounds tasty!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks Jess!
I believe that I tasted this once. It is awesome, especially if you like fruit cake.
Thanks Betty. It does raise the bar on fruit cake. But for most peoples taste that isn’t too hard. LOL!
My mother used to make the kind of fruitcake no one wanted to eat because it was the door stop type. This recipe looks good.
This recipe will make you a bwlieverer. It stays soft and moist as long as you wrap it in foil and keep it in the fridge.
I’ve had one fruitcake in my life and it was a store bought one. This looks and sounds much better! Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great weekend.
Thank you Sandra. This one is a good one. See you at the next party!
Oh my, every time I visit your blog I end up with serious cravings for all the deliciousness you come up with Marilyn. Please come to South Africa and teach me how to cook, so I can concoct some of this yumminess too.
I would love to come! Learning isn’t hard. Most thing will taste good if you follow directions. Learning to bk, roast boil is nothing. The appearance of the food is what needs practice. I am putting out a cookie list oon. Laugh along with me at the images. They tell the truth!
Can’t remember the last time I had fruitcake! Now I am in the mood for some!
Ooh, Ana Lyn good! I do a lot of baking in off seasons. LOL if a flavor or recipe ever hits you for a posting idea, I will make it, just let me know. Thanks. I love to present different meal ideas than all the others.