Icebox Fruit Cake

I know… fruit cake, but don’t stop reading. First, this is an icebox fruit cake, which means it is more like candy than cake. I don’t like fruit cake, but I like this. And second, it is my grandmother’s recipe so, naturally, I want people to read about it.

Yes, I know Christmas is over, and fruit cake is a Christmas dessert.  But, I didn’t get this made in time to post earlier, and it would still be great for New Years.  Besides, this is one of those traditional family recipes.  I am going to try to start working in as many of those as possible, so after Christmas or not, I am putting it up.

I have made this before, but not in years and couldn’t find the recipe, but was able to get it from my aunt.  Mine is a little bit different from hers only because I started buying ingredients before I got the recipe and didn’t start it until late on Christmas Eve, so I was not planning to go back to the grocery store.  She also says that the candied fruit seems to come in different sized packages every year, so I measure what I put in and am going to stick with that for the future.   Don’t chop everything in the food processor.  It needs to be hand chopped or it will be too sticky and never become firm.  I made mine in a loaf pan, but you can put it in pretty much any mold or pan you want.  It is not cooked, so even something that is not oven proof works.  My aunt sometimes makes hers into balls and rolls them in confectioners’ sugar, which is a great idea because they are quite sweet and a bite  is often enough.

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Icebox Fruit Cake

Author Michelle

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz. box vanilla wafers, crumbled finely
• 1 cup red candied cherries, chopped by hand
• 1 cup green candied cherries, chopped by hand
• 1 cup candied pineapple, chopped by hand
• 1 cup raisins, chopped by hand
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped by hand (I used pecans.)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined and all is moistened.
2. Press together into mold or pan.
3. Refrigerate until cold. I refrigerate mine over night.
4. Slice and serve.

Courses Dessert