This is a step by step guide to making a rich Christmas Fruit cake. Do read the Steps as well as the tips given just below the history of Christmas Cakes here, before you move to the recipe. This will help you plan for soaking fruits as well as for baking the cake.
For a recipe on making an Eggless Christmas Fruit cake, click here.
After posting my guide on how to soak fruits for a Christmas Cake I have followed up with this recipe for baking the rich Christmas fruit cake. Last year I had soaked the fruits in the 3rd week of November, and by the first week week of December it was time to bake the cake, giving a little time for the cake to mature. This year I will try to soak the fruits earlier, in September or October.
This recipe is for a rich Christmas Fruit cake, though it tastes so good, I might just make it several times a year. No more buying dry plum cakes from the local bakery! If you are going to try this recipe, the first thing you have to remember is that you either soak the dry fruits ahead of time (here's the link to my recipe for soaking the fruits) or at least start the preparation for making the cake a day before you plan to bake it - check in Step 1 below.
The quantities here are for one rich Christmas Fruit cake though I have actually made 3 small cakes - 2 with fruits soaked in rum and one little round one with fruits soaked in orange juice, for my little granddaughter Natasha. I made the batter for the cake and then separated a small quantity for Natasha's orange flavoured cake.
For a little bit of Fruit cake history - Wikipedia says that some of the earliest known recipes from ancient Rome had pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins all mixed into barley mash! Later on, in what are called the Middle Ages, honey, preserved fruit and spices were added. The recipes varied from one country or region to another, down the ages depending on availability of ingredients locally as well as local customs, church regulations not permitting the use of butter during fasts, etc.
Wikipedia goes on to say that Pope Innocent VIII (1432–1492) finally granted the use of butter, in a written permission known as the ‘Butter Letter' or Butterbrief in 1490, giving permission to Saxony to use milk and butter in the North German Stollen fruit cakes. It was only in the 16th Century, that the awareness (and availability of sugar from the Colonies) that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits) created candied fruit, thus making fruit cakes more affordable and popular.
Now lets go on to our rich Christmas Fruit cake!
There are some preparations to be made before you can actually get to baking the cake, if you want to bring out the best flavours and rich moist softness of the cake without having it brown and burn on one side and remain sticky on the other.
Step 1: Preparing the Dry Fruits : I have given the steps for soaking the fruits well ahead of the baking, in my recipe on this blog, as well as my thoughts on what fruits to select, quantities, etc. Please refer the same for the mix and quantities of dry fruits for the cake. Link to the recipe on this blog: How to Soak Fruits for a Christmas Cake
This recipe is for a traditional rich Christmas Fruit cake, but if you have not soaked the fruits ahead of time, there is a short short cut which you could try - the intense flavour of well soaked dry fruits would not be there, but you would get a nice Christmas fruit cake anyway.
How to bake the rich Christmas Fruit cake without soaking the fruits:
The day before you are going to bake the cake, set the soaking liquid in a saucepan on the stove on low flame. Add the dried fruits and bring the mixture gently to a simmer, keeping the heat low so that the liquid does not boil away. Turn the fruits with the liquid into a bowl, stir it well, and once it cools, cover and keep in a dark cool place. For quantities of fruit and soaking liquid, check my recipe on this blog for soaking fruits for the Christmas Cake.
Soaking liquid: You could soak the dry fruits in alcohol (brandy, rum, cognac, etc) or in unsweetened fruit juice. For Natasha's little cake I used freshly squeezed orange juice. A combination of orange and cranberry juice or apple juice would be good too. Black tea such as a Darjeeling tea, pre-soaked in cup of very hot water, could make an effective non alcoholic substitute. The dry fruits and nuts are the hero in this cake, The flour, butter and eggs are put to use to hold the fruits together and shape the cake.
Step 2: Preparing the Baking Tin : The recipe below is for an 8" square tin, or a 9" round one, or you could bake the cake in smaller tins or a round bundt tin. The Christmas cake is to be baked on low heat for a long time, so that it cooks evenly without burning. It is important to line the baking tin with parchment paper or grease proof paper.
I did not have brown parchment paper so I used the white one, but I have heard that brown parchment is of more use in keeping the cake sides and bottom from browning too fast or burning.
Grease the tin all around and use 2-3 layers of the parchment paper, lining the bottom and all sides of the tin, with an inch or two of paper protruding from the top of the tin on all sides. Some bakers suggest wrapping the outside of the cake tin too, with brown paper and tying it in place, so help ensure the cake does not overcook.
Step 3: Preparing the ingredients:
Check the list of ingredients below for the rich Christmas Fruit cake and ensure you have brought them all, specially the eggs and butter, to room temperature. You may even need to keep the butter out overnight for it to come up to room temperature, depending on the climate.
Measure all the ingredients and keep them ready. Mix the spices in the proportion given in the ingredients below.
Grind the almonds in a processor (unless you are using processed almond flour). Measure the flour and then sieve it along with the baking powder so that the baking powder gets dispersed into the flour. Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Step 4: Bake the cake: When you are ready to go, set the oven to preheat at 160 deg C (320 F). Prepare the batter as per instructions in the recipe below. As the cake bakes, the liquid in the fruits oozes out and givens the Christmas Cake its moist, soft texture.
