During the holidays, most foodies wouldn’t think of giving a fruitcake, that heavy loaf filled with candied fruits and doused with various liquors, as a gift. Fruitcake usually inspires nightmares of over-sugared or sour fruit and fumes emanating from bad brandy. Whole Foods Market has temporarily saved the reputation of fruitcake by producing a loaf that’s not only decent, but a pleasure to eat. It doesn’t contain any preservatives: The dried fruits, which include pineapple, dates, figs, and apricots, don’t contain sulfur and aren’t artificially colored. The cake does contain alcohol (rum and brandy), but it doesn’t overwhelm the fresh taste of the plump fruits. And if you can’t bear to give the cake away, try a slice of the cake for breakfast, toasted and buttered.

Fruitcake at Whole Foods Markets (including the store at 10 Columbus Circle, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, 212-823-9600) is available in small sizes for $7.99 and large, round sizes for $17.99.