Unlike mainstream non-Amish culture, fruitcakes don't serve as doorstops among the Amish, they are actually eaten and enjoyed and passed around as holiday gifts. And if you look at this recipe, you'll know why. It's a simple, old recipe flavored with brown sugar, molasses, and sour cream.
This is a recipe from the original Amish Cook and visiting her was like being in the presence of a living link to generations of old German-Swiss cooks and bakers, connected to a far, far simpler era. This recipe is symbolic of it. Here you can see the recipe in her own hand.
😂 Fruitcakes Are the Butt of Jokes
It was the late-night comedian Johnny Carson who cracked that “The worst gift is a fruitcake. He quipped that "there is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” For many, that wisecrack sliced like a hot knife through soft butter. Ever since, fruitcakes have suffered from an image problem (it also illustrates the pull that late night comedy hosts had during that era).
In the pre-Carson days, fruitcake was a popular holiday dessert, beloved by legions. The Amish never lost their love for fruitcakes. Without televisions, most of them never heard the Johnny Carson jokes, so fruit cake never fell out of favor!
📋 Step-by-Step Amish Fruit Cake
This fruit cake recipe is really is easy and amazing. It's so moist and, yeah, I have nothing bad to say about this recipe. I ate a whole fruitcake over a period of days. This recipe makes two dense fruit cakes. Fortunately, my father likes fruit cakes so I gave one to him, otherwise, I would have probably put away two fruitcakes. And this cake tastes better the longer it sits around.
I feel like the fruit cakes I see in stores and the ones my Mom made when I was a kid had more color to them, so if that is important to you, I am sure you can see some candied fruits that are colorful (apples, cherries, etc), but if taste is your only concern, this recipe delivers!
I followed every step of the recipe, although, admittedly, I am not sure what the reasoning was behind some of them.
The recipe says to cook the prunes until tender and then chop fine, so that is what I did. I just put them in a pan, heated them they were mushy and then chopped/mashed them up. Not sure why it has this step, it'd probably be fine without this step, but think maybe the slight caramelization of the prunes just adds to depth of flavor.
This is the baking powder and baking soda being dissolved in sour milk. It gets a little frothy and bubbly.
I basically, per the instructions, did the same thing to the raisins that I did to the prunes, I just didn't chop them up any after I had cooked them just enough to tenderize and caramelize them.
Then you just add everything into the same mixing bowl and stir until completely combined. I did not use anything other than a spoon. I suppose you could use an electric mixer or stand mixer, but it is absolutely not necessary.
I spooned the batter into two loaf pans until about half inch from the top.
After an hour in the oven at 320 it was ready.
I spread a slice with cream cheese, but you really don't need to put anything on it. The bread is so moist and full of flavor, it is perfect just as is. I absolutely loved this recipe!
🎄 More Amish Christmas Recipes
Butterscotch Graham Cracker Candy
Yoder's Homemade Turtle Candies
🖨️ Full Recipe
Amish Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cups sour cream
- ¼ cup sour milk
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup nut meats
- 1 cup prunes (cooked until tender then chopped fine)
- 2 cups cooked raisins
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup dates (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320.
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve baking powder and soda in sour milk.
- Add cinnamon and ginger.
- In a small saucepan cook prunes over high heat for 2 - 3 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat, mash them, and add them to the batter.
- Repeat the same steps with the raisins, over high heat for 2 - 3 minutes, and then add to the batter.
- Then add the rest of the ingredients in and mix well.
- Divide the batter equally between two greased loaf pans.
- Bake at 320 for 1 hour or till toothpick comes out clean.Other fruits may be substituted as dry apples, etc
Sharon Seiber
Sounds delicious! So when you say sour milk did you put some lemon or something like that to make it sour? Everything else sounds great.
Many years ago when we were first married, I had a large freezer and made my own fruit cake. Only difference was I covered them tightly in some cotton sheeting and dribbled cognac every couple of months.
This was MANY years ago about 50 or more years I guess. Life was sweeter then!,
Kevin Williams
I put a teaspoon of vinegar in the sour milk and let it "sour" the milk for a few minutes and then dumped it in, worked just fine!
DeLonna J Unruh
I would think the prunes and raisins should be cooked in a little water or other liquid. Maybe you did that.
Kevin Williams
LOL, no DeLonna, I did not. BUT, you are probably correct! The instructions were so spare, I just sort of 'fried" the raisins and prunes but for anyone reading this, I think DeLonna is correct, put a little water in the pan, I'd not put much, but a little and then pour it all into the batter...