Try this moist pumpkin fruitcake with lots of dried fruit. This rich cake is perfect for Christmas and a nice change from a traditional fruitcake.
A sweet and spicy pumpkin fruitcake made with pumpkin puree and dried fruit, it is glazed with a simple icing and topped with more jewel-like fruit. If you like a good Christmas fruitcake, you will love this pumpkin version as well.
Due to the pumpkin puree, it is moister than any fruitcake I've made before; it is rich and completely delightful. And the best thing about it: it gets better with every passing day. We've had the last piece after one week, and it was just amazing!
If you would like to try another fruitcake, try this Non-Alcoholic Christmas Fruitcake. Or check out our delicious Last-Minute Mincemeat Cake.
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Recipe ingredients
Pumpkin puree: I use homemade pumpkin puree (check How to Roast Pumpkin), but canned puree is perfectly fine as well; easier to use and, most of all, faster; you will not have to bake the pumpkin yourself.
Spices: A lovely spice mixture I have successfully used when making other pumpkin cakes: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, dried ginger, and salt. You could replace it with a pumpkin spice mix as well. Always to taste.
Dried fruit: Simple, dried fruit and not candied fruit. You could add some candied fruit to the mixture if you like but don't make that your main fruit. A few finely chopped pieces of crystallized pineapple or ginger or some candied cherries are great, but not too many.
- I had raisins, cranberries, and apricots.
- You could replace some of the fruit with other dried fruits, such as prunes, cherries, dates, barberries, mulberries, and so on—whatever you like!
Other ingredients: All-purpose flour, unsalted butter, brown sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder, and baking soda. Icing sugar and lemon juice for the glaze.
Additions: You could add a small handful of chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds. Or a small handful of chocolate chips.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make a pumpkin fruitcake?
Make the pumpkin puree
If you are making your own pumpkin puree, roast half of a small, flavorful pumpkin, for instance, a Hokkaido. Let cool slightly, remove the peel, and blend until smooth. Let cool completely.
Hokkaido is not very wet, but if you are using something else and the puree seems wet, place it in a fine-mesh sieve and let it drain well for a few hours.
If using canned pumpkins, things go faster.
Make the fruitcake
Preparations: Preheat the oven and line a springform. Chop the apricots or any larger fruit pieces you are using. Set aside.
- Step #1: Cream the very soft butter and the sugar. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. If the mixture looks a bit gritty at this point, don't worry about it.
- Step #2: Add the pumpkin puree and mix.
- Step #3: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices. Add to the butter mixture alternating with the milk.
- Step #4: Fold in the dried fruit. And any other additions you like.
- Step #1: Pour the batter into the prepared form and smooth the surface.
- Step #2: Bake for 60 to 80 minutes, depending on the size of the springform. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. If not, prolong the baking time and check regularly. The baking time also depends on the moisture of the pumpkin puree.
- Step #3: Remove from the oven and let cool in the form for about 15 minutes. Transfer upside-down to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step #4: Once cool, glaze with icing sugar and top with more chopped fruit, if desired. These steps are optional.
Good to know!
Use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to measure the ingredients, especially pumpkin puree, flour, and butter. It ensures the best results.
Take the butter out of the refrigerator in time; it should be soft. The eggs should have room temperature as well.
The baking time depends on the moisture of the pumpkin puree and slightly on the size of the pan. Make sure you check that the cake is cooked through.
Dome: The cake will form a slight, cracked dome when baking. The best and simplest way to get it flat again is to place the cake upside down on the wire rack when cooling. The dome will flatten, and you can decorate the fruitcake on the very flat bottom side.
You can see a crack on the bottom of my fruitcake in the picture. It happened only because I dropped it on the working surface while transferring it to the wire rack; it was not due to baking or anything of the sort.
The glaze and the topping are completely optional. They make it look really festive and pretty, but they also make it even sweeter. Like any other fruitcake, this is a very sweet dessert already, so keep that in mind when decorating. A sprinkle of icing sugar would be enough as well.
Recipe FAQs
It is best to bake the pumpkin fruitcake at least one day in advance. I would not even cut it before. The cake will be very moist on the first day. It will set more and taste even better with every passing day.
As mentioned above, it is recommended to bake the pumpkin fruitcake at least one day in advance.
It keeps well at room temperature, wrapped in aluminum foil, or in an airtight container for about 4-5 days.
If kept refrigerated in an airtight container, it will be fine for at least one week. But to be safe, always check before eating.
You could also decorate the cake with fondant or marzipan for a real festive treat. Cover it with buttercream and place the fondant or marzipan on top. Decorate as desired.
Pumpkin Fruitcake
Equipment
- 1 springform about 23-26 cm/ 9-10 inches
Ingredients
Fruitcake (Notes 1,2)
- 180 g unsalted butter very soft, ¾ cup
- 150 g brown sugar ¾ cup
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 225 g pumpkin puree canned or homemade, 1 cup
- 250 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons all-spice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon dried ginger
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 150 ml milk ⅔ cup
- 75 g raisins ⅓ cup, Note 3,4
- 75 g cranberries ⅓ cup
- 75 g apricots chopped, ⅓ cup
Glaze (Note 5):
- 100 g icing sugar 1 cup
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- more chopped dried fruit or nuts to top, optional
Instructions
Fruitcake:
- Preparations: Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Grease and line the springform with parchment paper.
- Make the batter: Place the soft butter and sugar in a bowl. Mix until creamy. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well.180 g unsalted butter/ ¾ cup + 150 g brown sugar/ ¾ cup + 3 large eggs + 225 g pumpkin puree/ 1 cup
- Dry ingredients: In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, dried ginger, and salt. Measure the milk in a jug.250 g all-purpose flour/ 2 cups + 2 teaspoons baking powder + ¼ teaspoon baking soda + 2 teaspoons cinnamon + 2 teaspoons all-spice + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg + ¼ teaspoon dried ginger + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + 150 ml milk/ ⅔ cup
- Alternating, start adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter-egg mixture. Fold in the dried fruit (and any other additions).75 g raisins/ ⅓ cup + 75 g cranberries/ ⅓ cup + 75 g apricots/ ⅓ cup
- Bake for 60 to 80 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. The cake is dense and moist, and the baking time depends on the oven, the size of the springform, and especially on the wetness of the pumpkin puree.
Glaze:
- Mix the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a small bowl. Only add the 3rd tablespoon if necessary. The glaze should be thick and slightly pourable.100 g icing sugar + 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Glaze the fruitcake. If desired, top with chopped dried fruit or nuts. Do this immediately while the glaze is still soft. more chopped dried fruit or nuts
- Optional decoration: You can also lightly sprinkle the cake with icing sugar instead of glazing. The cake can also be covered with a thin layer of buttercream and fondant or marzipan.
Notes
- Measurements: I recommend using a kitchen scale (Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to measure the ingredients; it guarantees the best results.
- Make ahead: The cake should be baked at least one day in advance. You should only cut it after 24 hours.
- Other dried fruits can be used instead, such as dates, cherries, barberries, mulberries, and prunes.
- Additions: You can also add a small handful of chopped walnuts/pecans/almonds or dark chocolate chips.
- The glaze and topping are entirely optional. Alternative: sprinkle the cooled fruitcake with icing sugar or glaze and top the cake with chopped walnuts/pecans/roasted almonds.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
My husband and I both enjoy fruitcake and have had lots of different versions, your pumpkin one sounds like a winner.
Adina says
It's really a nice change, a lot of flavor.
pico says
love cake everyday