This no-bake icebox fruitcake recipe will change your mind about Christmas’s most maligned dessert. You’ll love this fruity and nutty version made with graham crackers and marshmallows.
Give me your best fruit cake joke. I can take it, even though I don’t think this Chirstmas sweet is anything to laugh about.
Fruitcake is one of my favorite holiday treats, along with butterscotch haystack cookies, these chocolate-dipped peppermint candies and my famous fried wontons.
I even like fruitcake cookies!
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You can scroll to the end of this post for the full ingredient list, a printable recipe card and how-to video. But you may want to keep reading for more tips on how to make Christmas icebox fruitcake.
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I originally shared this recipe in November 2013. It has been updated with new photos, a how-to video and additional information in December 2021.
What is Icebox Fruitcake?
Icebox fruitcake is made using crushed graham cracker crumbs, candied cherries, coconuts, raisins, pecans and walnuts.
The recipe, which was passed down from my Grandma Joyner, uses marshmallows melted in evaporated milk to bind everything together. Some other icebox fruitcake recipes use sweetened condensed milk as a binder.
While a traditional fruitcake can take days to make and lots of steps, the icebox version only requires about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
You can make this fruitcake by yourself, but I find it’s always fun to have someone helping out with Christmas baking. Stirring the fruitcake can be a bit of an arm workout, so it’s good to have a sous chef with strong biceps!
This is a recipe our family has been making for decades. It’s popular with people who don’t like traditional baked fruitcake. And if you are a fruitcake fan, I think you’ll like it, too.
Don’t like something in fruitcake? This recipe is very forgiving. Feel free to leave out the coconut, use other candied fruit or reduce the amount of nuts.
Every year, my Grandma Joyner and Aunt Donna would spend days making Christmas goodies: butterscotch haystacks, homemade fudge, peanut brittle, peanut butter balls and other treats.
You always knew you were getting a fruit cake, a sweet, moist loaf studded with candied cherries, raisins and nuts.
Each cake was a perfectly shaped rectangular loaf because grandma made hers in milk cartons, a task my mother swears is nearly impossible and unnecessary.
Now, we make ours in a baking dish and slice into uniform-sized loaves that can be stored in the freezer or refrigerated if you’re planning on eating it sooner.
Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe. Click here to watch my web story on how to make no-bake icebox fruitcake.
To Make Icebox Fruitcake, You Will Need:
- Large bowl or stockpot
- Sauce pan
- 9X13 baking dish
- Parchment paper or wax paper
- Wooden spoon or heavy-duty spatula
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Cooking spray (optional)
- Food processor or rolling pin (optional)
🥮 Icebox Fruit Cake Ingredients
- Evaporated milk – You’ll find evaoporated milk on the baking aisle, not in the dairy section, in the grocery store. It’s sold in cans; and it has half the water content of regular milk.
- Marshmallows – You can use any size marshmallow you like. The smaller marshmallows may melt faster.
- Graham cracker crumbs – To save time, I like to use premade crumbs for this recipe. But you can always crush graham crackers by hand or in a food processor.
- Raisins – I used black raisins for my fruitcake, but golden raisins would be tasty and pretty, as well.
- Pecans – You can use pecan halves or chopped pecans, depending on your preference.
- Walnuts – I like to use chopped walnuts. But if you don’t like the flavor, you can just use more pecans or leave them out entirely.
- Candied Cherries – For a pretty Christmas fruitcake, I like to use both red and green candied cherries. You’ll find them on the baking aisle, or sometimes in the produce section, of the grocery store around Christmastime.
- Coconut – Use shredded, sweetened coconut for icebox fruitcake.
📋 How to Make Icebox Fruitcake
First, prepare your baking dish by lining it with wax paper or parchment paper so the fruitcake easily releases. It helps to spray the pan with cooking spray first, so the parchment has something to stick to, as you’ll see in this helpful video.
Next, crush the graham crackers into crumbs. You can do this in a food processor. Or you place the crackers in a sealed plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
I usually just pick up a couple of boxes of graham cracker crumbs to save myself some time.
Coarsely chop the candied cherries.
