Last Updated on June 5, 2022
Looking for a fruit cake recipe that you can easily try making at home? Follow us as we share some easy recipes you can make from home.
Fruit cake has evolved for so many years! It was once fruit, mixed with alcohol and spices, which were then baked together in a loaf pan. The fruit cake would be cut up to form individual pieces before being served to guests. This was the traditional British Fruit Cake, as featured on Great British Chefs.
Now fruit cakes have evolved into fruit-soaked cakes covered in icing. It is best served when still moist and not allowed to dry out at any time. They are great for making desserts or bringing along on camping trips thanks to their ability to stay fresh for longer periods of time compared to other desserts!
We will share with you some fruit cake recipes that you can try at home.
Fruit Cake Recipe – Option 1
Ingredients
- 8oz mixed dried fruit
- 2oz Golden raisins
- 175 g self-rising flour
- 50g Sugar
- 1/4 lb Butter or margarine
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
Step by step
Step 1
Grease a 7 inch round cake pan with butter/margarine. Line the base with greaseproof paper and greased butter paper on top of that. Lightly dust the insides of the pan with flour before tapping out any excess flour. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F/150 C to prepare for baking fruit cake in future steps.
Step 2
Cream together butter or margarine with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition before adding the next egg.
Step 3
Add all the other dry ingredients to the mixture slowly by slowly while mixing to gain a consistent batter.
Step 4
Mix in fruit mixture, lemon juice, mixed spice and salt to the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon to mix everything together well.
Step 5
Spoon the fruit cake mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth top of fruitcake with the back of a metal spoon dipped in cold water.
Step 6
Bake fruit cake for 3 hours (ensuring it doesn’t burn on top).
Step 7
Once cooked, remove it and put it upside down onto a wire rack to cool. When the fruit cake is completely cooled, wrap it in greased foil and store it for at least six weeks before enjoying it! This allows all of that lovely flavor from the dried fruit to soak into the fruit cake mixture itself.
Please note that fruit cake will stay fresh for several months if it’s stored properly.
A Fruit Cake Recipe – Option 2
Ingredients
- 100g fruit cake, fruit loaf or fruit biscuit crumbs
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 125 g butter or margarine, softened
- 50 g caster sugar
- 175 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 60 ml milk
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
Step 2
Lightly grease a deep 20cm round cake pan and line the base with baking paper.
Step 3
Put fruit cake in a bowl and mash with a fork until crumbly in texture.
Step 4
Stir in lemon zest and set aside.
Step 5
Using an electric mixer fitted with a beater attachment beat together butter and sugar for 5 minutes or until pale and creamy.
Step 6
Add fruit cake crumbs, flour and cinnamon to butter mixture and stir until it combines thoroughly.
Step 7
Gradually add eggs and milk, stirring at low speed until combined.
Step 8
Pour into prepared pan.
Step 9
Bake fruit cake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 10
Allow fruit cake to cool in the pan before removing the lined baking paper.
Step 11
Serve fruit cake with tea or enjoy fruit cake chilled.
What Type Of Fruit Cake Is This Cake?
Fruit cake is a dense fruit-based dessert, traditionally made throughout the colder months of autumn and winter. It may be served as part of dessert or alongside afternoon tea, but typically fruitcake is soaked in alcohol then baked for several hours at low heat.
Fruit cakes are often kept for several months to improve their flavor which only gets better every day! These cakes are commonly used in weddings in the modern day where they are kept even for a year to the couple’s first anniversary.
Fruitcakes can be baked and decorated with frosting if desired. Fruit cakes usually contain dried fruit and nuts which gives them a dense texture. They were traditionally made by Irish Travelers each Christmas and Easter.
Modern-day fruit cakes contain raisins, currants, dates, prunes and candied fruit which is soaked in a sugar or fruit juice solution.
Fruit cakes are often soaked in brandy to soak dried fruit overnight while fruitcake recipes from the modern-day will use rum, whiskey or any other type of spiced fruit spirit. Fruitcakes are often soaked in a mixture of wine such as port and Madeira wines with spices such as cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg powder added to it just before baking a fruit cake.
The alcohol helps the fruitcake keep fresh longer. Rum works well for this too because there’s plenty of flavor that comes through when you eat fruit cake!
Read more about Baileys Vanilla Cake Recipe: The Best Baileys Cake!
Final Words
From the two fruit cake recipes above you can choose which one works for you and at least try it. There is so much fun in trying your baking skills at home because you are in your own space and can enjoy the whole process.
Baking and cooking are both therapeutic activities you should practice at home with your loved ones or young ones.
Read more about Try Out The Moist Apple Cake Recipe – Nigelle
Frequently Asked Questions
What keeps fruit cake moist?
Fruit cake is kept moist through the fruit itself. The fruit pieces are typically soaked in alcohol overnight to ensure they're nice and plump before being added into fruit cake mixture.
What alcohol is best for fruit cake?
Traditional British fruit cakes use alcoholic spirits such as rum, brandy, whiskey or sherry to help give them flavor during baking. Alcoholic spirits release flavors that cannot be achieved using other liquids like water instead.
Why is my fruit cake so crumbly?
Fruit cake mixture should be cooked at a low heat for many hours to ensure all of the fruit and moist gets baked and tenderizes. If fruit cake is too crumbly, cook fruitcake mixture longer until it becomes more moist and less crumbly.
What temperature should fruit cake be when cooked?
A fruit cake's proper cooking temperature is between 300 degrees F/150 degrees C (lower oven) or 180 degrees C (higher oven) as these temperatures allow fruit cakes to bake long enough to take on fruit flavors without burning. Fruit cakes are typically kept in the oven for 3 hours so they don't burn before getting baked through! Once baked, fruitcakes should be left to cool for hours before serving.
Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz mixed dried fruit
- 2 oz golden raisins
- 175 g self-rising flour
- 50 g sugar
- 1/4 lb butter or margarine
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Grease a 7 inch round cake pan with butter/margarine. Line the base with greaseproof paper and greased butter paper on top of that. Lightly dust the insides of the pan with flour before tapping out any excess flour. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F/150 C to prepare for baking fruit cake in future steps.
- Cream together butter or margarine with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition before adding the next egg.
- Add all the other dry ingredients to the mixture slowly by slowly while mixing to gain a consistent batter.
- Mix in fruit mixture, lemon juice, mixed spice, and salt to the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon to mix everything together well.
- Spoon the fruit cake mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth top of fruitcake with the back of a metal spoon dipped in cold water.
- Bake fruit cake for 3 hours (ensuring it doesn't burn on top).
- Once cooked, remove it and put it upside down onto a wire rack to cool. When the fruit cake is completely cooled, wrap it in greased foil and store it for at least six weeks before enjoying it! This allows all of that lovely flavor from the dried fruit to soak into the fruit cake mixture itself.