This Quick Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe is an Easy Quick Christmas cake Recipe, that is non-alcoholic and requires no soaking. Perfect If you have no time to pre-soak fruits.
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Quick Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe
This Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe is all things good. Let me tell you why you should make this
- It's a non-alcoholic cake. So, if you do not consume alcohol for religious reasons; or going sober; then this is the right Christmas cake recipe.
- It does not need soaking, not in alcohol; nor in any kind of fruit juice. In that way, you are saving time and effort here.
- The Recipe is done in less than 90 mins from prep to baking.
- It is a Quick and easy Recipe, that you can make if you haven't yet soaked for the ''traditional Christmas Cake''
- This Christmas Cake without alcohol is super moist; and stays good that way at room temperature for almost a month. yes tried and tested.
- These are perfect for gifting too. Since it is baked in a loaf, looks very pretty. Bake them in Bake and serve containers. So you can easily gift-wrap them.
For A Christmas Cake to be baked in a square or a round pan.
Try This >> This Easy Christmas Cake Recipe
HOW TO MAKE THIS QUICK CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE
Ingredients for Christmas Fruit Cake
Dried Fruits - The main hero of the fruit cake is the fruits that go in.
You can go wild with what you want in your fruit cake. Some common dried fruits to use here would be - Prunes, Cranberries, Golden Raisins, Sultanas, Black currant, Figs, apricot, Dried kiwi, candied ginger, candied orange peel, dried blueberries, and so many more.
Spices - ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves. Out of which cloves and nutmeg can be optional. But I recommend ginger and cinnamon strongly for that warm toasty wintery flavor.
Butter - unsalted butter
Eggs - whole eggs. At room temperature.
Flour, Salt & Baking Soda - all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda are all the dry ingredients you need.
For the eggless version you same amount of greek yoghurt about 140 grams
Instructions
Christmas cakes are many from; the traditional British Fruit Cake to the Dundee, to Panettone and Indianised Kerala Plum Cake. The list goes on. And every cake has a slight variation in ingredients and technique.
This Recipe is quick and easy. Because you don't have to pre-soak the fruits or feed them alcohol after it has been baked.
This recipe is also called the Boiled Fruit Cake. Why because, instead of soaking the fruits here, we boil them with butter, spices, and water.
This boiled Fruit cake is super moist and stays that way, for a long period of time. This is mainly because the fruits are boiled until they are plump and juicy.
And then eggs are added. after which flour is folded in.
So now,
Baking the Fruit Cake.
Prepare the loaf pan, grease and line the loaf pan >>
Read more on baking with a loaf pan here
Transfer the fruit cake batter to the loaf pan. Bake in the middle rack in a preheated oven. Bake at low temperatures for a longer period of time.
Anywhere between 160 - 170 deg C/ around 340-350 deg F should be fine.
Let the cake sit in the loaf pan for at least 15 mins before transferring it to a wire rack
Let the cake cool completely before slicing.
TIPS FOR THE BEST FRUIT CAKE
- Fruits need to be small bite size. Larger fruits like prunes and figs need to chop.
- Boil the fruits, until they fruits looked all plumped up and juicy.
- Halfway through your baking, or when the top of the loaf is set well and golden in color; Remove it from the oven, cover the top with aluminum foil; put it back in the oven and let it completely bake. Doing this avoids the top of the loaf from being overbaked or burnt.
Storing & Shelf Life
These Cakes can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. Exposing the cake to too much air will make it dry and crumbly. So store them covered to retain moisture.
Christmas cakes are known to stay good forever. But this one was tried and tested. Stays good for anywhere between 1 to 3 months at a cool room temperature of about 24 C/75F.
I am Linking up this recipe to #cookblogshare hosted by SewWhite
📖 Recipe
Quick Christmas Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 220 grams brown sugar - dark or light
- 60 grams butter - unsalted
- 250 ml water
- 450 grams raisins, prunes, apricots, ginger peel, sultanas, figs - all chopped
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground clove - optional
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg - optional
- 1.5 tsp ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 210 grams all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp molasses - optional
- 2 large eggs - beaten
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or a stock pot, melt the butter with sugar, water, ground spices and the dried fruits. Bring it to a boil, until the raisins are all plumped up.
- Leave aside and let it cool down. Around 10 - 15 mins
- Meanwhile prepare pans. Grease and line a standard size loaf pan. Set Aside. Preheat oven at 160 degree celsius.
- In another bowl whisk flour, baking soda and salt. set aside
- Once the mixture cools down. Add in the eggs, mix well until the egg is well incorporated. Then add in the flour mixture and fold in well using a spatula. Mix just enough until there is no flour specks
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 to 50 mins. Until it is completely done or a tooth pick inserted comes out clean
- PRO TIP: Half way through your baking, or when the top of the loaf is set well and golden in colour; Remove from the oven, cover the top with an aluminium foil; and put it back in the oven and let it completely bake. Doing this avoids the top of the loaf being over baked or burnt
- Once done, remove from the oven and place on the wire rack for 10 mins, and then remove from the cake pan. Let it completely cool, before serving.
Recipe Notes
- They are'nt any hard and fast rules, but this fruit cake requires raisins.
- All ovens are different, use an oven thermometer and also check for doneness in between 40 to 60 mins.
- This batter is heavy, so baking long at low temperature does the trick.
- PRO TIP: Half way through your baking, or when the top of the loaf is set well and golden in colour; Remove from the oven, cover the top with an aluminium foil; and put it back in the oven and let it completely bake. Doing this avoids the top of the loaf being over baked or burnt
Janice
I love Christmas cake and this looks like a great way to share it with others.
Rebecca - Glutarama
What a lovely alternative to the rich heavy Christmas Cake. This sound delicious, packed to the brim with fruit and looks so moist too.
Jennie
This cake looks perfect for a small family, but can you substitute some of the water for brandy?
Shrilatha
Yes you can boil the fruits with the water and once off the stove add in brandy. as much as you required but not more than 1/2 a cup