In a large mixing bowl or sauce pan, combine the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, raisins, nuts and candied fruit. Make sure everything is evenly mixed. Use a wooden spoon or heavy-duty spatula — or even your clean hands.
In a separate sauce pan, combine evaporated milk and marshmallows. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the marshmallows have melted.
Pour the marshmallow mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is well-coated with the marshmallow and milk mixture. Again, you may find it helpful to use your hands, although it can be a bit messy.
When everything is mixed, spoon the fruitcake mixture into the lined baking pan. Use a square of wax paper to press into the pan.
Refrigerate for at least six hours, or overnight, to allow to set.
Once set, take the fruitcake out of the pan and peel off the wax paper or parchment lining. Slice into loaves.
Wrap each individual loaf in plastic wrap or freezer paper. Place wrapped loaves in a large freezer bag. Freeze until ready to serve.
🍽 How to Serve Icebox Fruitcake
- When you’re ready to serve the fruitcake, remove a loaf from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours. Cut into slices.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Fruitcake is a delicious addition to a holiday dessert board. It also goes well with coffee, Russian tea or spiked chai tea latte.
Variations
- Substitute candied holiday fruit, which contains a mix of cherries and pineapples.
- For that liquor-soaked fruitcake flavor, add a teaspoon of rum extract to the marshmallow and milk mixture before mixing with the dry ingredients.
- This recipe is really forgiving. You can reduce the amount of nuts, raisins or coconut or candied cherries to suit your preferences.
Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about this fruitcake recipe
Long before it was a punchline, fruitcake was considered a special treat.
Back in the Middle Ages, dried fruits and nuts were rare luxuries, available only at the holidays.
What we now know as fruitcake, traces its origins to 16th century England when bakers hid a coin or a bean in a Twelfth Night cake. Whoever found the coin or bean usually received a crown.
Yes, icebox fruitcake can be frozen. I actually recommend that you freeze this fruit cake to extend its shelf life.
To freeze, tightly wrap each loaf in plastic wrap. Place individually wrapped loaves in a large, freezer-safe sealed plastic bag. For best results, make sure to remove the air from the bag before freezing.
Icebox fruitcake will keep in the freezer for a year.
Once you’ve thawed fruitcake, it will keep for a week to 10 days in the refrigerator.
More Holiday Baking Ideas
Try one of these other delicious holiday sweet treats:
I hope you’ll give Grandma’s icebox fruit cake recipe a try. I promise you, it’s delicious, and unlike any baked fruit cake recipe you’ve tried. Add it to your Christmas dessert menu this year and see what you think.
This fruit cake won’t be passed around from family to family, like in that old Johnny Carson joke. But once people try it, you may be asked to share the recipe. Feel free. I’m pretty sure Grandma Joyner wouldn’t mind.
Pin This! Grandma’s Icebox Fruitcake Recipe
If you try Icebox Fruitcake or any recipe on Atta Girl Says, please come back and share your 5-star rating in the comments below! I appreciate it, and my readers do, too!
🎥 Recipe Video & Recipe Card
Christmas Icebox Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 pound raisins
- 1 pound pecans
- 1 pound walnuts
- 1 pound candied cherries chopped
- 1 pound marshmallows any size
- 1 pound graham crackers crushed
- 1 pound coconut
Instructions
- Line a 9X13 baking dish or pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Coarsely chop the candied cherries.
- Mix together graham crackers, coconut, raisins, nuts and candied fruit in a large bowl or stockpot. Stir well to combine.
- Melt marshmallows in evaporated milk over low heat.
- Pour marshmallow mixture over dry ingredients.
- Use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to mix all ingredients together. You may find it useful to use your clean hands to mix.
- Spoon mixture into a lined 9X13 pan. Allow to cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours, or overnight.
- Once the fruitcake has set, remove it from the baking pan and discard the parchment or wax paper. Slice into loaves.
- Wrap each fruitcake loaf tightly with plastic wrap. Place wrapped loaves in a freezer-safe sealed plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 year.
Video
Notes
Variations
- Substitute candied holiday fruit, which contains a mix of cherries and pineapples.
- For that liquor-soaked fruitcake flavor, add a teaspoon of rum extract to the marshmallow and milk mixture before mixing with the dry ingredients.
