The best fruit cake sounds like an oxymoron. The best fruit cake? Fruit cake is iconically bad! When I think of store bought fruit cake, I think of sitcoms making jokes about no one wanting it. When I was ordering fruit cakes for this article, however, I realized that I had actually never had one before.
For anyone who isn’t familiar, fruit cake is a moist bread typically made with dried fruit and alcohol. It comes in two main categories: American fruit cake and Italian panettone. We tried plenty of both to find out if store bought fruit cake that actually tastes good exists. Shockingly, we found five options for the best fruit cake and best panettone that I would happily eat again.
- Bauducco Chocolate Chips Mini Panettone
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Bauducco knows panettone, and their chocolate chip version is the best chocolate panettone we tried. The bread is so light and almost melts in your mouth. There are plenty of chocolate chips peppered throughout it. This is the best fruit cake to have for breakfast with a little hot tea or coffee. If you’re a chocolate freak, this is the best panettone.
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Old Fashion Claxton Fruit Cake
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American fruit cake gets a really bad rap. And don’t get me wrong, it is weird! It’s a dense loaf of dried fruit and nuts infused with a little booze. Lots of versions of it are very, very bad, and I understand why people make jokes about it. Old Fashion Claxton Fruit Cake, however, is delicious. It’s so moist. The fruit is not too chewy. It’s not too alcohol-y. If you want to try the best store bought fruit cake, this is definitely it!
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- La Torinese Tiramisu Cream Panettone
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In my opinion, flavored panettone is the way to go when it comes to fruit cake. There are so many different types! This tiramisu version is one of the best panettone options we tried. It has an incredible coffee flavor and a hint of chocolate. Plus, it comes with cocoa powder for sprinkling atop of the loaf. Chocolate snow!!!
Credit: Merc / World Market
- Muzzi Tommaso Limoncello Panettone
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This is my personal favorite when it comes to store bought fruit cake. The bread is light. The lemon flavor is present without tasting like Lysole (which lemon-flavored things can). It even has little pieces of candied lemon in it. Even the biggest fruit cake hater will love this. It is the best store bought panettone for citrus lovers, and you can find it at World Market.
Credit: Merc / World Market
- Bauducco Classic Mini Panettone
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Like I said before, Bauducco is the panettone brand. Their bakers are masters of subtlety. These fruit cakes are fruity but not too sweet. They’re a little boozy but still totally enjoyable by folks of any age. The bread is so unbelievably soft. If you want a standard store bought fruit cake or panettone, this is a great option. You can gift this without feeling guilty.
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
Best Chocolate
Best American-Style
Best Flavored Runner-Up
Best Flavored
Best of the Best
Other Products We Tried: Bauducco Vanilla, La Torinese Cranberry Orange, Trader Joe’s, Benson’s Bakery, Carli’s Cakes, Chiostro di Saronno
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