This is a crumbly cake but if you bake it correctly you can slice it cleanly. Using alcohol to soak the fruits for the cake is of course optional. The alcohol in the cake evaporates during the baking, however it leaves its flavour behind. As there would still be some residue in the cake, it would not be advisable for expectant mothers or children.
Some tips you may find useful in making the rich Christmas Fruit cake:
Molasses or Syrup: I have used dark molasses in the cake. You could substitute with treacle which is traditionally used in Christmas cakes, and if you don't have either, use maple syrup or dark honey. The flavour would differ for each of these.
Nuts - I readily had available walnuts and almonds, and the almonds make a nice flour when ground which adds to the texture of the cake. Pecan nuts or hazelnuts or a combination of nuts could be substituted for the walnuts, in the same proportion as in the ingredients list below.
Zest: I have put both orange and lemon zest in the ingredients, to give the cake a lovely citrusy flavour. Whether you use only lemon or both is your option to choose.
Be gentle with the Batter Don't mix or beat the batter more than required for the ingredients to just combine, as the cake would become heavy. Gently fold in the ingredients.
BakingTemperature and Time: Oven temperatures vary, so you need to keep checking your cake after an hour and a half. When a small skewer inserted comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, your cake is done. I started my oven at 160 C and after an hour when I saw that the top looked set, I brought the temperature down to 150 C. It took about 2 hours and 15 minutes for my cake to get done.
Storage: I have given the steps for storing the cake after baking, in the instructions below. Do not wrap the cake directly with foil as the alcohol or juice could react with the foil. Wrap in clingfilm and then in foil.The cake is not be refrigerated as it could harden and the sugar in it crystallize. The alcohol in the cake acts as a preservative.
I have not decorated the top of the rich Christmas Fruit cake, as it looks good as it is. I may do so before Christmas, though - a simple decoration of sliced almonds and sliced candied cherries, maybe. Next year I may cover the cake with icing in Christmassy theme.
How to make rich Christmas Fruit cake -Easy Recipe
Ingredients
For the rich Christmas Fruit cake
- 800 gms mixed chopped dry fruits 4 - 6 cups -check my recipe for how to soak fruits, for quantities -link given below
- 500 ml soaking liquid - alcohol or unsweetened juice 2 cups- liquid just to cover the fruits plus extra for topping
- 300 gm butter unsalted at room temperature
- 200 gm dark brown sugar
- 4 Eggs at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons molasses substitute with treacle- see notes above
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- 300 gm flour plain flour / maida or a mixture of plain and whole wheat
- 1 tea spoon baking powder
- 150 gm almond -ground
- 150 gm walnut chopped small
For the Spice mix
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- ⅛ teaspoon clove powder a Pinch
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Combine the butter with sugar, in a food processor (or mix by hand) until fluffy and creamy, as fluffy as you can make it.
- Crack the eggs (I do this one by one in separate bowl) and add one by one to the butter sugar mixture.
- As the mixture may tend to curdle, it would help if you added a tea spoon of flour or almond flour to the mixture along with the egg. Stir till just combined. Add the molasses, lemon and orange zest, vanilla extract and gently fold it in. Too much of mixing can harden the cake, so fold in the ingredients without stirring the batter.
- Add the almond flour, flour with baking powder, spice mix and fold it in. Fold in the chopped nuts. Finally fold in the soaked fruits.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, till it reaches about ¾ of the tin. Stir while pouring to expel any air bubbles.
- Place the tin in the oven and bake for about 2 hours. I baked it at 160C for an hour and then reduced the temperature to 150 C. It took 2 hours and 15 minutes for my cake to bake.
- Check by inserting a small wooden skewer -if it comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs, your cake is done! If the skewer comes out with sticky crumbs attached, the cake has to remain in the oven for some more time.
- After removing the cake from the oven, when it is still hot, carefully drill a few small holes on top with a wooden skewer. Brush with alcohol or whatever soaking liquid you have used. Set the cake to cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove carefully from the tin, separate and remove the parchment papers.
- Wrap the cake with clingfilm and then in a double layer of foil, making sure you have access to the top of the cake for moistening with liquid later on. Do no directly use foil on the cake as the alcohol or citrusy liquid could react with the foil.
- Store the packed cake in an airtight container in a cool dark place. Every 2 weeks till before the last week of Christmas, pour a little alcohol or juice on top to keep the cake moist.
- Use the same liquid in which you soaked the fruits, for moistening it. Eg if you soaked the fruits in rum, top the cake with rum and not other alcohol, to keep the flavours consistent.
- Alcohol infused cakes do not require refrigeration as the alcohol acts as a preservative. If well wrapped, the cake should keep for several weeks.
