Gluek’s Fruit Cake

This seasonal staple was created in the 1960s by Gluek's Brewery in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to show the unique ways their beer could be used in cooking and baking.

Servings: 10

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Ingredients

1½ c. flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
⅛ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
¾ c. candied fruit
¼ c. raisins
¾ c. nuts, chopped
¼ lb. butter
¾ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. Gluek's beer

Instructions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg.
In another bowl, mix together the chopped candied fruit, raisins, and nuts with a small amount of the flour mixture.
Cream butter in a bowl, gradually adding the brown sugar, then the egg. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with the beer, mixing lightly. Blend in fruit and nuts.
Turn batter into a buttered 10-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for about an hour.
Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack. Let stand 24 hours before serving.

About Gluek’s

Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Status:
Permanently closed

Dates active:
1857-1964

In 1857, German immigrant Gottlieb Gluek opened the Mississippi Brewery on the banks of the Mississippi River near 22nd Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. The complex of buildings was nearly indestructible, with walls reported to be five feet thick. He changed the name to Gluek Brewing Company when his sons were old enough to begin working at the brewery. The Gluek Brewing Company then added several new brews to its well-known staple Gluek’s Beer, including Glix Beer, Gluek’s Stite, and Pioneer Beer. The brewery used caves on the north end of Nicollet Island to create its popular lagers. By 1902, the plant was turning out 44 barrels of beer per day.

While other breweries were going out of business, Gluek’s survived Prohibition by making near-beer and soft drinks. But after 107 years in business, the Gluek Brewing Company closed in 1964, and their core brands of beer were discontinued. At the time, Gluek’s was Minneapolis’ oldest continuously operated business in the city. The entire complex was purchased by the G. Heileman Brewing Company the same year. The brewery was later sold to a box-making company — they demolished the brewery buildings in 1966.

In 2017, Gluek’s label returned using a new recipe based on the old-world tradition of beer-making. Gluek Park was established in 1978 at the former site of the brewery.