Fruitcakes You’ll Actually Want to Eat Around the Holidays

By Food & Wine
Updated: December 07, 2016

It's safe to say that no holiday dessert gets more flak than the multidimensional and misunderstood fruitcake. Whether it's the excessive sugar or alcohol content or its negative association with names spouted by playground bullies (okay, maybe that only applies to me), the dried fruit and nut loaf is typically reserved for those on Santa's Naughty List.

We're here to squash fruitcake's horrible reputation with some delicious recipes worthy of gift-giving. Click through for some of our favorites. 

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Gingered Christmas Fruitcake

© Domestic Gothess

We’d sacrifice at least ten gingerbread men to make this decadent (and beautiful!) cake with marzipan royal icing. A treat fit for a queen, but on a peasant's budget. Domestic Gothess

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Sugar Plum Fruitcake

© Heather Baird / Sprinkle Bakes

Green and red candied cherries may look festive, but they have no place in this sugar plum variety that boasts bourbon-plumped figs, dates, plum jam and cream cheese frosting. Visions of this fruitcake are certainly dancing through our head. Sprinkle Bakes

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Bourbon Pecan Fruitcake

© Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack / Muy Bueno

When in doubt, add more booze. While a traditional fruitcake has always been quite alcoholic, this bourbon pecan recipe requires an amateur chef with a very heavy hand. Just don’t light this bad boy on fire. That's a job for the yule log. Muy Bueno Cookbook

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Hazelnut Coconut Fruitcake

© Barry C. Parsons / RockRecipes.com

Note to self: toasted hazelnuts can upgrade any recipe that calls for nuts. This fruitcake may look traditional, but it's proof that one substitution can take a dish from basic to brilliant. Rock Recipes

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Rich Rum Fruitcake

© Sweetopia

“Bring on the frosting,” - said this rich rum fruitcake, probably. And that’s a mantra we can get behind, especially if it’s covered in coconut. Sweetopia

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