With this fruit cake recipe, you’ll get a fluffy, rich, and flavorful dessert every time. Basically, fruit cake is just a quick bread, with colorful and delicious mix-ins.
The modern-style fruit cake – a moist and leavened dessert studded with fruits and nuts – is a perfect holiday dessert. It can be eaten fresh or can be refrigerated for later use. Fruit cake has special importance on the occasion of Christmas and it is also recognized as a Christmas fruit cake. In the entire world, people send it to each other as a valued Christmas gift.
The fruit cake recipe is easily customizable. This delicious fruit cake has a simple bread base. You can add candied fruits and nuts of your choice. Packed with fruits and nuts, this colorful cake looks like a beautiful mosaic when sliced.
How to Make Fruit Cake
Fruit Cake Base
Make a simple cake batter with cooking oil, white sugar powder (or dark brown sugar), salt, warm milk, vanilla essence, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
If you want a darker shade of brown then use a combination of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar enhances its rich flavor and also gives a distinct caramel flavor to the fruit cake.
Candied Fruit for Fruitcake
Stir in the tutti frutti (candied fruits). You can make a combination of any candied fruits which include dates, pineapple, peaches, raisins (golden & dark), currants, prunes, apricots, figs, as well as root ginger.
A mix of golden and dark raisins makes a great combination in fruit cake. They not only add more colors to your cake but also give it a great taste.
Also, add your favorite nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashew, pecans, and pistachio in the fruit cake. I prefer moderate use of chopped nuts as the excess use may take the fruit cake to the heavier side.
Baking of the Fruit Cake
Bake in the cooking pan or in the oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the fruit cake comes out clean. The resulting cake is dense, bursting with flavors, with fruits and nuts in every bite.
The Story of Fruit Cake
Fruit cake is an ancient dessert, which was used by the Roman soldiers as a sort of energy bar. The Roman fruit cake was comprised of a mash of barley, honey, wine, dried fruit, and often pomegranate seeds.
It is believed that the oldest version of fruit cake was baked in 1878 in the United States. The present-day modern-style homemade fruitcake studded with fruits and nuts was probably first baked in the early Middle Ages in Europe.
In ancient times; especially in the era before mechanical refrigeration, fruit cakes were popular due to their long shelf life and dense texture. Due to use of the candied fruits in fruit cakes, they became the most popular seasonal desserts in those times. In the 1950s, fruit cakes were part and parcel of the American holiday tradition.
Fruit Cake Recipe
In this traditional fruitcake recipe, you’ll learn how to make the fruit cake light and fluffy without eggs. People often face difficulty in making this homemade fruit cake. I cleared a lot of points in this recipe. You’ll find some special techniques so that you can easily make this delicious cake.
I made this eggless fruit cake in a cooking pan, not in the oven. Follow my recipe step by step to have a perfect fruit cake every time. Let’s see how can we make this cake easily at home. We can prepare a colorful and flavorful fruit cake, loaded with tutti frutti and nuts, just in three simple and easy steps:
Step 1: Preparation
Sifting of All-purpose Flour
Take a mixing bowl and sieve all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda with a help of a sieve cup. Sifting is necessary to remove the lumps if any to get a smooth batter.
Grease and Flour the Loaf Pan
Take a loaf pan of 10”x5” size. Use baking paper such as bakery paper or parchment paper as it provides a non-stick surface to bake on. We can also use SAGA baking paper which is a unique innovation and contains more properties than traditional baking paper.
In case you have no baking paper, grease the loaf pan with cooking oil or with baking spray. Grease it well all around its sides. Then dust the pan with all-purpose flour. Sprinkle the whole pan with flour. By doing this, the cake will not stick to the pan after baking. After dusting, remove the extra flour from the pan. Now our pan is ready, keep it aside.
Coating of Tutti Frutti and Nuts
Take another bowl and pour your favorite tutti frutti and nuts into it. You can use candied fruits and nuts in the quantity you like. Pour all-purpose flour into the bowl and coat the candied fruits and nuts generously. When we make a cake, the nuts or fruits may sit at the bottom while baking. This coating process will prevent sinking candied fruits and nuts to the bottom and they will evenly spread inside the cake. After the coating is done, set the bowl aside.
Step 2: Batter Preparation
Take cooking oil or butter in a mixing bowl. Add sugar powder and salt. Whisk all the items with a hand mixer till you get a homogenous mixture. Now pour warm milk. Don’t use cold milk. Whisk all the things well. For best flavor include vanilla extract or vanilla essence. We can whisk all these items very easily. Now we’ll include the sieved ingredients.
Pour half quantity at a time of the sifted flour into the mixture to dissolve it easily. Use a spatula to mix it and then pour the remaining quantity of flour. Mix all the items well with the help of a spatula to get lumps-free batter. It will take 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve the lumps completely. When the lumps are completely dissolved you have a smooth batter.
We can use fine wheat flour used in our kitchens as a substitute for all-purpose flour but with all-purpose flour, the cake is light and fluffy.
Now add candied fruits (tutti frutti) and nuts to the batter and mix them with the spatula. Mix the fruits till they are distributed evenly inside the batter. As soon as you prepare the batter, pour it immediately into the loaf pan.
Level the batter evenly inside the loaf pan and tap it slightly so that the air bubbles may not form inside the batter. Top the cake with some candied fruits or nuts. Now the cake is ready for baking.
