Kitchen Tips How To How to Make Smart Cookie's Christmas Fruitcake This most controversial cake of all has been served at royal weddings and launched into outer space. So why doesn't it get the love it deserves? By Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on September 22, 2021 How nutty is a fruitcake anyway? MasterChef alum, Elise Mayfield — aka Smart Cookie — wants to change your mind about fruitcake. Here, she shows you how to make mini loaves of homemade fruitcake with naturally dried fruits and roasted nuts, and without any of the neon-colored mystery ingredients that put you off fruitcake in the first place. And yes, there will be rum. Get the recipe: Smart Cookie Fruitcake "Using naturally sweetened dried fruits and a curing time of 6 to 7 weeks ensures a beautifully flavored fruitcake that's even tastier than it is infamous. This recipe makes 4 mini loaves for easy gift-giving!" — Smart Cookie Smart Cookie's Top Tips: If you don't want to use rum, you can moisten the fruitcake with tea or fruit juice.Instead of soaking the dried fruits overnight, you can pop them into your microwave for 1 minute, stir, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.Ideally, you would let fruitcake ripen in the fridge for about 6 to 8 weeks before serving or giving away. Related Get More Christmas Cake Recipes Festive Food Gifts for Everyone On Your List Updated by Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table. Learn about our editorial guidelines Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit