Old fashioned fruit cake

Name: Old fashioned fruit cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 200 min
Ingredients: Extra butter or margarine to grease the cake tin; 2 and 1/3 cups (12 oz /340gms) packet dried fruit mix; 1/2 cup (70gms) chopped dates; 1/3 cup (65gms) dried apricots; 1/2 cup (125mls) orange juice or water; 2 sticks plus one table spoon (250gms) butter or margarine; 3/4 cup (165gms) tightly packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon mixed spice; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 tablespoon (15mls) brandy (optional); 3 large eggs; 2 cups (300gms) self raising flour; 1 cup (110 gms) whole blanched almonds; 1/4 cup (125mls) apricot jam; 1/2 tablespoon (7.5mls) brandy (optional)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This old fashioned fruit cake is my great grandmother's recipe. It is easy to make and makes a fantastic Christmas cake for the festive season.

Old fashioned fruit cake decorated with almonds, with a red ribbon wrapped around it, on a gold plate, with holly decorations and a Christmas star in the background.

Jump to:

Ingredients
How to make old fashioned fruit cake
How to serve
How to store
Looking for more yummy Christmas desert recipes?
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

There are many ways of making boiled fruit cake. This is one of my family recipes and has been passed down for four generations. My great grand mother passed it on to my grand mother, who passed it onto my mother, who passed it onto me.

We have always made our Christmas cake without marzipan icing. Instead we use a lighter, pretty glaze of jam and brandy with blanched almonds for decoration. Like most Christmas cakes it keeps extremely well and can be made weeks in advance of Christmas day. You can 'feed' this old fashioned fruit cake if you like by basting with alcohol such as brandy or rum every week in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But its also keeps well without doing this for upto a month or can be eaten straight away and will still be delicious.

This cake is similar to a Dundee cake, a rich Scottish fruit cake make without glace cherries and decorated with blanched almonds.

Slice of old fashioned fruit cake, on a Christmas serviette, with holly and cut cake in the background.

Is Christmas cake the same as fruit cake?

In many parts of the world, particularly commonwealth countries, yes, Christmas cake is the same as fruit cake. Fruit cake is made with dried fruit, nuts and spices. In many parts of the world they are served as Christmas cakes and wedding cakes.

Fruit cake can can sometimes be eaten at other times of they year but the rich, moist, heavy fruit cakes are typically eaten at Christmas.

When should you make a Christmas cake?

Whenever you want to. Any time from just before eating to up to two to three months before Christmas. Making Christmas cake this far in advance apparently gives the cake time to mature and develop a denser, less crumbly texture.

If you run short of time you can however make old fashioned fruit cake a short notice. I have eaten this cake within a few days of baking and up to four weeks after baking. Either way it has been delicious.

How do you age a fruitcake?

Once the cake is cooked, peel back the foil and baking paper and brush the sides and tops with brandy, rum or your preferred alcohol. Re wrap with the baking paper and foil, the wrap all over with another layer of baking, then foil and store in a cool, dark, dry place.

Then about once a week un wrap the cake, brush the sides and top with alcohol again, and re-wrap.

How long does Christmas cake last?

Christmas cake that is stored correctly and 'feed' regularly can be stored for weeks and even months. The nature of the dried fruit, butter and alcohol makes it very shelf stable at room temperature, even for months at a time.

Ingredients

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

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

Dried apricots (optional): 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.

Self raising flour: white self raising flour is best for this recipe, I haven't tried it with wholemeal flour. You could also you 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.

Optional decorations

Apricot jam: gives this cake a lovely shinny glaze and flavor without marzepan icing.

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

Blanched almonds: are an easy and pretty way of decorating this cake if you want to make Christmas cake without icing. You can blanch your own almonds by soaking natural almonds in hot water, cooling and peeling yourself. Cheaper but a lot more time consuming! Or you can buy almonds that are already peeled.

How to make old fashioned fruit cake

chopping pitted dates into small pieces.

Chop the apricots and dates into small pieces. Measure out the all spice, cinnamon and ginger.

adding mixed dried fruit to pot on stove.

adding chopped dried apricots to pot on stove.

Add the mixed dried fruit, dried apricots, dates, brown sugar, butter, spice mix and orange juice to large pot. Heat on a low heat and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Increase to a medium high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

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

tracing cake tin shape onto baking paper with a pen.

Line you cake tin with foil first then baking paper. This will help stop the cake from dry out and is better for storage.

Move oven tray in your oven so there in enough height for the lined cake tin. Pre heat 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 cake mix in pot. Mix well and pour into lined cake tin.

decorating cake with blanched almonds in a circular pattern.

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

Bake in 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 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 cake to cool completely.

How to serve

Side view of slice of old fashioned fruit cake, on a Christmas serviette, with holly and cut cake in the background.

To serve un wrap, or partially up wrap cake from foil and baking paper, slice and enjoy! If you are serving after a Christmas feast you can wrap some pretty Christmas ribbon around it for a stunning center piece. It's perfect to serve after a Christmas dinner, as part of festive dessert bar or when friends and family pop over during the festive season.

How to store

This Christmas 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.

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

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

Looking for more yummy Christmas desert recipes?

Why not try making

Follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for more delicious recipes.

Top down view of old fashioned fruit cake decorated with almonds with a sprig of holly on top, with a red ribbon wrapped around it, on a gold plate, with holly decorations and a Christmas star on the sides.

📋 Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes