Christmas Fruit Cake (Non- Alcoholic)

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I can't believe this year is going to end and Christmas is just 3 days away! Nothing defines 'Christmas!' more than a slice of traditional fruit cake! It takes me back to my childhood days, where mouth watering plum and fruit cakes would jostle for spaces in the bakery days before Christmas.

A Christmas cake is a rich, dense fruit cake that is filled with warm baking spices and dried fruits like apricots, raisins soaked in alcohol. Traditionally, making it takes a lot of time where you’ll have to spend several weeks feeding the cake with alcohol before it is ready to be consumed. However, if you are looking for an easy alcohol- free Christmas fruitcake to make the last minute, then your search ends right here!

This is a festive, flavorful and moist fruit cake that you can cherish the holiday season! A cup of warm coffee in my hand, with a big slice of this cake is enough to perk up my winter afternoons!

Don't let the lengthy instructions put you off on trying your hand at this. The steps are pretty simple; soak the fruits, make the batter, bake the cake, and enjoy!

Are you looking for other Baked Goods this Christmas ? You can also check out my Almond Cookies and Apple Cinnamon Puff Pastry
To make this cake alcohol free, I have soaked the dry fruits in orange juice.. This way, they’ll stay moist and juicy and won’t absorb moisture from the cake batter during baking.

Some Extra Tips
  • This cake bakes at a low temperature of 160°C and hence it takes around 3hrs to bake. If you try to bake this cake faster by raising the temperature, the outside will brown while the inside will remain undercooked.
  • If well covered up with an aluminium foil, the cake will last at room temperature for a week.

If you make this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below.



Christmas Fruit Cake (Non- Alcoholic) Christmas Fruit Cake (Non-Alcoholic)
Author: Happily Cooking
Preparation Time:
Cooking time:
Yields: 1 loaf
Calories per serving: 160kcal




Ingredients:
    For soaking the dry fruits
  • 1 cup raisins
  • ½ cup apricots
  • ½ cup seedless dates
  • ½ Candied dried fruits
  • 1½ cup orange juice

    • For the Batter
  • 1½ cup flour
  • ½ cup ground almonds
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
  • 1¾ cup brown sugar
  • 4 eggs (at room temperature)
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • ½ cup chopped cashews

Instructions:
  1. Chop dry fruits into bite size pieces. Place them into a dry glass container along with the orange juice, ensuring that the fruits are completely immersed. I recommend soaking the fruits for at least a day at room temperature.
  2. Line parchment paper on the bottom of a 9 inch nonstick springform pan and also along the sides extending 2 inches above the rim of the pan. Butter the paper throughout and set aside. .
  3. Preheat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter until it becomes airy and fluffy. Add in the brown sugar and whisk again.
  5. Now whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Follow this with the ground almond, the cinnamon powder, the nutmeg powder, and orange zest. Incorporate everything thoroughly.
  6. Sift in the flour and the baking powder and fold it in using a rubber spatula. Make sure to not overmix the batter after you add the flour as the cake may turn chewy.
  7. Add the chopped cashews and the juice-soaked dried fruits. The fruits should have absorbed all the liquid, but if they contain excess liquid, strain and add just the fruits.
  8. Place it in the preheated oven and bake for almost 3 hours, checking on it regularly after the first 2 hours. Keep in mind that every oven is different. A toothpick inserted inside the cake should come out clean, and the cake should develop a rich brown color.
  9. Move the cake to a wire rack keeping the lined parchment paper intact and let it cool completely.
  10. Store it at room temperature wrapped in baking paper and aluminium foil.

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