Name: Easy Mincemeat Fruitcake
Total time: 1 d 4 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 16 (Makes 2 cakes)
Ingredients: 1 cup golden raisins; 1 cup dried cranberries; 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, shredded, and squeezed dry; 6 tablespoons brandy, plus extra for brushing; 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 (29 ounces/822 grams) jar prepared mincemeat (2 1/2 cups); 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk; 6 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; 2 3/4 cups (13 3/4 ounces/390 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Why This Recipe Works

Instead of the typical neon-colored candied fruit that many fruitcake recipes call for, we put jarred mincemeat (which is a mixture of dried and fresh fruits) to work here. Spiced up with crystallized ginger, a hit of brandy, and fresh orange zest, this is the easiest fruitcake to make and the tastiest to eat.

Before You Begin

Mincemeat can be found in the baking section of most supermarkets. This recipe was tested using one 29-ounce jar of Robertson’s Mincemeat Classic. The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan, the Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Loaf Pan, measures 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches; if you use 9 by 5-inch loaf pans, start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier than advised in the recipe. Shred the apple on the large holes of a box grater.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch nonstick loaf pans. Combine raisins, cranberries, apple, brandy, ginger, and orange zest in large bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Stir mincemeat, condensed milk, oil, and eggs into fruit mixture until thoroughly combined. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in separate bowl. Stir flour mixture into fruit mixture until thoroughly combined (batter will be very thick).

Divide batter between prepared pans, smoothing tops with spatula. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 1/4 hours to 1 hour 25 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack and let cool completely.

Brush tops and sides of cakes with extra brandy. Wrap cakes tightly in aluminum foil and store at room temperature for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days. To serve, dust with confectioners’ sugar and slice with serrated knife.