Go Back
–+ servings
Print
Overhead shot of a sliced fruitcake loaf with chopped dark chocolate, a ramekin of golden raisins, and ornaments scattered around

Dark Chocolate Fruitcake

This Dark Chocolate Fruitcake is not your average fruitcake! It's made with dried cranberries, dates, apricots, raisins, and pineapple, brandy, a blend of holiday spices, vanilla, nuts, and chopped dark chocolate. It's an incredibly delicious, modern take on the classic fruitcake!

Course Dessert, Dessert/Snack, Snack
Cuisine Holiday
Keyword dark chocolate fruitcake, fruitcake recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 2 9x5 fruitcake loaves
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped dried pineapple
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped dried dates
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
  • 1 cup brandy
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 cups light brown sugar, loosely packed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts*
  • 2 (3.2 ounce) bars Chocolove 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325℉. Liberally grease two 9x5 loaf pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside. Place dried pineapple, raisins, apricots, dates, cranberries, and brandy in a large microwave safe bowl and stir to combine. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, then microwave for another minute. Set aside to cool.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside. In another large mixing bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar and eggs until smooth. Add the maple syrup, melted butter, vegetable oil, vanilla, and water and whisk again until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing with a rubber spatula until just combined. Drain off any excess brandy from the dried fruit (it's ok if a little bit remains), and add to the batter. Stir to combine. Fold in the chopped nuts and chopped dark chocolate. Batter will be THICK.

  3. Pour batter evenly into both loaf pans, smoothing out the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 80-90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the center is set. If at any point the tops seem to be getting too brown, tent them with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time. Let cool for 30 minutes in their pans, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Let cool completely before slicing!

Recipe Notes

*I used a mixture of chopped walnuts and pecans!
*I find that the fruitcakes get more delicious as the days go on. I'd make them 2-3 days before you want to serve them, and store them tightly wrapped at room temperature!