Editor’s Pick: 10 Fabulous Fruitcakes To Fall In Love With
Forget the bad jokes about fruitcake. You just haven’t been eating the right ones!
Yeah, we’ve heard all the bad jokes at fruitcake’s expense, and we say: if you don’t love fruitcake, that’s just because you haven’t tasted the right one yet. Here are ten fruitcakes crafted with care, using quality ingredients, resulting in fragrant, festive cakes with rich, complex flavors. Some people will eat their fruitcake at once, others prefer to store them for a month or more to wait for the flavors to develop. I’m the kind who stores fruitcake for a month or so, basting it in brandy every now and then, till it becomes so redolent of the liquor you could set it on fire. Whatever your palate preferences are, you’ll find something to love in the list below.
Best Fruitcakes 2021
Best Fruitcakes 2021
The Christmas Fruitcake by Casa San Luis
An heirloom fruitcake recipe merged with French techniques created one of the best fruitcakes in town. The dense cake is richly studded with candied fruit, pili nuts, walnuts, cashew, almonds and raisins, and is intensely aromatic with brandy. It’s aged a full year to allow the flavors to meld together and ripen into one intense, amazing fruitcake experience. Available in limited quantities, so please order asap. Send a DM to @casasanluispastries on IG.
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Classic Fruitcake from Ju.D’s Bakery
Ju’D Lao has been making fruitcake for 46 years, and this is the classic fruitcake I remember from childhood. The OG fruitcake is a beautifully balanced creation with walnuts, glazed fruits, cherries, raisins, aged with rum. Other versions include a Blue Mountain Coffee Fruitcake aged with Kahlua, and a Golden Fruitcake with a honey cake base studded with juicy cranberries, apricots, walnuts and a hint of ginger. To order, call (02) 8633-1188, send a DM to @judsfruitcakes on Facebook, or order online at www.bettersnacks.store/collections/bakery.
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Fruitcake From Betina’s Kitchen
One of my favorite fruitcakes over the years, Betina Legarda makes them Spanish-style, aged with brandy or rum with just the right fruit-to-cake ratio. Best of all, the cakes remain moist for a long time. Please call (0917) 529-4208 or (02) 8519-7097, or DM @frombetinaskitchen on Instagram.
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Classic Fruitcake from Cafe Mary Grace
A signature dessert since 1983, this is an almost-minimalist fruitcake with just a hint of sweetness from the candied fruit complemented by a nice whiff of brandy. While it starts out simple, the flavors of spice, sweet and nutty build on your palate, till you find yourself reaching for yet another slice. Beautifully moist, too. Available at Cafe Mary Grace branches, although we recommend you order in advance at wwww.marygracecafe.com. Check out @cafemarygrace on Instagram.
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Felicia’s Fruitcake
Bacolod’s well-known baker makes this lovely traditional fruitcake that’s just a little bit nutty, sweet and intoxicating. And it’s now available in Manila, thanks to @thecommissariat. Preorder on @thecommissariat on Instagram or through the thecommissariatmanila.com.
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Bizu’s French Fruitcake
Bizu’s version of the fruitcake is this moist butter cake soaked with rhum and studded with assorted dried fruits and nuts. Available in two sizes. Do check out their Zesty Orange Cake, as well! Call or viber (0915) 300-6082 or (0917) 634-6379, check out @bizuph on Instagram, or order online at www.bizu.ph.
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Dream Fruitcake by Marlene Montfort Pastries
Following the cherished recipe from her aunt in Bacolod, Marlene Montfort’s fruitcake is a cross between English pudding and heritage fruitcake. It has glazed fruit, dates and walnuts and aged with Kirschwasser molasses that give this cake deep, complex notes and fruitiness. It’s half-steamed then slow baked to perfection. Call (0917) 702-0005 or send a DM to @marlenemontfort on Instagram.
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Fruitcake from New World Makati
This extravagant offering is held together by jewel-like glazed fruits and nuts, and is sinfully moist and rich on the tongue. It comes as part of the holiday hamper, but you can also opt to get just the fruitcake. Call (02) 8811-6888 extension 3679, or send a Viber/WhatsApp to (0917) 888-4194. Check out @newworldmakati on Instagram.
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Edward’s Dessert Studio’s Fruitcake Bundle
A new favorite, Edward’s Dessert Studio tastes like my childhood fruitcake all grown up. It arrives in a shiny tin can. It’s satisfyingly rich and moist, with a generous amount of fresh and dried fruit. The Fruitcake Bundle includes one fruitcake and two boxed cakes of your choice. Send a DM to @edwardsdessertstudio on Instagram. (Photo:
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Homemade Fruitcake from Tilde’s Kitchen
Dark, dense, moist and loaded with fruit, nuts, spices then generously infused with alcohol — this is not your ordinary, run of the mill fruitcake. Send a DM to @tildeskitchen on Instagram or Facebook.
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Every food editor has a few secrets up her sleeve, and I figured this year I’ll share mine. There are two fruitcakes not on the list but are oh-so-good. Costa Brava has a super moist fruitcake only available upon request. And Mamou’s has a fruitcake that is my personal favorite, because it’s the booziest one I’ve ever encountered — it’s the kind of fruitcake where they held off on the fruit and just poured on more of the booze. Have an intoxicatingly good Christmas!
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