Never in a million years did I think fruit cake would make it to my top 10 favourite cakes of all time! I literally despised fruit cake growing up, always finding it too dry or having too many sultanas. UNTIL I developed this super moist fruit cake recipe that is packed with fruit, nuts, dates and so much more!
What is a fruit cake
A fruitcake is a dense and sweet dessert cake that is typically made with candied or dried fruits, nuts, and spices. It is definitely a more ‘mature’ cake, and is often associated with holiday celebrations, particularly Christmas – but they can be enjoyed year-round.
Key ingredients in a fruit cake
Candied fruits: Fruits like cherries, orange peel, pineapple and citron and are often candied by preserving them in sugar syrup. They add sweetness and a wonderful vibrant colour to fruit cake, and can often be bought at your local grocery store to save time!
Dried fruits: Raisins, currants, dates, and apricots are commonly used dried fruits in fruitcakes. They provide a chewy and fruity texture to the cake and add moisture too.
Nuts: Chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds, are often added to provide a crunchy element and enhance the flavor. For me, nuts are a MUST in a fruit cake otherwise there’s nothing to cut through the dried fruit which can sometimes be overwhelming (well for me anyway). 🙂
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are typical spices used in fruitcakes to add warmth and depth of flavor.
Liquor: Some fruitcakes are soaked in alcohol, such as brandy, rum, or whiskey, which helps preserve the cake and adds a unique flavor. Because I personally don’t drink alcohol I have left this out of this recipe. I have used the the boiled fruit cake method which doesn’t require a long aging or curing time and therefore no alcohol 🙂
How to make fruit cake
This fruit comes together really easily with no mixer required! You can find the full written recipe, quantities of ingredients and recipe video in the recipe card at the end of the blog post, but you can follow along here for visual steps 🙂
Boiled Fruit Mixture
Begin with making the boiled fruit mixture. To a large saucepan add in unsalted butter, soft brown sugar, dried fruits, dates (if using firm dates – see note 2 on recipe card below), orange juice, orange zest and molasses. Bring that to a simmer over a medium heat, and once simmering, continue to let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Once done, pour the mixture in a large shallow dish to cool. To speed up the process I like to place the mixture into the freezer for about 45 minutes. Once ready it should have thickened up in consistency. Make sure it’s at room temperature (not hot or cold) before moving onto the next step.
Fruit Cake
Preheat oven to 140 °C (285°F) with the fan on (see note 3 on recipe card below if you don’t have a fan function) and grease an 8×3 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release), and line the bottom with baking paper.
Sift together your flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, ground ginger powder, nutmeg and all spice. Mix together with a whisk or fork and set aside for now.
In a small bowl combine the unflavoured vegetable oil and eggs. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
In a large bowl add in the boiled fruit mixture from earlier (make sure it’s at room temperature), and add in the oil/egg mixture. Using a spatula, fold until it’s well combined. The mixture is quite thick so may take a bit of mixing to get it all combined properly.
Next add in the walnuts (and dates if you didn’t add them to the boiled fruit mixture), and fold until well combined.
Next add in the sifted dry ingredients from earlier and fold until just combined. Do not overmix, so only mix until you can’t see any more streaks of flour.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and spread it out evenly. Drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles, and then bake for 75-85 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 30 minutes and then run a thin knife around the edges of the cake tin to release the cake, and then turn it out onto a wire rack (right side up) to cool.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the orange syrup. Combine orange juice and sugar in a bowl, and then heat it up (in the microwave or on the stove top) until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Using a pastry brush, brush the orange syrup all over the top and sides of the cake while the cake is still warm. Be sure to use all the syrup up as you want it to soak deep into the cake.
Wrap the cake in two layers of foil (see video below for demonstration) and place it into an airtight container. Leave it in a cool dry place for 48 hours before serving. I know it’s hard to wait, but it is crucial to allow the fruit cake to sit for 48 hours before serving it. This is going to allow the flavours to develop and the cake to become nice and moist. If you cut the cake too early, it may seem a little crumbly. It will still taste nice, but for the perfect texture it’s best to wait 🙂
Commonly Asked Questions:
How long will fruit cake last?