Mila says
Hi did you used plain flour and almond flour for this recipe I was not sure.Thank you going to bake it next week stoll soaking my fruits .... Needs response pls.Thnx
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. Apologies, for some reason, comments did not show up till now, and I missed responding to you on time. I used regular flour (all purpose) mixed with a little wheat flour. And almonds ground into flour, though almond flour could be directly used. Quantities as per my ingredients list. My apologies for the delay in responding, and I do hope your cake came out well.
Gina Soyza says
Thank you so much Sujata for very detail write up for a person like me to understand. My knowledge of baking from 1 to 10, being 10 the best, I am at 1. I am starting today & hope my cake turns out perfect for a first try. Soaking my fruits in Brandy and plan to bake by 1 week November. I pray all turns out well.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. My sincere apologies Gina. There was some glitch and I didn't get your comment on time to respond to the same.I do hope the cake turned out well!
SR says
Hi
Just went through ur recipe, had a doubt; while adding the soaked fruits, should it be drained and folded in or along with the soaking liquid it has to be folded in ?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi and thanks for visiting my site. Regarding the soaked fruits: When it is time to add the fruits to the cake batter, the liquid would have been absorbed and usually there will be very little left. The fruits tend to get dry and we keep topping them up with a little liquid so that the surface does not get dry. However if you find you have liquid that is not absorbed, please drain it and use only the fruits, otherwise it could upset the solids/liquids proportion of the batter.
The drained liquid may be used as the base for next years soaking! Hope this helps, but feel free to ask if it is not clear.
Elizabeth says
Thank you for sharing the recipe as I have searched for a good recipe and was intrigued when I saw your recipe and comments. I did not have enough rum so I added red wine before reading that you don't recommend it. The rum had a hint of lime flavor and its white from bacardi. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I wanted to thank you for sharing the recipe as I think this is the best of what I found so far. 🙂 I havent baked it yet to give a rating. I gave a 5 because the recipe is very clear and the cake you baked looks great!
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you, Elizabeth for visiting my blog. As you have soaked the fruit in rum and red wine, let’s just go ahead with this. Once the cake is baked, use one of these two to drizzle a little on top so that the cake doesn’t become dry and will keep for a few days after slicing. All the best and I’m now waiting to hear how the cake turns out and your experience in baking it. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year
Glory says
Hi, you have not mentioned any raising agent like baking soda or baking powder. Did you use only plain flour?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. Baking powder is included in the ingredients as well as in instructions and also in the steps in the post itself for making the cake.
Yukti says
Hey if i use orange juice for this cake. Do i need to soak that too after baking prior to christmas? Nad how does that cake need tk be stored?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. If the cake looks dry on the top a few days after baking, you could drizzle a spoonful of juice, preferably apple juice as too much orange may make the cake tart or even bitter. Wrap in foil and store in the fridge.
Yukti says
Sounds great. And if i go with instant method, no soaking method for baking the cake even then it will keep well outside? Or in fridge?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. When fruit is soaked in alcohol, the alcohol acts as a preservative and keeps the fruits and the cake fresh when stored in a cool dark place. If the fruits are not soaked in alcohol, the cake will need to be kept in the fridge once it has baked and cooled. Keep in mind that when fruits are not soaked in any liquid, the cake is less moist and may crumble easily. All the best for your Christmas Cake, I hope it turns out well!
Yukti says
Thank you so much ☺️
Cathy Kokoski says
Finally I have found detailed information on baking a fruitcake!! Thank you very much!
Can you please advise how I would multiply this recipe for 200 1" x 3" pieces?
They will be wrapped and given away at a wedding. I will be covering them with marzipan.
I did read you have not decorated this cake and wonder your thoughts how this recipe would work and calculate ingredients if I were to bake in a 10"x 4" pan and decorate it as one of the tiers of the wedding cake.???
I,m hoping to bring back this lost tradition to Canada!
Natasha says
If you can share the quantity of this recipe. I mean does it make 500 gms cake ir 1 kg?
Sujata Shukla says
I haven’t weighed the cakes so far, only checked tin sizes. However it will be more than 500 gms. Will see if I can find out approx weight and tell you. This year when I bake the cake, will weigh it too
Uma says
Detailed write up. 🙂🙂 would love to try the eggless recipe for this cake.. ☺️
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Uma Shah! Eggless cake recipe - just as soon as I get back to India after my travels!
MFTheriault says
Hi Sujata! Thanks so much for this! When you fold in the soaked fruit, do you drain any remaining liquid or add it to the cake mixture along with the fruit?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. Thanks for checking out my blog. If the fruits have soaked for long, there would be very little alcohol remaining. However just to be safe, you could strain the fruits before you begin mixing the cake batter, and measure out 2-3 tablespoons maximum from the strained liquid. Before folding in the fruit, add the liquid little by little to the batter and stir it in, so long as the batter does not become too wet. Now fold in the fruits and proceed as per the instructions.
Sujata Shukla says
Further, any left over alcohol after removing the fruit can used for drizzling over the cake after it has been baked, to keep it moist. Pl check the instructions in the recipe for this.
Vaishali says
Any substitute for eggs
Sujata Shukla says
There are eggless cakes but I have not tried making them yet. Will check with friends and revert