- This recipe is really forgiving. You can adjust the amount of nuts, raisins, coconut or candied cherries to suit your preferences.
How to Serve:
- When you’re ready to serve the fruitcake, remove a loaf from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours. Cut into slices.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Nutrition
Phil
There is something to be said for the rum/bourbon soaked varieties of fruitcake also!! As well as the unbaked version!!!
Christy
Hello from Winston-Salem! My mom makes this minus the walnuts and coconut sometimes depending on who’s eating, it’s really good, simple and easy! For us it’s up there along with the Southern Supreme fruitcakes! It’s that time of year too! Of course we make it anytime of the year 😉
Atta Girl Amy
Hi Christy! Nice to meet another person from the Triad. I’ll have to try the walnuts and coconut next time I make this fruitcake. And yes, we love Southern Supreme, too. Every year, I say I want to go to their open house, but I always miss it.
Betty
I love icebox fruit cake also. I always get mine to sticky. I tried one and it is really good but still sticky.
What am I doing wrong?I live in Lucama N.C. close to Wilson N.C.
Debra
my mama would pack hers back in the box the graham crackers were in. I live in lee co., not far from Southern Supreme in bear creek, and they make an awesome cake too. nothing is ever like mama’s, it’s delicious and has all those great memories to go along with it!
Atta Girl Amy
Debra, using the graham cracker box is a great idea. I was talking to my aunt about my grandma’s use of milk cartoons, and the reason was one of necessity. Back then, they couldn’t afford to buy special pans or aluminum pans for the fruitcake, so they used what they had. Frugal and smart!
And I’m familiar with Southern Supreme fruit cake. My parents buy from them quite often. I’ve always wanted to go to their holiday open house because I hear it’s amazing, but somehow, I always miss it. Maybe next year.
I’m glad my post could bring back fond memories for you.
Phyllis
Am so excited to see this! Remembered liking this when Mom made it long ago and liked it so much better than the classic dark cooked kinds — but never could find the recipe. Just remembered you didn’t really have to cook it and that it had graham crackers ~ Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🙂
Another Carolina girl — this one from Charlotte (but went to school in GBO)
Manuela@ A Cultivated Nest
Yum! That looks so good!
AdenaF
I am one of the few that actually likes fruitcake. But not the old boxed kind from the store. Only freshly homemade. What a big difference!! I’ve never had an icebox fruitcake before and can’t wait to try this one. btw, saw you live in Gsbo!! I grew up and have lived most of my life in Kernersville and surrounding area. Before moving to FL 8 yrs ago, we lived off Skeet Club/Wendover. My son is flying up there in 2 weeks and I go back at least twice a year because all of my family is still there. Nice to “meet” you.
Atta Girl Amy
Nice to meet you, too Adena.
I think you’ll enjoy this fruitcake recipe. It’s a big hit at our family gatherings and parties.
And small world! I’m not all that far from Kernersville where I live now in Northwest Greensboro. And before we moved here, we lived not far from your old place — off Wendover and Stanley Road. I sure don’t miss living over there at this time of year! It always took so long to get home during the holidays through the Wendover shopping crowds.
Safe travels to your son. And happy Thanksgiving to you.
Pat/SC
My granny made this, but with pecans she grew and no marshmallows. She shaped hers and shaped it in tea boxes lined with wax paper. It was mixed in a large enamel basin. Still my favorite even if I haven’t had it in years. I must try this.
Thanks for the recipe and the memory. Granny was in upstate South Carolina.
Atta Girl Amy
What a sweet memory. My aunt did email me to tell me that you can use a jar of maraschino cherries instead of candied cherries, if you prefer.
I love that your granny and my grandmother both repurposed everyday household items to make their fruitcake. Tea boxes were probably a lot easier to fill than milk cartons.
Sherry
Fruitcake is a classic that I grew up with. It was always gone by New Years! Your looks delicious!
Thanks for hosting!
Sherry
Atta Girl Amy
Thanks, Sherry. I have never understood why people don’t like fruitcake. I like all kinds — though perhaps not a really rum-soaked version.
Holly
YUMMY! Sounds delicious….