Marilyns Treats

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Applesauce Fruit Cake

Cake· Recipe Archive

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.

Not all fruitcake is a doorstop in disguise! This recipe takes fruit cake to a whole new level. Even if you hate fruitcake you have to try this Applesauce Fruitcake. What more can you ask for? Dried fruit, nuts, it is better than stollen! Oh, did I mention there is rum? Enjoy!

Applesauce Fruit Cake

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!

Not all fruitcake is a doorstop in disguise! This recipe takes fruit cake to a whole new level. Even if you hate fruitcake you have to try this Applesauce Fruitcake. What more can you ask for? Dried fruit, nuts, it is better than stollen! Oh, did I mention there is rum? Enjoy!

Applesauce Fruit Cake

This is the only fruitcake I will eat. Even if you hate fruitcake you have to try this Applesauce Fruitcake. Enjoy!
4.91 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Bakery
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bake, fruit
Method: Bake
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Adjust Servings: 16
Calories: 482kcal
Author: Marilyn Lesniak

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

©MARILYN’S TREATS. All images are copyright protected.
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 482kcal (24%) | Carbohydrates: 70g (23%) | Protein: 6g (12%) | Fat: 22g (34%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (40%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 57mg (19%) | Sodium: 451mg (19%) | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 4g (16%) | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg
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Comments

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!

      Reply

  3. blankMiz Helen says

    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

    Reply

  9. blankMrsSW says

    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

    Reply

  12. blankJann Olson says

    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

    Reply

  13. blankJaneEllen says

    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

    Reply

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!

      Reply

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!

      Reply

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!!

      Reply

  21. blankIvory says

    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.

    Reply

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!

      Reply

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!

      Reply

  24. blankMiz Helen says

    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

    Reply

  31. blankSandra L Garth says

    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.

    Reply

  32. blankMichelle says

    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.

    Reply

    • blankMarilyn says

      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!

      Reply

    • blankMarilyn Lesniak says

      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.

      Reply

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