Step 3: Baking the Fruit Cake
Preheat the cooking pan for 3 minutes over medium flame. Keep a metal stand or any other metal plate inside the pan to leave the gap between the pan and loaf pan. If we do not use a spacer the fruit cake may be burnt at the bottom due to direct contact of the cooking pan and loaf pan. Take extra care while placing the loaf pan inside the pan and ensure the level of the pan.
Cover the pan with its lid as soon as you place the loaf pan inside the cooking pan so that the heat could not escape. Place some weight over the lid to hold the steam inside the pan. Bake for 1 minute on medium flame and then set the flame to low and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The cake will be prepared in 35 to 40 minutes.
After 35 minutes, remove the lid and insert a toothpick or a bbq stick in the fruit cake if it comes out clean then the cake is ready. If not then continue baking for some more time. When baked, let the fruit cake cool for 6 to 7 minutes on a wire rack. After the cake is cold enough, take it out of the loaf pan. If the fruit cake is stuck to the pan, separate it cautiously with a help of a serrated knife. Now remove the paper and cut the fruit cake into slices. Your soft and fluffy fruit cake is ready to serve.
Fruitcake: Best Tips and Tricks
To prepare a perfect fluffy cake every time, we must keep in mind these important tips and tricks:
- Grease and flour the loaf pan before you prepare the fruitcake batter because when we dissolve the baking powder in any liquid i.e. water or milk, soon its reaction starts. As it is a complete leavening agent so after adding it to the batter, start backing immediately. If the batter remains unbaked for a long time, we cannot get a perfect fruitcake.
- Also, coat the candied fruits and nuts before the batter preparation. This coating process will prevent sinking candied fruits and nuts to the bottom and they will evenly be distributed through the fruitcake.
- Cover the cooking pan with its lid as soon as you place the loaf pan inside it so that the heat could not escape. Place some weight over the lid to hold maximum steam inside the cooking pan.
- Before placing the loaf pan inside the cooking pan, level the batter evenly inside the loaf pan and tap it slightly so that the air bubbles may not form inside the batter.
- Cool the cake over wire rack as it will cool the cake faster than if simply left on a countertop. A hot pan continues baking the goods inside it, so faster cooling prevents over-baking.
- If you want to store the fruitcake for a few weeks, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. You can also store it in an airtight container and place it in a cool and dry place.
Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (175g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk (120g)
- ½ cup cooking oil (100g)
- ½ cup white sugar powder (90g) OR (white sugar 45g + dark brown sugar 45g)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup candied fruits
Instructions
Preparation
- Take a mixing bowl and sieve all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda with a help of a sieve cup. Set it aside.
- Take a loaf pan of 10”x5” size. Place baking paper such as bakery paper or parchment paper inside the pan.
- In case you have no baking paper, grease the loaf pan with cooking oil by using a cooking brush. Grease it well all around its sides.
- Now dust the loaf pan with all-purpose flour. Dust it well all around its sides. After dusting, remove the extra flour from the pan. Keep it aside.
- Take another mixing bowl and pour your favorite tutti frutti and nuts into it.
- Put all-purpose flour into the bowl and coat the candied fruits and nuts generously. Set the bowl aside.
Batter Preparation
- Take cooking oil or butter in another bowl. Add sugar powder and salt. Whisk all the items together with a hand mixer till you get a homogenous mixture.
- Now pour warm milk. Whisk all the things well.
- Beat in vanilla extract or vanilla essence.
- Mix half quantity of the sifted flour into the mixture at a time. Then mix the remaining quantity of flour.
- Use a spatula to mix it.
- Mix all the items well to get a lumps-free smooth batter.
- Now add candied fruits (tutti frutti) and nuts to the batter and mix them with the spatula. Mix the fruits till they are distributed evenly inside the batter.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Level the batter evenly inside the loaf pan and tap it slightly so that the air bubbles may not form inside the batter.
- Add some candied fruits and nuts as a topping. Now the fruit cake is ready for baking.
Baking the Fruitcake
- Preheat the cooking pan for 3 minutes over medium flame. Keep a metal stand or any other metal plate inside the pan to leave the gap between the cooking pan and loaf pan. Place the loaf pan inside the cooking pan and ensure the level of the loaf pan.
- Cover the pan with its lid as soon as you place the loaf pan inside the cooking pan. Place some weight over the lid to hold the steam inside the pan. Bake for 1 minute on medium flame and then set the flame to low and bake the fruit cake for 35 to 40 minutes. The cake will be prepared in 35 to 40 minutes.
- After 35 minutes, remove the lid and insert a toothpick or a bbq stick in the fruit cake. If it comes out clean, then the cake is ready. If not then continue baking for some time more.
- When baked through, let the fruit cake cool for 6 to 7 minutes on a wire rack. After the cake is cold enough, take it out of the loaf pan. If the fruitcake is stuck to the pan, run a serrated knife to separate it.
- Now remove the paper and cut the fruitcake into slices. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into uniform slices. Your soft and fluffy fruit cake is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
If you want a darker shade of brown then use a combination of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar enhances its rich flavor and also gives a distinct caramel flavor to the fruit cake.
A mix of golden and dark raisins makes a great combination in fruit cake. They not only add more colors to your cake but also give it a great taste.
This recipe is customizable in respect of mix-ins. I used only candied fruits. You can use candied fruits and nuts to your choice.
