NewWelcome to my brand NEW website!My brand NEW website is here! All your favourite recipes are still here, each one with its video.

Find a recipeCan't find something? Tell me

SearchYouTube96.8K

Dark Rum Fruitcake

How to make a Dark rum fruitcake that’s packed full of spicy rich flavours, dried fruit, dates and silky molasses then topped with dark rum.

By Bonita Hussey

4.85 ratings
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Makes
1
Serves
Family
Jump to recipe Watch me make it
This recipe is in my cookbook Bonita's Kitchen: A Little Taste of Home
Traditional Newfoundland Dark Fruit Cake

About this recipe

Traditional Newfoundland Dark Rum Fruit Cake
This dark rum fruitcake is packed full of dried fruit.

Here is a few more links to cake recipes…

DARK RUM FRUITCAKE
Small foil tins of dark rum fruitcake for gifts.
DARK RUM FRUITCAKE
Baked and ready to wrap with rum soaked cheese cloth.

Traditional Newfoundland Christmas Fruit Bread

Christmas Fruit Bread
Delicious Christmas Fruit Bread made with mixed dried fruit and braided into a wreath.

Check out this one!

Traditional Newfoundland Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake
Cherry cake with a sprinkle of snowflakes topping

I’m going to also share with you a link to our cookbooks, released in February 2017, October 2020 and July 2025!

https://www.bonitaskitchen.com/cookbook

What's for Supper-New Cookbook Release!
What’s for Supper is our NEW cookbook, plus A Little Taste of Home and Traditional Newfoundland Recipes and cooking.
Traditional Newfoundland Dark Rum Fruit Cake
 Dark Rum Fruitcake this delicious cake is packed full of fruit and very moist. This was a Christmas Tradition by most Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

This dark rum fruitcake is full of rich texture, nice and moist packed full of dried fruit. Delicious!

I can’t say enough good things about my dark rum fruitcake, when making this cake you can add more dried fruit, raisins, dates or plums as you like.

Traditional Newfoundland Dark Fruit Cake
Dark Rum Fruitcake full of spicy flavours and silky molasses with dried fruits and dark rum.

I can remember my mom making this recipe just before Christmas time and the house just smelling heavenly, there is nothing like it.

Check out another Christmas cake recipe we enjoy making.

Traditional Newfoundland Apricot Cake

Apricot Cake
A piece of Apricot Cake topped with whipped cream and powdered icing sugar, the plate got a cinnamon star and a side of cherries and dried apricots.

There are so many delicious fruit cake recipes out there to make, whats so lovely about our recipes you can view our step by step video tutorial to make our fruitcake.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting our website and reading my blog, its because of you we continue to post more and more videos and recipes for you to enjoy.

Please leave us a message before you go telling us what you think about this recipe or anyone of our recipes on this page.

Welcome to Bonita's kitchen
Thank You and Enjoy Bonita 🙂

The recipeDark Rum Fruitcake

One step at a time in big print, and your screen stays on.

Ingredients Tick them off

Method Tap a step to keep your place

  1. Preheat your oven to 325°f, set timer to 45 minutes bake time, or depending on your oven.

  2. In a medium bowl with lid, add all of your chopped fruits and add 1/4 cup dark rum cover and soak over night or few hours at room temperature.

  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar, add egg mix together.

  4. In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon.

  1. Then in another small bowl add molasses and milk mix together. Then start mixing into butter and sugar in three batches, alternating flour mixture and molasses mixture until all is incorporate together.

  2. Then fold in your soaked rum and fruit mixture to the batter.

  3. Line a 6 x 3 inch spring release pan with parchment paper and put oil around the inside. Scoop your batter into your pan and place in your pre-heated 325°F oven for 45 minute or until baked. When your time is up poke a tooth pick or knife into cake if it comes out clean your cake is ready.

  4. Remove from oven let cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove cake and place on a cooling rack, when totally cooled sprinkle one tbsp or more of dark rum over top.

  5. Pre-soak a piece of cheese cloth in a 1/4 cup of dark rum, after spread cheese cloth out on counter place your cake inside and wrap around cake, then have a piece of parchment paper to wrap around the cake and cheese cloth.

  6. Then place your cake in a airlock container with lid for 10 weeks or ready to eat in 11 days. Store in a cool place in your house, If you like to store it longer you can double the amount of dark rum, or freeze, if you can't wait 11 days to eat your cake just re-open your container and enjoy.

How did it turn out?

Tap a star to rate it.

What's in it
Allergens
  • Alcohol
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Nuts
  • Rum
  • Wheat

From my ingredient list. If you have an allergy, always check the labels on what you buy.

Share on Facebook

Email me this recipe

I'll send Dark Rum Fruitcake to your inbox, so it's there when you need it.

Dark Rum Fruitcake

Keeping your screen on

Step 1

Show the ingredients

    Watch me make it

    Filmed in our kitchen by RM Hussey Productions.Open on YouTube

    Join 96,800 people who watch me cook. I post new videos most weeks.

    Subscribe on YouTube

    Leave me a message

    Did you make it? Does it remind you of someone who used to make it? Tell me about it. Your email is never shown.

    Just your town and province or country. It shows beside your name.

    18 messages

    I answered 6 of them myself.

