What Kind Of Alcohol Should You Use For A Classic Fruitcake?

Fruitcakes, which often come out around the holidays, are notorious for lasting a long time. They're packed with nuts, spices, and dried fruit, and while many modern and commercial fruitcakes are alcohol-free, traditionally the cake is also soaked in alcohol. The booze can help boost your cake's flavor, while also keeping it moist and adding a preservative effect that creates that signature long shelf life.

If you want to try making a boozy fruitcake yourself, you'll need to know what type of alcohol works best. The best route to go here is to choose a strong liquor with a high alcohol content and vivid flavor that you enjoy, as the alcohol's tasting notes are going to come out in the finished cake.

With that being said, there are a couple of other things to know about infusing your fruitcake with booze in order to get the best possible dessert. Plus, it pays to know what to use instead of alcohol if you want a moist and flavorful cake that everyone can enjoy.

When choosing alcohol to use in your fruitcake, you'll want to think about the flavor it's going to impart. For a citrusy feel, you could go with triple sec. This can bring out notes of orange in your cake. Or, you could use a fruity sherry to help play up the natural fruit flavors. Other good choices of booze include brandy, rum, or whiskey. Feel free to use one or a mix of these to best complement your fruitcake.

Once you've chosen the liquor, bake the cake, poke holes throughout the whole thing, and pour a few tablespoons of the alcohol over it. Or, you can brush the cake with the alcohol. Another option is to wrap your dessert in an alcohol-soaked cheesecloth to imbue the whole thing with booze. Beyond adding liquor to the baked cake, some cooks also soak the fried fruit in the same spirit before adding it to the cake batter. You're then ready to serve your cake and enjoy the complementary flavors of the alcohol you've chosen.

Not all fruitcake recipes have to include alcohol. In order to keep the cake moist and flavorful, infuse it with a different liquid. One good choice is orange juice, which works in a similar manner to triple sec. If you don't have orange juice on hand, you can use apple juice, which pairs well with the spices and dried fruits in the cake, helping to elevate your dessert. Another great choice is to go with brewed tea, whether you use a simple black tea or a flavored variety.

If you want a more low-key cake, you can also skip the soaking step. Just keep in mind that you'll get a different, less complex flavor profile, and your cake could be less moist without the extra soak. Whether you decide to infuse your cake with a strong spirit such as rum or brandy, or you go for a non-alcoholic alternative, a little extra effort will put you on the right track to serving a moist and tasty fruitcake this holiday season.