Glazed Cocoa-Pecan Fruitcake

This is fruitcake for people who think they don’t like fruitcake. Cocoa powder in the batter and a semisweet chocolate glaze on top turn the traditional holiday cake into something closer to a rich, fruit-studded brownie in a bundt pan.

The batter is a buttermilk chocolate base flavored with vanilla and brandy extract, loaded with candied cherries, toasted pecans, golden raisins, and a mix of dried fruits like apricots, peaches, and dates. That’s a lot of fruit and nuts, and they’re heavy. Folding them in gently at the end keeps them suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.

After baking, the cake gets wrapped in foil and rests overnight. This step is essential. The flavors meld, the crumb firms up, and the cake slices cleanly. Fresh-from-the-oven fruitcake is crumbly and the flavors aren’t fully developed yet.

Pro Tips

• Toast the pecans before adding them to the batter. Raw pecans taste flat in a cake this rich.
• Beat the butter and sugar until truly light and fluffy before adding eggs. This builds the structure that supports all that heavy fruit.
• Alternate adding flour and buttermilk in batches to prevent the batter from breaking.
• The chocolate glaze should be warm and pourable. Add cream a little at a time until it drizzles smoothly off a spoon.

Variations

• Substitute real brandy for the brandy extract and brush the warm cake with extra before wrapping.
• Use dried cranberries and chopped walnuts instead of the traditional fruit and pecan mix.
• Skip the chocolate glaze and dust with powdered sugar for a simpler finish.