Now Here’s a Take on Fruit Cake You’ll Actually Want to Taste

Fruit cake often gets a bad reputation, and for good reason—it is usually packed with fluorescent candied fruit. Here, we’ve lightened up the seasonal treat by making it into bars and swapping in a medley of mixed nuts, dried fruit, and candied ginger.

Fruit Cake Bars

Yield: 12 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

6 tablespoons almond flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 cups mixed almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups dates, pitted and quartered
1/3 cup dried apricot halves, snipped in half
1/3 cup dried sour cherries
1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in the brown sugar, mixed nuts, dates, dried fruit, and candied ginger. Mix until fruit is coated in almond flour mixture.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg and vanilla. Pour over the nut and fruit mixture and mix until everything is well and evenly coated. Spread the batter evenly into the lined baking pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in oven until golden. Cool before removing from pan. With the aide of a sharp chef’s knife, cut the fruit cake into even bars and slices.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont