Easy Fruit cake - This classic cake baked as a tray bake is super easy to prepare. It’s perfect to bake, frost and serve straight from the baking pan. Deliciously versatile, frost the cake with buttercream, whipped cream, glace, fondant or serve as is.
Just a note on a few ingredients and substitutes if needed
While the full recipe is written below, this is the section to read if you’re wondering about ingredient substitutions or how these ingredients work in the recipe.
- Dried fruit:
Use any dried mixed fruit you prefer as long as it weighs 650g / 25 oz in total.
I use the store-bought mix of raisins, sultanas currants, and cherries.
Combine the fruit with the liquid of your choice in a bowl cover and let rest overnight. Forgot about doing this step? Not to worry, simply microwave the fruit and liquid together in a bowl for 1 minute, or until it's very hot, cover, and let rest 1 hour.
- Soaking liquid
You can soak the fruit in either water, apple, orange or cranberry juice. The flavor of your cake is based on the fruit and juice mix you use. If you do not want the prominent flavor of juice in the cake, then just use water. Its neutral and allows you to have more of the fruit and warm spice flavor in the cake.
- Butter:
Use softened at room temperature.
- Sugar
I use either light or dark brown sugar in this fruit cake. Brown sugar helps retain moisture in the cake as well as adding flavor.
- Eggs
Use eggs at room temperature for this recipe.
- Spices
Adds delicious warmth to the cake. I use all spice (mixed spice) in this recipe. As a substitution for 1 teaspoon of allspice, you can use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
- Flour
Use either cake flour or all purpose (plain) flour
- Baking powder
How to make Easy Fruit Cake
- Soak the dried fruit in water or juice overnight or microwave the fruit and liquid together in a bowl for 1 minute, or until it's very hot, cover, and let rest 1 hour.
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs with the spices and beat to form a smooth mixture.
Fold in the flour and baking powder, then beat on low speed for one minute to combine.- Mix in the soaked fruit including any liquid in the bowl.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased and lined baking pan, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Serve as is or frost as you prefer.
Frosting/Decorating/ serving suggestions
Frosting or decorating is optional but can be the crowning glory for an impressive bake.
- Top with sifted powdered sugar after baking
- Swirl a layer of buttercream over the cool baked cake
- Spread whipped cream and top with cherries or fruit
- Cover with a layer of store-bought sugar paste or fondant (read package for instructions on rolling out the fondant)
- Serve with homemade custard
Tips and Frequently asked questions
- Why is it necessary to soak the fruit before adding to the batter?
Soaking ensures hydration of the fruit. If it is not soaked prior to baking, the fruit will absorb liquids from the batter. This will produce a drier, denser baked fruit cake.
- Can I use white granulated sugar instead of brown sugar in this fruit cake?
Brown sugar is simply white sugar but with molasses added into it. So yes, you can use this as an alternative. However, this will alter the taste and texture slightly . This is because brown sugar contributes to the moisture and color of the baked cake. Brown sugar also produces a slight caramel like flavor, which might be absent when substituting with white sugar.
- What spice to add to fruit cake?
Spices give fruitcake that warm signature flavor. I use mixed or all spice in this recipe. If these are not available, then pumpkin spice or the following blend makes a great alternative.
As a substitution for 1 teaspoon of allspice, you can use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
- Can I freeze a fruit cake made without alcohol?
A cake made without alcohol will not keep as well as one that is made with alcohol.
Fruitcake with no alcohol should be consumed within 4 days of baking or tightly wrapped in a double layer of plastic/cling and frozen for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight at room temperature.
- Can I bake this fruit cake in advance?
Yes, you can prepare this cake up to 6 months in advance.
After baking, allow the cake to cool completely then wrap without frosting in a double layer of plastic/cling and freeze for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight at room temperature.
Enjoy ♥
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Easy Fruit Cake-without alcohol
Ingredients
- 3 cups / 495g mixed dried fruit see note 1 see note 1
- 1 ½ cups /150g /5oz chopped candied / glacé cherries
- Liquid of your choice to soak the fruit. Ensure that it is enough to cover the fruit in the bowl see note 2
- ¾ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar see note 3
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons all spice see note 4
- 1 ⅓ cup cake or all purpose or plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Soak the fruit
- Combine the fruit with the liquid of your choice in a bowl. Use enough liquid to cover all the fruit in the bowl and let rest overnight. If you are using water, make sure that it is hot before adding the dried fruit. Forgot about doing this step? Not to worry, simply microwave the fruit and liquid together in a bowl for 1 minute, or until it is hot, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.
Make the cake
- Preheat oven to 320°F /160°C / (140°C fan)
- Grease and line a 13 by 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan with baking paper (parchment paper)
- Cream the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes using an electric hand beater until smooth.
- Add in the eggs and spices and continue beating for another minute until combined.
- Fold in the flour and baking powder.
- Then, drain the fruit, reserving about 2 Tablespoons of the liquid for the recipe.
- Mix the fruit into the batter and spoon the mixture to the prepared lined baking pan.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Insert a skewer to test. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked. Set aside to cool. see note 5
- Decorate as preferred (see decorating tips below)
- Slice into squares to serve.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within 4 days.
Frequently asked questions
Can I freeze a fruit cake made without alcohol?
- A cake made without alcohol will not keep as well as one that is made with alcohol.
- Fruitcake with no alcohol should be consumed within 4 days of baking or tightly wrapped in a double layer of plastic/cling and frozen for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight at room temperature.
Can I bake this fruit cake in advance?
- Yes, you can prepare this cake up to 6 months in advance.
- After baking, allow the cake to cool completely then wrap without frosting in a double layer of plastic/cling and freeze for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight at room temperature.
How to frost/decorate/serve fruit cake
- Frosting or decorating is optional but can be the crowning glory for an impressive bake.
- Top with sifted powdered sugar after baking
- Swirl a layer of buttercream over the cool baked cake
- Spread whipped cream and top with cherries or fruit
- Cover with a layer of store-bought sugar paste or fondant (read package for instructions on rolling out the fondant)
- Serve with homemade custard.
Notes
- Use any dried mixed fruit you prefer. it should weigh 650g / 25 oz in total. I use the store-bought mix of raisins, sultanas, currants, and cherries.
- You can soak the fruit in either water, apple, orange or cranberry juice. The flavor of your cake is based on the fruit and juice mix you use. If you do not want the prominent flavor of juice in the cake, then just use water. Its neutral and allows you to have more of the fruit and warm spice flavor in the cake.
- Brown sugar is simply white sugar but with molasses added into it. You can use white sugar as an alternative. However, this will slightly alter the taste and texture of the cake. This is because brown sugar contributes to the moisture and color of the baked cake. Brown sugar also produces a slight caramel like flavor, which might be absent when substituting with white sugar.
- I use mixed or all spice in this recipe. If these are not available, then pumpkin spice or the following blend makes a great alternative. As a substitution for 1 teaspoon of allspice, you can use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
- If the top of the cake browns and darkens faster before it is completely baked just cover lightly with foil and remove it about 10 minutes before the end of the baking time.
Lin says
Can you make this cake with oat flour instead of all purpose
The Gardening Foodie says
Hi Lin, yes you can make this cake with oat flour.
Here are a few suggestions when substituting with oat flour:
Since oat flour is much lighter than all purpose, you are going to need a bit more to get the correct consistency. For accuracy You should replace the all purpose flour with an equal amount of oat flour by weight, not by volume.
Its best to use a kitchen scale for this purpose. This means replace 166g all purpose flour with 166g oat flour.
If you do not have a kitchen scale, then use approximately 1 1/2 cups oat flour instead of the 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour called for in the recipe.
Keep in mind that the texture will be slightly different than regular flour. You will also notice a slight taste difference when you are using oat flour.
I hope this helps answer your question 🙂
Happy baking 🙂
Sheila says
This recipe is very good. I did add a lot more dried fruit, candied cherries, pineapple and nuts. All other measurements were the same. Note: I did use fresh ground grain, a blend of kamut, hard red and hard white wheat.
My husband said this is a keeper recipe! If you like fruit cake please give this recipe a try.
Note: I did not put icing on the fruit. cake.
Sheila says
This fruit cake is very moist and not overly sweet.