Buttermilk Pecan Fruitcake
Submitted by bgillion
Buttermilk pecan fruitcake made with dried pears and toasted pecans instead of the usual neon candied fruit. Buttermilk keeps the crumb tender, beaten egg whites give it lift. A gift-worthy Christmas loaf.
YIELD
3 fruitcakesPREP
20 minCOOK
65 minREADY
90 minThis is fruitcake for people who think they hate fruitcake. No glowing red cherries, no mystery green bits, just chopped dried pears and toasted pecans folded into a buttermilk-tender cake batter.
The texture is the real win here. Most fruitcakes are dense as a brick, this one uses separated eggs, the whites whipped to glossy peaks and folded in, to push the crumb lighter. Buttermilk does double duty, tenderizing the flour with its acid and feeding the baking soda for extra lift.
Dusting the pears and pecans in the dry mix before folding them in is a classic baker’s trick. The flour coats the fruit and keeps it suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan.
Fold the egg whites gently with a wide spatula, over-mixing deflates them and the cake loses its loft. Preheat high (400°F/205°C) then drop the temperature when the pans go in to jump-start the rise.
Kitchen Tips
- Toast the pecans for 8 to 10 minutes before chopping, it deepens the flavour and keeps them crisp in the cake.
- Use clean, dry beaters for the whites, any fat (even a speck of yolk) and they won’t whip properly.
- The tester should come out with a few moist crumbs, clean means you’ve overbaked.
- Wrap cooled loaves in brandy-soaked cheesecloth and foil to age for a few weeks, the flavour deepens beautifully.
Variations
- Swap half the pears for dried apricots or golden raisins for a mixed dried-fruit version.
- Sub walnuts or toasted hazelnuts for the pecans.
- Brush the tops with warm apricot jam after baking for a shiny, sticky glaze.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F; grease and flour 4 loaf pans.
Separate eggs.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add pears and pecans; stir again.
Set aside.
In large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add vanilla and beat again.
Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, blending well after each addition.
With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until they stand in firm, glossy, moist peaks.
Fold ⅓ egg whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites.
Fill each pan ⅔ of batter.
Reduce oven heat to 350℉ (180℃).
Bake 65 minutes, until tester inserted in center of each cake comes out clean.
Ten minutes before cakes are done, rotate pans back to front to cakes on each rack brown evenly.
Let cakes cool five minutes on wire racks, then turn out and finish cooling right side up on wire racks.
Before serving, decorate top of fruitcakes with whole nuts and mixed candied fruit peel.
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