Old fashioned fruit cake

This old fashioned fruit cake is my great-grandmother's recipe. Made without marzipan it's a simple and delicious Christmas cake the whole family will love.

This traditional Christmas fruit cake has been passed down four generations in my family. We have always made our boiled fruit cake in the style of a Scottish Dundee cake i.e. without glace cherries, and decorated with almonds instead of marzipan. The rich smell of dried fruits and festive spices wafting through the house as the cake bakes always tells me it's Christmas time in our house.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Simple boiled fruit cake - no need to soak the fruit overnight.
• Festive flavors of dried fruits, nuts and spices.
• Marzipan and fondant free.
• Can be made well in advance to save time over the festive season.
• Makes delicious homemade Christmas gifts.

Looking for more fabulous festive desserts? Why not check out my full collection of festive Christmas recipes including my Philadelphia no bake cheesecake, quick and easy fruit mincemeat tarts or simple gingerbread rocky road. Merry Christmas!

Ingredients

Dried fruit: this recipe uses mixed dried fruit including sultanas, currents, raisins and mixed peel.

Dates: add a lovely richness to this cake. You can replace it with more mixed dried fruit if you prefer.

Dried apricots: give some extra tang to this recipe. You replace it with more mixed dried fruit if you prefer, or add some glace cherries.

Orange juice: I use orange juice from a freshly squeezed orange in this recipe. You can use regular orange juice instead if you like.

Butter: I use unsalted butter in this recipe.

Brown sugar: also known as light brown sugar, adds to the caramel notes of this recipe. You could use white sugar if you prefer, or experiment with dark brown sugar for a richer caramel flavor.

Self-raising flour: white self-raising flour is best for this recipe, I haven't tried it with wholemeal flour. You could also use all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder if you prefer to make your own.

Mixed spice: ground mixed spice helps add to the flavor of this recipe.

Cinnamon: ground cinnamon is a traditional spice to add to this fruit cake.

Ginger: ground ginger adds some lovely warmth to this recipe.

Eggs: I use large eggs in this recipe, approx. 55 gms each with shells before cracking.

Decorations:

Apricot jam: gives this cake a lovely shiny glaze and flavor without marzipan icing.

Brandy: helps preserve the cake and keep it nice and moist.

Blanched almonds: or almonds without skins are an easy and pretty way of decorating this cake. You can blanch your own almonds by soaking skinned almonds in hot water, cooling and peeling them yourself. Cheaper but a lot more time-consuming! (I peeled a Lot of almonds as a kid!).

How to make old fashioned fruit cake

Chop the apricots and dates into small pieces. Measure the allspice, cinnamon and ginger.

Hot tip: to save on save on washing up you can add the rest of the ingredients for the cake directly to the cooled, boild fruit make. If you are going to do this make sure your pot is big enough to allow for this.

Add the mixed dried fruit, chopped dates and apricots, brown sugar, butter, spice mix and orange juice to a large pot.

Heat on low and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Increase to medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn off the heat and allow it to cool completely, for about two hours.

Line your cake tin with foil first, then parchment paper, brushing on some extra butter between the layers to help them stick and stay in place. This will help stop the cake from drying out and is better for storage. If you are going to store the cake for later leave plenty of overhang up the sides, which helps with wrapping and storage.

Move the oven tray in your oven so there is enough height for the lined cake tin. Preheat oven to 335°F (170°C) (fan forced).

Lightly beat eggs in a separate bowl, add brandy if using. Add eggs, brandy and flour to the cake mix in the pot. Mix well and pour into the lined cake tin.

Use blanched almonds to decorate the cake top. I like to make a pretty circular pattern.

Bake in the oven for one hour or until starting to go brown on top and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Hot tip: this recipe was made in a fan forced oven at sea level. All oven can vary, so adjust them temperature and baking time as needed for your oven and location.

While the cake is still warm pour one shot of brandy over the cake. Mix the apricot jam and brandy together in a bowl. Brush liberally over the cake with a pastry brush. Allow the cake to cool completely.

How to serve

To serve this easy Christmas cake unwrap, or partially upwrap the cake from foil and baking paper, slice and enjoy! If you are serving after a Christmas dinner you can wrap some pretty Christmas ribbon around it for a stunning centerpiece.

Perfect to serve after a Christmas feast, as part of a festive dessert bar or when friends and family pop over during the festive season.

How to store

This homemade fruit cake will store well for up to a month if left wrapped in the original baking paper and foil it was baked in and wrapped in some extra foil and baking paper. Store in a cool, dry place.

Once unwrapped it should still keep for at least two weeks, so you can eat it over the Christmas season.

How to transport

If you are making this fruit cake to take for Christmas or a festive party I recommend the following:

• Make the cake at least the day beforehand so it has time to cool completely before transporting.
• Leave the cake in its tin for transport, simply fold the overhanging parchment paper and foil down over the top. Pack any decorations such as festive ribbons separately.
• Once at your destination remove the cake from the tin and carefully peel off the foil and parchment paper.
• Wrap in a pretty Christmas ribbon and add some festive touches such as a bow or other festive decorations.

Tips for success and frequently asked questions

Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream

More yummy Christmas dessert recipes!

Why not try making

• Ice cream Christmas pudding
• Gingerbread men
• White Christmas
• Gingerbread ice cream

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📋 Recipe

Old fashioned fruit cake

Author: Sarah Brooks

This old fashioned fruit cake is my great-grandmother's recipe. Made without marzipan its a simple and deliocus Christmas cake the whole family will love.

4.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Austalian, British

Servings 12 slices, approx.

Calories 648 kcal

Equipment

• 1 x 8 inch cake tin

Ingredients

• Extra Butter or margarine to grease the cake tin
• 2 and ⅓ cups (12 oz /340gms) Dried fruit mix
• ½ cup (70gms) Chopped dates
• ⅓ cup (65gms) Dried apricots
• ½ cup (125mls) Orange juice
• 2 sticks plus one table spoon (250gms) Butter or margarine
• ¾ cup (165gms) Tightly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon (15mls) Brandy
• 3 large Eggs
• 2 cups (300gms) Self raising flour
• 1 cup (110 gms) Whole blanched almonds

Decorations

• 1 shot (30mls) Brandy
• ½ tablespoon (7.5mls) Brandy
• 2 tablespoons Apricot jam

Instructions

 

• Chop apricots and dates into small pieces.
• Combine dried fruit, dates, apricots, brown sugar, orange juice, butter, mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger to a large saucepan.
• Stir over a low head until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
• Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat, cover and allow to cool completely, about two to three hours.
• Pre-heat oven to 335°F (170°C) (fan forced).
• Heavily grease and line an 8 inch square or round cake tin with butter or margarine, then line with foil, then baking paper, allowing plenty of overhang.
• Lightly beat eggs.
• Add eggs, self raising flour and brandy if using to cold boiled fruit mix and mix well.
• Pour cake mix into prepared cake tin. Decorate with blanched almonds in a pretty circlar pattern.
• Bake in the oven for one hour. The cake will be cooked when its starting to go a lovely golden brown color on top and a skewer will come out clean when inserted.
• Pour one shot of brandy over the cake while it is still warm.
• Mix half a tablespoon of brandy with the apricot jam and brush over cake while still warm.
• Allow to cool completely and you're done! To serve remove from the tin and add a pretty festive ribbon. Or check the recipe notes below for tips on storing this cake if making it in advance of Christmas day or your festive event.

Notes

Ingredients:

Brandy: is optional, but adds flavor and helps preserve the cake.  You can leave it out if you prefer.

Orange juice: you can juice some oranges for the orange juice if you don't want to buy a whole bottle just for this recipe.

Apricots and dates: add extra flavor, but you can replace these with extra dried mixed fruit to simplify the recipe.  

Blanched almonds: it's much simpler to buy them blanched (i.e. without the skins) but they are more expensive than almonds with the skins on. 

You can blanch your own by adding the almonds to boiling water for one minute, drain and rinse with cold water, then gently squeeze each almond to remove the skin.  It will take some time but it is cheaper. 

Decoration:

This boiled fruit cake is decorated with simple almonds and lovely shinney glaze.  You could ice this cake with marzipan and/or fondant if you prefer.  

Storage: 

To store the whole cake: leave it in the baking paper and foil it was baked in.  Add an extra layer of baking paper to the top, and wrap the whole thing in extra foil, pressing down firming to ensure the cake is well wrapped.    Store in a cool, dark place for up to a month.

No need to 'feed' the cake with alcohol, but you can if you want to.

To store the cut cake: in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 648kcalCarbohydrates: 92gProtein: 13gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 692mgFiber: 9gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 814IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 163mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.

Keywords: Christmas cake, traditional fruit cake

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