A family recipe, and as such, for me, there is no better than this Christmas Dulce de leche fruitcake or Pan de Pascua. Christmas is not Christmas without eating this Fruitcake.
The secret to this Chilean fruitcake is the addition of dulce de leche to the batter, making a cake mellow and addictive.
If you know some Spanish, you will notice that this recipe is known as Easter bread, I don’t have an explanation, but in Chile: Christmas is called Pascua, Santa Claus is El Viejo Pascuero, and so on. In case you are wondering, Easter is also Pascua de Resurrección.
Don’t get lost in the name; this fruitcake will imake you fall in love.
How to store a Dulce de leche Fruitcake?
It is better to do it a week before eating it and store it in a plastic bag once it is cold. This way, it improves its flavor. And it must rest for at least a full day before cutting it to prevent the crumb from falling apart.
How do I ensure that my Dulce de leche Fruitcake does not crumble?
It would help if you cut the Fruitcake with a serrated knife. That avoids a lot of crumbs. You can even use an electric knife.
My Dulce de Leche Fruitcake was dry or hard: what could it be?
There are two common causes: one that has been overcooked, the oven must be at a medium-low temperature and bake with patience so that it does not remain raw in the middle and overcooked on the borders. Ideal to have an oven thermometer.
The other reason is overmixing: once you add the flour, you should only mix until incorporated, and it is better to combine the nuts and fruit by hand for the same reason. If you mix too much, the flour develops gluten, and the bread becomes hard.
What can I serve to complement the Fruitcake?
Cola de Mono, of course, is Chile’s version of eggnog, but with coffee and no eggs.
Other variations of the Chilean Fruitcake:
Chilean Pan de Pascua with molasses or Chancaca
Pan de Pascua Chilean Dulce de leche Fruitcake
Try this amazing Chilean Fruitcake, with Dulce de Leche on the batter.
Total Time: 3 hours
Yield: 4 cakes (12 portions each) 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Instructions
- The day before. Soak raisins, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, candied fruit in rum with lemon zest and spices. Stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 150C o 300F.
- Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer until creamy and pale the next day, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well incorporated, beating 1 minute after each egg.
- Add the Dulce de Leche and beat until incorporated, about 3 minutes.
- Then add the flour with the baking powder and salt (sifted together) while mixing at low speed until well blended, about 3 minutes.
- Finally, add by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula the soaked fruits and nuts, mix well, I divide the dough in half to make it easier.
- Pour into buttered cake pans (7′ or 8′).
- Bake at 150C or 300F for 2 hours or until golden brown and a stick comes out without crumbs. Let stand 15 minutes in the pan and unmold, allow to cool completely before cutting. Store in plastic bags for two weeks.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 366
- Sugar: 23.2 g
- Sodium: 50.5 mg
- Fat: 18.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 7.1 g
Keywords: chilean fruitcake, chilean cuisine
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