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National Fruitcake Day

Food · December 27

A day for fruitcake, the dense holiday loaf packed with candied fruit and nuts, often soaked in spirits and kept for weeks.

National Fruitcake Day falls on Sunday, December 27, 2026. That is 61 days away.

Fruitcake is a dense, heavy cake made mostly of candied or dried fruit and nuts, held together by just enough batter to call it cake. Cut a slice and you see a mosaic of cherries, citrus peel, raisins and pecans or walnuts.

It has a reputation, and the reputation is mostly about texture. A good fruitcake is moist and rich, a little like a cross between a spice cake and a box of dried fruit. Many bakers wrap the finished loaf in cloth and brush it with brandy, rum or whiskey every so often, which helps it keep and deepens the flavor. Versions without alcohol use fruit juice or syrup instead.

Because it keeps so well, fruitcake became a gift cake, mailed to relatives and handed across fences in tins. Some families bake theirs weeks ahead and let it rest. Others buy a small loaf and slice it very thin, which is how it tastes best anyway.

If the candied neon cherries are the problem, there is room to adjust. Plenty of home recipes swap in dried apricots, figs, dates or cranberries, and some lean heavily on nuts. A thin slice with sharp cheddar or a cup of strong coffee shows the cake in a kinder light.

A well wrapped fruitcake stored in a cool place can last a surprisingly long time, which is why the last slices are often as good as the first.

Ways to celebrate

• Try a thin slice of fruitcake with sharp cheddar or black coffee.
• Bake a small loaf using dried fruits you actually like.
• Ask an older relative about the fruitcake they remember.
• Share slices with neighbors or coworkers in a tin.

Dates

All national days on December 27

Also on December 27

• Visit the Zoo Day
• Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day

Categories: Food days