The Italian Recipe That Might Change Your Mind About Fruitcake

Fruitcake is perhaps the most mocked, maligned and mistreated Christmas dessert there is. But here we are, against all odds, with a darn fruitcake recipe!

And it's all because of a fateful Christmas where Eva decided to make a northern Italian recipe, "Zelten," for her southern Italian family...

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[PastaGrammar]

What has your fruitcake experience been like? Tried 'em? Liked 'em? Hated 'em? Let us know!

[jenniferanderson]

Key correction: the correct spice for the second version of zelten is known in English as caraway (cumino tedesco in Italian, i.e. "German cumin"). It is different from the spice known in English as cumin (cumino nero in Italian, i.e. "black cumin"). The seeds look almost identical and they are both sometimes shortened to just "cumino" in Italian but they're very different. Caraway has a mild fennel or anise flavour and is frequently used in rye bread. Cumin has an earthier, more savoury flavour and almost never appears in traditional European cuisines. Despite the similar names in Italian and certain other languages, they shouldn't be used interchangeably.

[Nancy-nntc]

I make my Nonna’s fruitcake every year. She was from Fruili. This is 1/4 recipe - it makes just 2 loaves. My nonna used to make the full recipe which made a huge ring which she decorated.

Day 1 marinate in a large bowl covered with a cloth and stir every few hours (at least 24 hrs):
1/4 lb currants
1 lb raisins, mixed types
3/8 lb slivered almonds
1/2 lb cut candied fruit
1/2 lb glazed cherries
1/4 lb dates chopped
1/4 can crushed pineapple with some of the juice
2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 orange’s juice and zest
1/2 lemon’s juice and zest

Day 2: Use a mixer to combine:
1/4 lb lard (shortening)
2Tbsp butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs

Pour this mixture into the fruit mixture and stir till evenly coated. In a small separate bowl, mix:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Sift these dry ingredients into the wet fruit mixture and turn with a large spoon till all dry flour is gone.

Pour and press into two loaf pans lined with parchment or wax paper. Place a pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven to keep the air moist.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 325 for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 300 for 45 minutes or until done -when a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pans in the oven to prevent hotspots from burning. Cool completely. Brush with white wine and/or rum before wrapping. .

[doctordoctor]

We had a fruitcake for a wedding cake. I made a four decker boozy fruitcake with homemade almond paste and fondant. It was delicious and we sent cubes of it home with everyone for Christmas.

[heidigreen]

I learn SO much from this channel. I love the videos where Italians go through average grocery stores and say yes or no but more importantly WHY they would wouldn’t buy one brand of pasta over another.

[janem]

My northern English heritage has instilled in me a love of fruit cake. I make a light batter fruit cake. The secret is to keep it moist. The brandy, applied weekly in the weeks leading up to Christmas (AKA Advent) is what keeps it moist.

[richardstone]

I love fruitcake and have no idea why so many people hate it.
As a child I grew up with fruitcake and looked forward to it every year.
That fruitcake is absolutely beautiful!!!
Can't wait to make one.

[gloriapaddock]

They both look sooo Yummy!!!😋 A long, long, long time ago I used to make fruit cakes as soon as the dried fruits were available. I wrapped the in cheesecloth & I flipped them over & poured some rum over them every week until Christmas. They were addicting!!! Merry Christmas Everyone… 10 days to go!!! ❤️🎄❤️

[susanestes]

Made double batch of “Clear Creek Brandy Fruitcake” with my sister this year. It is delicious. Will try Eva’s suggestions next holiday season

[avivat]

Eva, you are an amazing woman in the kitchen!! This reminds me of my Nana - British, Scottish, Irish background making fruit cake. She just soaked hers in rum every week. You decorate yours so beautifully. Thank you for sharing all of your recipes. So many people secret theirs away. It's really generous of you! I agree that it's so much nicer for everyone to be able to enjoy. Merry Christmas to both of you and your families.

[Someone-vnce]

I am one of those rare people that absolutely loves traditional, aged fruit cake, it is up there as one of my all-time 3 favorite cakes! I am sure I would love your version too. If a cake has nuts and fruits, I am there. Even though I currently have a fruit cake that has been aging for almost a year that I am going to use for Christmas, I am going to make yours too! The more fruit cakes the merrier! Thanks for the recipe!

[CocoonDelVecchio]

I am Italian but ... never heard it before your video. And it looks pretty good. Thank u so much

[Sunjoy]

We LOVE fruit cake...I made my first one 45 yrs ago and the family loved it too... Dates and other dried fruit...soaked for days in blackberry wine... delicious

[thelmaguaetta]

My mom made excellent fruit cake at Easter, wrapped each cake in muslin, plastic wrap and foil, stored them in a dark closet. She took them out every 2 weeks and soaked them in a mixture of liquors, wrapped each back up and hid them away again until Christmas. They were mostly fruit and nuts, barely held together by a butter rich batter. She bought about 25 pounds of whole candied citrons, pineapple, cherries and 2 kinds of raisins with about 10 or 12 pounds of brazil nuts, pecans and almonds. The only things that would hold all the batter and fruit were big canning kettles. At today's prices, those cakes would cost a fortune.

[Herman-fm]

The word Eva is looking for to describe the oven with the light on is "proofer." The process of letting the dough rise is called "proofing" so the warm cabinet in which the proofing takes place is called a "proofer."

[cynthiakane]

😂 I enjoy the two of you so much🎉 the looks on your face when you went to show us the piece of cake and it fell😅 I couldn't stop laughing and love the reality and "not refilming" a funny moment that's what makes your podcast so unique of course the food too LOL❤😂

[damonroberts]

Hating on fruitcake seems to be an American trope. I'm Australian, and although I know a _few_ people who are not fond of fruitcake, overall it remains popular here at Christmas. The similar-textured "plum pudding", eaten hot with custard, is also beloved... despite the fact Christmas is in the middle of our Summer. What can I say, we're a little bit crazy down here?!

[Hupernike]

Here's a great take on fruitcake. Try the recipe from Alton Brown from Good Eats. Instead of it coming out like a grocery store brick, he uses dried fruit instead of candied fruit, and it comes out like a regular cake. Good Eats/Season 2/Episode 1 - "It's a Wonderful Cake".

[browniewin]

I've never made fruitcake and never liked any I'd tried til I was gifted a DeLuxe Fruitcake from Colin Street Bakery in Corsican TX. That is a fruit cake worth eating, and the chocolate cherry pecan cake petites are better than candy and a new favorite of mine.

[Kiarachu]

Oh wow, a cake from my region! Never expected that! By the way, I know that there are some difference between the way it's done in the two parts of the region. In Trentino (where I live) it's made like you did it, while in Alto Adige it's made with more fruits than dough (or so my mom told me, as she lived several years in a small city in Alto Adige).
I don't really like the more industrial ones that are sold in supermarkets or bakeries, but I like the ones done at home.
Ah, ecco, you made the Alto Adige version too XD
You know, I never tried the Alto Adige version, I think that I would like it more than the Trentino version.