Magic Fruit Cake

A One-Bowl Holiday Cake That Looks Fancier Than It Is

This Magic Fruit Cake earns its name from the shortcut method: stir nine pantry ingredients together, pour into a tube pan, and walk away. The sweetened condensed milk does double duty here, replacing both sugar and most of the fat, which is why the batter looks alarmingly thin going into the oven. Resist the urge to add flour. That thin batter is what gives the cake its dense, almost candy-like crumb once the milk caramelizes around the walnuts and glacé cherries.

The red and green cherries aren’t just decorative. They keep their color through the long bake and turn each slice into a stained-glass cross-section, which is why this cake shows up on so many Christmas cookie and dessert trays. Mincemeat brings the warm spice notes (clove, cinnamon, citrus peel) without you having to measure a single one.

Kitchen Tips

• Grease and flour the tube pan thoroughly. With this much fruit and sugar, sticking is the main risk.
• The batter really is supposed to look thin. It thickens as the condensed milk sets during baking.
• Test for doneness at 1 hour 20 minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out, or the cherries can tear loose.
• Wrap tightly and store at room temperature. Like most fruit cakes, the flavor deepens after a day or two.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans or toasted almonds.
• Add a tablespoon of brandy or rum to the batter for a boozy holiday version.
• Drizzle with a simple icing of powdered sugar and milk once fully cooled.