Icebox Fruitcake

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This old-fashioned icebox fruitcake recipe is a traditional holiday dessert for my family and many here in the South. This deliciously dense cake is overflowing with decadent ingredients, like graham cracker crumbs, pecans, maraschino cherries, and mini marshmallows.

Bite taken out of piece of icebox fruitcake.

This classic icebox fruitcake recipe is one of those simple things that have always made holidays special in our family. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas you would find one on my grandmother’s table, and now I get the opportunity to share her delicious recipe with y’all.

Fortunately, it’s so easy to make this Southern icebox fruitcake. The most challenging part is using a food processor to crush the graham crackers (yep, really). From there, you simply mix together all the ingredients, including raisins, pecans, mini marshmallows, maraschino cherries, and shredded coconut. A can of sweetened condensed milk perfectly brings all the ingredients together.

The best part is that this is a no-bake fruit cake. Yep, once you combine the ingredients, let it chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Now, I prefer to make icebox fruitcake bars in a baking dish. But if you’d prefer to make an actual fruitcake, go right on ahead and chill it in a bundt cake pan, round cake pan, or tube pan. 

So if you’ve been searching for a holiday dessert you can make ahead of time, look no further. If you’re on the lookout for another enjoyable icebox cake to bake, check out my lemon icebox cake recipe. Or you may like my fruitcake bar cookies. Okay, enough chattin’, let’s get not-baking 😉.

Labeled ingredients for icebox fruitcake.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Graham crackers
  • Pecans
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Shredded coconut
  • Raisins
  • Miniature marshmallows 
  • Sweetened condensed milk

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make Icebox Fruitcake

Crush graham crackers in food processor.

Crush the entire box of graham crackers.

I used my food processor but you can also pop those crackers in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Coarsely chop pecans.

Coarsely chop pecans.

Chop cherries.

 Chop cherries (saving the cherry juice).

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Combine everything in a large mixing bowl.

Mix ingredients well.

Mix well.

You may have to use your hands for this. It’s messy but you get to lick your fingers afterward, so it’s totally worth it.

Line baking dish with parchment paper.

Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or grease it with butter/cooking spray.

Press cake batter flat into prepared pan.

Press the cake batter flat into the prepared pan.

Turn out icebox fruitcake once chilled and cut into bars.

Chill for at least 6 hours and then turn out before cutting into bars.

Place of icebox fruitcake.

How good do these icebox fruitcake bars look?

Stack of icebox fruitcake bars.

Enjoy!

Storage

  • You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. The fruitcake will actually get better the longer it sits in your fridge, as the cake soaks up all the delicious flavor.
  • You can also freeze leftover fruit cake for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and it will be good to serve the next day.

Recipe Notes

  • If you miss that rum flavor of a traditional fruitcake, you can add 1 teaspoon of rum extract or dark rum to the mix.
  • Don’t hesitate to substitute any of the dried fruit or nuts if you don’t like them. For example, swap pecans for walnuts, or raisins for dried apricots.
  • Another great substitution is the graham crackers for crushed vanilla wafers.
  • If you can’t get your hands on maraschino cherries, you can use candied cherries or candied holiday fruit instead, and just add a tablespoon of water to the batter if it’s too tough.

Here are more popular holiday dessert recipes:

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe From Scratch

Holiday Popcorn Crunch

Festive Holiday Fruit Salad

Pumpkin Praline Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

How To Make Apple Pie

Plate of icebox fruitcake.

Icebox Fruitcake

This old-fashioned Icebox Fruitcake recipe is a traditional holiday dessert that's overflowing with decadent ingredients, like graham cracker crumbs, pecans, maraschino cherries, and mini marshmallows.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, fruit
Servings: 4
Calories: 135kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 14.4-oz box graham crackers
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries
  • 1 tablespoon cherry juice
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, firmly packed
  • 1.5 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

  • Finely crush graham crackers and coarsely chop pecans and drained cherries.
    1 14.4-oz box graham crackers, 1 cup pecans, 1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries
  • Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
    1 14.4-oz box graham crackers, 1 cup pecans, 1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries, 1 tablespoon cherry juice, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup shredded coconut, firmly packed, 1.5 cups mini marshmallows, 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • Turn out into a lightly buttered 9x13 baking dish and press flat into the pan with your hands.
  • Chill for at least 6 hours before cutting the fruitcake into bars.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

Original icebox fruitcake recipe from Southernbite.com

Remember, if you don’t have Christmas in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.

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96 Comments

  1. My mother always made this fruitcake at Christmas when I was a kid, so have I over the years. The reason we used cherries is because we didn’t like the candied fruit and we use vanilla wafers instead of graham crackers. Also packed it in a meatloaf pan, then turned it out and sliced as needed. Got one in the refridgerator right now, waiting….

      1. I had tasted one similar my Pastor Wife had made it was sinful. Plan to make yours I will eat it anytime.
        THANKS

      1. I love the candied pineapple in it. I’m not crazy about marshmallows so I don’t use them. It’s depends on your taste, can’t hardly mess it up!

  2. Thank you both Christy and Stacey, I have been looking for a recipe to take to my husband’s cousin house on Christmas day and I think this is it!

    Merry Christmas!

  3. Not picking on you, but your recipe states 1 Tbsp cherry juice and your description has 3 Tbsp. And that looks soooo good!

  4. My Brother use to make this cake every Christmas. Haven’t had it since he passed on in 1990. Thanks for the recipe, I never got his. Brings back lots
    of cherished memories. I will be making this Thursday. Merry Christmas

    1. I grew up with this but never have used sweetened condensed milk. Melted the marshmallows with a little evaporated milk. We always loved it. I think the sweetened condensed milk would make to sweet for me. But I know it always boils down to what we grew up with

  5. My mom always made this fruitcake for me as one of my gifts each year for Christmas…always loved it and now it is my turn to make the cake for her!

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