This fruit cake will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks at room temperature (when placed in an air tight container) or up to a month in the fridge.
Can I use lemon in replacement of the orange in this recipe?
For the orange zest used in the cake batter, and orange syrup used to soak the cake once it’s baked, you can substitute these both with lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. You may just need to add additional sugar to the syrup used to soak the cake to ensure it’s not too sour.
For the store-bought orange juice in the cake batter, you unfortunately cannot substitute this with lemon juice as it will change the flavour profile of the cake quite drastically. You can however subsitute this with apple juice if you prefer.
Can I use plastic wrap instead of aluminum foil to wrap my fruit cake when storing it?
Yes, plastic wrap will be fine too. Just be sure to keep your fruit cake somewhere out of direct sunlight (preferrably a dark spot – like inside your kitchen cupboard).
What’s the difference between Christmas cake and fruit cake?
Christmas cake can be thought of as a specific variety within the broader category of fruitcakes. The term “Christmas cake” is typically used to describe a particular type of fruitcake that is known for its rich and intricately decorated features, and it is specifically associated with the festive traditions of the Christmas holiday season. In contrast, fruitcake is a more general term encompassing a wide range of cakes that share common ingredients like candied or dried fruits, nuts, and spices, and it can be savored at any time of the year.
Easy Moist Fruit Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Fruit Cake
- ¾ cups (170 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cups (150 g) soft brown sugar
- 2 cups (350 g) dried fruits - I used a combination of sultanas, raisins, currants, red and green glace cherries and citrus peel (see note 1)
- ½ cup (100 g) dates - pitted and cut into small pieces, see note 2
- ⅔ cups (166 g) store bought sweetened orange juice - like Just Juice, Tropicana etc.
- 1½ tbsp orange zest - the zest of about 1 medium sized orange. The juice of the orange will be used later in the syrup.
- 2 tbsp (36 g) molasses
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- 1½ tsps cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp all spice
- ¼ cup (52 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 cup (100 g) walnuts - halved
Orange Syrup/Glaze
- 3 tbsp (50 g) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1¾ tbsp (20 g) white granulated sugar
Instructions
Boiled Fruit Mixture
- To a large saucepan add in unsalted butter, soft brown sugar, dried fruits, dates (if using firm dates - see note 2), orange juice, orange zest and molasses. Bring that to a simmer over a medium heat, and once simmering, continue to let it simmer for a few more minutes.
- Once done, pour the mixture in a large shallow dish to cool. To speed up the process I like to place the mixture into the freezer for about 45 minutes. Once ready it should have thickened up in consistency. Make sure it's at room temperature (not hot or cold) before moving onto the next step.
Fruit Cake
- Preheat oven to 140 °C (285°F) with the fan on (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function) and grease an 8x3 inch cake tin (I use my homemade cake release), and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Sift together your flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, ground ginger powder, nutmeg and all spice. Mix together with a whisk or fork and set aside for now.
- In a small bowl combine the unflavoured vegetable oil and eggs. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
- In a large bowl add in the boiled fruit mixture from earlier (make sure it's at room temperature), and add in the oil/egg mixture. Using a spatula, fold until it's well combined. The mixture is quite thick so may take a bit of mixing to get it all combined properly.
- Next add in the walnuts (and dates if you didn't add them to the boiled fruit mixture), and fold until well combined.
- Next add in the sifted dry ingredients from earlier and fold until just combined. Do not overmix, so only mix until you can't see any more streaks of flour.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and spread it out evenly. Drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles, and then bake for 75-85 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 30 minutes and then run a thin knife around the edges of the cake tin to release the cake, and then turn it out onto a wire rack (right side up) to cool.
Orange Syrup
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the orange syrup. Combine the orange juice and sugar in a bowl, and then heat it up (in the microwave or on the stove top) until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the orange syrup all over the top and sides of the cake while the cake is still warm. Be sure to use all the syrup up.
