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Easy Moist Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 102 reviews

This Easy Moist Christmas Fruit Cake is a quintessential holiday treat, packed with a rich blend of soaked dried fruits, warm spices, and nuts. Enhanced with molasses and a hint of brandy or apple juice for depth, this cake remains moist and flavorful. Perfect for festive occasions, it can be served with pouring custard or adorned with marzipan and fondant to create a beautiful White Christmas Cake decoration.

Ingredients

Scale

Fast Soaked Fruit

  • 300g / 10 oz raisins
  • 150g / 5 oz diced dried apricots, chopped 8 mm / 1/3″
  • 75g / 2.5 oz mixed peel, diced 5mm / 1/5″
  • 150g / 5 oz glace cherries, chopped 8 mm / 1/3″
  • 180g / 6 oz dates, diced 5mm / 1/5″
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice, OR 1/3 cup brandy + 2/3 cup apple juice

Cake

  • 120g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (1 US stick)
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
  • 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 2/3 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

For Serving (Optional)

  • 500ml / 1 pint pouring custard, homemade or store bought

White Christmas Cake Decoration (Optional)

  • 250g / 8 oz “ready to roll” marzipan
  • 250g / 8 oz “ready to roll” white fondant
  • Cherries dusted with icing sugar

Other Decorating Options (Optional)

  • Cherries or other fruit dusted with icing sugar
  • Drippy white glaze (plain sweet glaze without lemon juice)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Soaked Fruit: Combine the raisins, diced dried apricots, mixed peel, chopped glace cherries, and diced dates in a large bowl. Pour over the apple juice or the brandy and apple juice mixture, ensuring all the fruit is submerged. Cover and soak the fruit mixture for several hours or preferably overnight to let the flavors meld and moisture infuse the fruits.
  2. Mix the Cake Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, and vegetable oil until smooth and well combined. Stir in molasses or golden syrup for added richness. Add the salt, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring to evenly distribute the spices throughout the mixture.
  3. Add Eggs and Dry Ingredients: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the baking powder and plain flour gradually until the batter is smooth and homogenous. If using walnuts, fold them in gently at this stage.
  4. Combine Cake Batter with Soaked Fruit: Drain the fruit mixture slightly if very liquidy but retain some juice for moisture, then fold the soaked fruit into the cake batter carefully to spread the fruit evenly throughout without breaking it down.
  5. Prepare Baking Pan and Bake: Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F). Grease and line a cake tin (typically 8 or 9 inches round or square) with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for around 2 to 2.5 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, tent it with foil to prevent burning.
  6. Cool the Cake: Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the tin to set. Then, remove it from the tin and peel off the parchment paper before further decoration or serving.
  7. Optional Decoration: For a traditional Christmas presentation, cover the cooled cake with rolled marzipan and roll out white fondant over that for a smooth white finish. Decorate with cherries dusted with icing sugar or apply a drippy white glaze according to preference.
  8. Serving Suggestion: Serve slices of the fruit cake with warm pouring custard for a comforting holiday dessert experience.

Notes

  • Soaking fruit overnight helps enhance the flavor and moisture content of the cake.
  • You can substitute the brandy with extra apple juice to keep the cake non-alcoholic.
  • Using a fan-forced oven may reduce baking time slightly; start checking around 1 hour 45 minutes.
  • Store the cake wrapped tightly in an airtight container to keep it moist; it can improve in flavor when aged for a few days.
  • Optional nuts add texture but can be omitted if preferred or for nut allergies.
  • For the best texture, avoid overmixing the batter after adding flour to keep the cake tender.
  • Marzipan and fondant decoration is optional but gives a classic festive look.

Keywords: Christmas fruit cake, moist fruit cake, holiday dessert, soaked fruit cake, traditional Christmas cake, festive baking

Find it online: https://mjrecipe.com/easy-moist-christmas-fruit-cake-recipe/