Easy Moist Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 300 graisins
• 150 gdried apricots, chopped into 8 mm pieces
• 75 gmixed peel, diced into 5 mm pieces
• 150 gglacé cherries, chopped into 8 mm pieces
• 180 gdates, diced into 5 mm pieces
• 270 ml apple juice (1 cup + 2 tbsp), or 80 ml brandy (1/3 cup) + 160 ml apple juice (2/3 cup)apple juice, or brandy and apple juice
• 120 g (1 US stick)unsalted butter, softened
• 330 g (1 1/2 cups), packeddark brown sugar
• 120 ml (1/2 cup)vegetable oil, or canola, peanut or grapeseed oil
• 45 ml (3 tbsp)molasses or golden syrup
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspallspice
• 1/2 tspcinnamon
• 1/2 tspnutmeg
• 3 largeeggs
• 1/2 tspbaking powder
• 210 g (1 2/3 cups)plain flour
• 90 g (3/4 cup), optionalwalnuts, chopped
• 500 mlpouring custard, homemade or shop-bought
• 250 gready-to-roll marzipan
• 250 gready-to-roll white fondant
• To tastecherries, dusted with icing sugar
• To tastecherries or other fruit, dusted with icing sugar
• To tastedrippy white glaze

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the fruit

   Put all the dried fruit in a large microwave-safe container with the apple juice, or the brandy and juice mixture. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes, until hot, then stir to coat the fruit. Cover and leave for 1 hour to soak and cool.

2. 2

   Prepare the tin

   Heat the oven to 160°C (320°F; 140°C fan). Grease and line a 21–22 cm (8–9 inch) round cake tin with baking paper; the sides should be about 7 cm (2.75 inches) high.

3. 3

   Cream butter and sugar

   Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy.

4. 4

   Add oil and syrup

   Beat in the vegetable oil and molasses or golden syrup until fully combined.

5. 5

   Mix in the spices

   Beat in the salt, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder until just incorporated.

6. 6

   Add the eggs

   Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly after each addition until just combined.

7. 7

   Fold in flour and fruit

   Stir in the plain flour until mostly combined. Fold through the soaked fruit and any remaining liquid, along with the walnuts if using, distributing them evenly.

8. 8

   Bake the cake

   Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and cover the top with foil. Bake for 2 1/2 hours, then remove the foil and bake for a further 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness 30 minutes after removing the foil.

9. 9

   Cool completely

   Take the cake out of the oven and leave it in the tin for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before serving or decorating.

10. 10

    Slice to serve

    Cut the cake into thin wedges, or cut it into strips about 2 cm wide and divide those into smaller servings as desired.

11. 11

    Decorate if desired

    For a traditional finish, cover the cooled cake with rolled marzipan, followed by white fondant. Make a quilted diamond pattern on the fondant sides with a decorating tool, add silver balls at the intersections and top with cherries dusted with icing sugar. Alternatively, use fresh fruit dusted with icing sugar or a drippy white glaze.

12. 12

    Serve with custard

    Serve the cake plain or accompany it with pouring custard.

What is Christmas fruit cake?

British Christmas fruit cake is a dense, celebratory cake built around dried fruit, spice and a long bake. Fruit cakes have a long history in Britain, where preserved fruit and warming spices made them fitting for festive occasions.

Here, a generous soak in juice or a brandy-and-juice mix plumps the fruit before it goes into the batter. Butter, oil and syrup help make the crumb rich and moist, while optional marzipan and fondant give it a traditional finish.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 400 calories, 4g protein, 58g carbs, 18g fat.

The dried fruit, sugar and flour provide most of the carbohydrates; butter and oil account for much of the fat, while eggs and walnuts contribute some protein. Serve a thin slice with fruit or alongside a protein-rich meal if you want a more balanced plate.

Soaking the fruit

Warm the fruit with the liquid first, then stir so all the pieces are coated. The hour-long rest gives the dried fruit time to soften and absorb some of the liquid.

Keep any liquid left in the container: it is folded into the batter with the fruit, rather than drained away.

Building the batter

Cream the softened butter and packed dark brown sugar until smooth, then beat in the oil and molasses or golden syrup. The mixture should look evenly combined before the eggs go in.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat only briefly after each. Once the flour is added, stir gently; folding in the fruit at the end helps avoid overworking the batter.

Getting the bake right

The foil cover shields the top during the first 2 1/2 hours of baking. Removing it for the final 45 minutes allows the surface to finish baking and colour.

Start checking with a skewer 30 minutes after the foil comes off. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean; if it does not, continue baking and check again.

Fruit, spice and nuts

Raisins, apricots, mixed peel, cherries and dates provide a varied mix of sweetness and texture. Cutting the larger pieces to the specified sizes helps spread them through the cake.

Allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg give the batter its warming flavour. Chopped walnuts are optional, so the cake can be made without them.

Cooling and decorating

Give the cake 20 minutes in its tin before moving it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely before adding any covering, so the marzipan, fondant or glaze can be applied to a cool surface.

For the layered finish, marzipan goes on first and white fondant on top. If you want less preparation, use the suggested fruit topping or drippy white glaze instead.

Slicing and serving

This rich cake is intended to be cut into thin wedges or narrow strips, about 2 cm wide, then divided into smaller portions if wanted. A sharp knife makes it easier to cut through the fruit and any decoration neatly.

Serve a slice plain or with pouring custard, as suggested in the recipe. The custard makes a simple accompaniment without requiring extra preparation.

Recipe notes & tips

• Chop the larger fruit pieces to the stated sizes so they are easier to distribute through the batter.
• Line the tin before mixing the batter, as the fruit mixture should be ready to fold in once the flour is added.
• Fold the soaked fruit and any remaining liquid in gently to keep it spread evenly through the cake.
• Start checking the centre with a skewer 30 minutes after removing the foil.
• Wait until the cake has cooled completely before adding marzipan, fondant or glaze.

Variations

• Use brandy: Replace part of the apple juice with brandy as specified for a more traditional flavour.
• Leave out the walnuts: Omit them for a nut-free version.
• Choose a simple topping: Use drippy white glaze instead of marzipan and fondant.
• Add a fruit finish: Top with cherries or other fruit dusted with icing sugar.
• Serve with custard: Offer pouring custard alongside each slice.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Draining the fruit: Fold in the soaking liquid as well as the fruit so the batter gets all the liquid specified.
• Skipping the foil: Cover the cake for the first 2 1/2 hours of baking as directed.
• Overbaking without checking: Begin testing 30 minutes after removing the foil and use a skewer in the centre.
• Moving the cake too soon: Leave it in the tin for 20 minutes before transferring it to a rack.
• Decorating while warm: Cool the cake completely before adding marzipan, fondant or glaze.

How to store

Once completely cool, store the cake in an airtight container in a cool, dry place; the recipe does not specify a storage duration. If serving it warm with custard, warm individual slices gently rather than reheating the decorated whole cake.

Frequently asked questions