Description
Elevate your holiday gatherings with the Best Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe, a delightful blend of rich flavors and textures that is perfect for any special occasion. This moist cake, packed with mixed dried fruits, cherries, and aromatic spices, not only pleases the palate but also fills your home with a warm, festive aroma. Easy to make and versatile in serving options, this cake can be enjoyed plain, adorned with frosting, or alongside whipped cream for an extra treat. Ideal for gifting during the holiday season, it’s sure to impress family and friends alike.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3/4 cup (175g) unsalted butter, chopped
- 1 packed cup (210g) light brown muscovado sugar
- 2 + 2/3 cups (400g) mixed dried fruit
- 1 cup (200g) glacé cherries, roughly chopped
- 1 cup (100g) dried cranberries
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cherry apple juice
- 1/2 cup (85g) ground almonds (coarsely ground)
- 3 large eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 + 2/3 cup (200g) plain/all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- Cherry apple juice (1-2 tbsp per week for feeding)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C) and prepare your baking pan by greasing it lightly with butter or lining it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped butter and light brown muscovado sugar. Use an electric mixer or whisk until creamy. Add in the lightly whisked eggs, cherry apple juice, orange zest and juice, and lemon zest. Mix well until all wet ingredients are combined smoothly.
- In another bowl, sift together the plain flour, baking powder, ground mixed spice, cinnamon, and allspice. Gradually fold this mixture into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Gently fold in the mixed dried fruits, glacé cherries, dried cranberries, and coarsely ground almonds until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 105 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cooling before removing from the pan.
- To keep your cake moist over time, feed it with cherry apple juice weekly.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 105 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Festive
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 23g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: Use high-quality dried fruits for richer flavors. Soak fruits overnight in cherry apple juice for added moisture. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.