- Wrap the cake in two layers of foil (see video for demonstration) and place it into an airtight container. Leave it in a cool dry place for 48 hours before serving (see note 4).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
311 Comments
Hi, just want to know,when do I add the alcohol?
Hi Nuria! 🙂
This recipe is an alcohol free recipe as I don’t consume alcohol myself, but other readers have added it to the boiled fruit mixture and the glaze that goes on the cake once it’s done.
Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
If I want to divide the batter into two cakes, what size pan would you recommend?
Hi Mima! 🙂
For two cake layers using 1x the batter, I think 6 or even 7 inch cake tins would work well. 7 inch cake tins will make for slightly thinner cake layers (more appropriate for stacking like in a layer cake). 6 inch tins will make for taller individual cakes. For either option, you will just need to reduce the cook time 🙂
Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this great recipe. Please can I use light brown sugar instead of soft brown sugar? Are they the same?
You’re so welcome! So glad you enjoyed it 😀
Yes, light brown sugar will work – it’s the same as what I use (just different names in different countries) 🙂
Hi. May I ask? Which is better? Glazed fruits or dried fruits? If ever I use glazed fruits, will I have to skip the step where you “boil” the fruits like what you did in the video? Thank you so much! ☺️
Hi Andrea! 🙂
I usually use dried fruits, but I would say that if using glazed fruits you may still want to do the initial boiling step to help infuse some of the flavors in the fruit – I would just reduce the amount of time you boil the fruit 🙂
Also, you may want to reduce the sugar slightly in the boiled fruit step as glazed fruit usually has extra sugar in it.
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
One of or even the best fruit cake I’ve ever made or tasted!! Beautifully rich, moist and fruit/nuts evenly distributed. Texture excellent. Recipe easy to follow
Aww yay! This makes me so so happy Chez 😀
Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
Can you use alcohol instead of the orange juice?
Hi Tammy! 🙂 I haven’t tried that myself, but alcohol is commonly used as a glaze for fruit cakes 🙂
The best fruit cake ive ever made. Even non fruit cake lovers loved this! The whole family loved it. So good i made it thrice. Thank you for sharing. X
Awesome!! This makes me so happy Annie 😀
So glad you all loved the fruit cake and really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
I’m just wondering if the oil can be substituted for suet? And if I can use a liquor like rum, or ginger ale instead of the orange juice?
Hi Sharyn! 🙂 Hmm good question! I’ve never used suet before myself, but if its hard at room temperature (like butter), then it might be best to stick with the oil as oil is liquid at room temp and helps keep the fruit cake moist for longer. In terms of the alcohol, because I don’t consume alcohol myself I am not experienced with alcoholic substitutes sorry, though other users have done what you have suggested with success 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I am baking for a charity Christmas Fayre. Could I bake this in muffin cases? I am selling cakes in the kitchen to raise money for the charity with tea and coffee. Individual cakes rather than sliced ones. Any suggestions?
Hi Michelle! 🙂 Yes you could totally make these as muffins, you’ll just need to reduce the cook time and keep a close eye on them to ensure the muffins don’t overbake. I would check around the 18 min mark and then bake more as needed. If you’re making larger muffins, check around the 22 min mark. Hope that helps and all the best with the charity event! 🙂
Hi MK
I made this cake last Christmas and it was the best fruit cake recipe I’ve ever made. Was so moist and not too sweet.
I’m definitely going to make several this year to share with family and friends.
Thank you for sharing.
Aww yay! So so happy to hear that Florina 😀
Hope your family and friends love the cake too. Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
How many minutes did you boil it for? You did not specify pls. Mine was still had more liquid, pls respond
Hi Juliet! 🙂 Once simmering, you just need to boil the fruit mixture for a few minutes (3-4 mins). For a visual of how the mixture should look, you can check out the recipe video – it should still be somewhat liquidy in texture and will thicken as it cools 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Love following you . Today i made the fruit cake and it was so moist and the taste was just right. Need to make a few more for Christmas.
Thankyou
i
Aww yay! Thanks so much Sylvia – so glad you loved the recipe 😀