This homemade fruit cake recipe gives you a soft, moist, and flavorful cake packed with colorful candied fruits and nuts. It has a light bread-style base and is easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins.
Fruit cake holds special importance during festive seasons, especially Christmas, where it is often prepared as a holiday dessert or gifted to loved ones. When sliced, the cake reveals a beautiful mosaic of fruits and nuts, making it as attractive as it is delicious.
This recipe is eggless and baked without an oven, using a simple stovetop method that produces excellent results every time.
Why This Fruit Cake Recipe Works
- Eggless and beginner-friendly
- No oven required β baked in a cooking pan
- Soft, fluffy crumb with evenly distributed fruits
- Easy to customize with different fruits and nuts
- Suitable for festive baking and gifting
Ingredients Overview (Quick Notes)
- All-purpose flour: Creates a light and fluffy structure
- Sugar: White sugar or a mix of white + dark brown sugar for deeper flavor
- Milk (warm): Helps activate leavening and keeps the crumb soft
- Oil or butter: Adds moisture and richness
- Baking powder & baking soda: For proper rise
- Vanilla extract: Enhances overall flavor
- Candied fruits (tutti frutti): Dates, raisins, pineapple, figs, apricots, etc.
- Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios (use moderately)
Choosing Fruits and Nuts for Fruit Cake
You can easily customize this cake by adjusting the mix-ins:
- Use a mix of golden and dark raisins for better flavor and color
- Combine soft fruits (dates, apricots) with firmer ones (tutti frutti)
- Avoid overloading nuts to prevent a heavy texture
Key Preparation Steps (Before Baking)
1. Prepare the Baking Pan
Grease and line the loaf pan before making the batter. This is important because once leavening agents are mixed into the liquid, the baking process should begin without delay.
2. Coat Fruits and Nuts
Toss all candied fruits and nuts with a little flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom and ensures even distribution throughout the cake.
Batter Preparation (Summary)
- Whisk oil (or butter), sugar, and salt until smooth
- Add warm milk and vanilla extract
- Fold in sifted dry ingredients gradually to avoid lumps
- Gently mix in the coated fruits and nuts
- Pour the batter immediately into the prepared loaf pan
- Level and tap the pan lightly to remove air bubbles
This fruit cake is baked on the stovetop, and if youβre new to this method, you can follow this complete guide on how to bake cakes on the stovetop without an oven for consistent results every time.
Baking the Fruit Cake (Stovetop Method)
This cake is baked in a covered cooking pan, not an oven.
- Preheat the cooking pan briefly
- Place a metal spacer or stand inside to avoid direct heat
- Position the loaf pan carefully and ensure it is level
- Cover tightly and bake on low heat until done
- Check doneness using a toothpick test
The cake is ready when the toothpick comes out clean and the top looks set.
Cooling and Slicing
- Cool the cake on a wire rack for 6β7 minutes
- Remove gently from the pan once slightly cooled
- Use a serrated knife for clean slices
- Allow full cooling before storage
Serving Suggestions for Fruit Cake
- Serve fruit cake at room temperature for the best flavor and texture. Cold cake can feel dense, so allow refrigerated slices to rest for 10β15 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy it plain with tea or coffee β its rich flavor from candied fruits and nuts makes it satisfying on its own.
- For festive occasions, dust the top lightly with powdered sugar or garnish with extra candied fruits and chopped nuts for a decorative finish.
- Pair fruit cake with a warm beverage such as masala chai, black tea, or coffee to balance its sweetness.
- Serve slices with a light spread of butter for added richness.
- For dessert platters, accompany fruit cake with fresh seasonal fruits or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- During holidays or celebrations, fruit cake makes a wonderful gift when wrapped tightly and packed in an airtight container.
If you enjoy simple stovetop cakes, you may also like this soft and fluffy tea cake recipe made without an oven, perfect for everyday tea time.
Storage & Shelf Life
- Keeps well for 1β2 days at room temperature in an airtight container
- Refrigerate for longer storage (up to a few weeks)
- Wrap tightly to prevent drying
Fruit Cake Tips for Best Results
- Do not delay baking once the leavening agents are mixed
- Always coat fruits and nuts with flour
- Use a spacer to prevent bottom burning
- Cover the pan immediately to retain heat and steam
- Cool the cake properly to avoid overbaking
Fruit Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- 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 10βx5β 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.
- 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.
- 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.
FAQs
How can I bake a fruit cake without an oven?
You can bake a fruit cake without an oven by using a heavy-bottom pan or pot on the stovetop. Place a metal stand or spacer inside the pan, set the cake tin on it, cover with a tight lid, and bake on low heat until cooked through.
How long does it take to bake a fruit cake on the stovetop?
A stovetop fruit cake usually takes 35 to 45 minutes on low heat after preheating the pan. Baking time may vary depending on pan thickness and flame intensity.
Why is a metal stand or spacer needed while baking a cake in a pan?
A metal stand or spacer prevents direct heat contact between the pan and the cake tin. This helps avoid burning the bottom of the cake and ensures even baking.
How do I know when a fruit cake is fully baked?
Insert a toothpick or BBQ stick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean with no wet batter, the fruit cake is fully baked.
Can I make fruit cake without eggs?
Yes, fruit cake can be made without eggs by using baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents. This eggless method still produces a soft, moist, and fluffy cake.
Why should candied fruits and nuts be coated with flour?
Coating candied fruits and nuts with flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom during baking and helps distribute them evenly throughout the cake.
Can I store homemade fruit cake?
Homemade fruit cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours. For longer storage, wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to a few weeks.
Is this fruit cake suitable for Christmas?
Yes, this eggless fruit cake is perfect for Christmas and festive occasions. It is rich, moist, and packed with candied fruits and nuts, making it ideal for gifting and celebrations.
Can I bake this fruit cake in an oven instead?
Yes. If using an oven, bake the fruit cake at 170Β°C (340Β°F) for 35β40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.