    1. Gertrude Rose

      Cooking from Nl.

      Hi Sis. I never made this dark fruit cake. But sure would like to try it. It’s the best. So moist and tasty. Hope I have more the next time you make Mom some. I compare all my baked stuff to my mother in laws because she was a excellent baker. Your cake is way up their on her list of perfection. Love your new website Bonita’s Kitchen.

      Reply
      1. Bonita

        Hi Sis! Thank you so much for writing your review and enjoying our fruit cake recipe. We are pretty excited for our new website it is now more people friendly for looking for a recipe…. This is the recipe I love making for mom, you can double it if you wish. Mom still got some fruit cake in her freezer if you like to go take a piece or two with a nice cup of tea with her. Send me a picture of you both. Bless you for letting us know you stopped by our website and have a Happy Thanksgiving Weekend with your beautiful family.. xo Bonita

        Reply
    2. Amanda Rose

      Wow, this recipe looks amazing! I love your video and your down to earth approach. I bet your kitchen is filled with heavenly smells and food that will lift you out of the hardest days.

      Reply
      1. Bonita

        Hi Amanda: Thank you for your message and for stopping by, I’m so glad you enjoyed our DARK RUM FRUIT CAKE recipe. This one taste so lovely and gets better as it ages. Even if you freeze it the cake will taste amazing after its thawed. Enjoy Bonita

        Reply
        1. bernadette vidunas

          I love this recipe. I double it and bake in a jumbo muffin pan for 6 small cakes that are the perfect size for gifting. I decorate the tops with green cherries like a wreath. I’m making the light fruit cake recipe too, because you can’t have too much fruit cake.

          Reply
          1. Bonita

            Hi Bernadette. Thank you so much for following up with us after you made our dark and light fruit cake, i’m so glad you made the small muffin size they make great gifts too. Have a wonderful time baking over the holiday’s and thank you for stopping by…..:) Bonita

            Reply
    3. Coffee Shops Near Me

      Very interesting, good job and thanks for sharing
      such a blog.
      Best regards,
      Abildgaard Valenzuela

      Reply
      1. Bonita

        You are very welcome and thank you for stopping by, i’m glad you enjoyed our recipe. Thank you for leaving a message letting us know. 🙂 Bonita

        Reply
    4. Tonia

      Just made this (my first fruitcake ever) and it smells so good in here. Easy recipe to follow and cake looks amazing. Thank you Bonita

      Reply
      1. Bonita

        Hi Tonia: Oh my that sounds amazing, I’m so glad you made and enjoyed making it. I love this fruit cake and I got all my ingredients picked up to get mind made today. Enjoy to the fullest and thank you for leaving a message and for stopping by. Happy Thanksgiving if it applies. 🙂 Bonita

        Reply
    5. Bonita Tucker

      Can I purchase a dark fruit cake in St. John’s?

      Reply
      1. Bonita

        Hi Bonita: Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a message, oh my I’m sure there is a few places in ST. John’s you can purchase a dark rum fruit cake. This time of year there is lots of craft christmas sales and they sell cakes and cookies. 🙂 Enjoy Bonita

        Reply
    6. Wanieta

      Hello
      The dark rum fruitcake looks delicous and I think I will make it . Thankyou

      Reply
      1. Bonita

        Hi Wanieta: Thank you for your message and for visiting my website, I’m glad you found us and your going to make this lovely fruit cake. Enjoy Bonita

        Reply
      2. Laura

        Hi Bonita,
        I was searching for a dark fruitcake recipe just like my mom used to make and yours looks like a perfect match! I enjoyed watching your video and will pick up some dark rum so I can follow your recipe exactly. Your wrapped fruitcake looks lovely, and using the cans to make gift cakes is genius! Thank you for sharing your recipe! Merry Christmas!

        Reply
        1. Bonita

          Hi Laura:Thank you so much for your message and for stopping by, I’m so glad you enjoyed our dark rum fruit cake recipe. It is so tasty and easy to make. We do have a light fruit cake available and on December 19 we will be posting a diet fruit cake, so stop back again to see that recipe. Have a lovely day 🙂 Merry Christmas and Happy Baking….Bonita

          Reply
          1. Laura

            Hi Bonita, Thank you again for the recipe! I have a double batch baking in the oven right now, and the house does smell heavenly! I will visit your page again to see your diet fruitcake recipe. The fruitcakes I made today will be ready on Christmas Day, just in time! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

            Reply
            1. Bonita

              Hi Laura, thank you for your message and for making our dark rum fruit cake recipe, this is my favourite cake. But please do stop by next Sunday when myself and Pam Pardy makes a tasty diet fruit cake and its nice to have choices for company that can’t have sugar or rum in the fruit cake. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 🙂 Bonita

    Get my new recipes by email

    A short note from my kitchen with each new recipe and video. You can stop any time.

    Get my new recipes by email

    When I make something new, I'll send you a short note with the recipe and the video. You can stop any time.

    Find a recipe

    Popular: Jiggs dinner Toutons Bread Fish cakes Molasses Soup

    Love the new website? Let me know!

    What do you love about it? Tap as many as you like

    I may show your first name and where you're from on my website, like "Sandra from Carbonear loves Cook mode".