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non-alcoholic fruitcake sliced on a platter.
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4.36 from 104 votes

Non-Alcoholic Christmas Fruit Cake

An easy non-alcoholic Christmas fruit cake, you can put this recipe together in only 15 minutes (plus baking time).
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: English
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 781kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 250 g unsalted butter 9 oz/ 1 cup + 1½ tablespoon, soft, Note 2
  • 200 g muscovado sugar 7 oz/ 1 cup, Note 3
  • 4 eggs
  • 250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground all-spice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
  • 100 g dried cranberries 3.5 oz/ ½ cup
  • 150 g dried currants 5.5 oz/ ¾ cup
  • 250 g sultanas or raisins 9 oz/ 1 ¼ cups
  • 100 g chopped glacé cherries 3.5 oz/ ½ cup, Note 4
  • icing sugar optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 280°F/ 140°C. Butter the springform and line its bottom with parchment paper.
  • Batter: Place the soft butter, muscovado sugar, eggs, flour, salt, all-spice, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Mix well.
    250 g unsalted butter/ 1 cup +1 tablespoon butter + 200 g muscovado sugar/ 1 cup + 4 eggs + 250 g all-purpose flour/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon flour + 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder + pinch of salt + ¼ teaspoon ground all-spice + ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon + a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
  • Add cranberries, currants, sultanas or raisins, and glace cherries.
    100 g dried cranberries/ ½ cup + 150 g dried currants/ ¾ cup + 250 g sultanas or raisins/ 1¼ cup + 100 g chopped glacé cherries/ ½ cup
  • Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 2 to 2 ¼ hours or until the cake is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Check the cake after one hour or so and loosely cover the top with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.
  • Let the cake cool in the baking dish, then turn it out.
  • Serve: You can serve the Christmas fruit cake immediately, but it is even better if served the next day. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving, if desired.
  • Make in advance: If you make it one day in advance, let it cool completely, wrap it in aluminum foil, and leave it at room temperature until the next day.

Notes

  1. Cake pan: Alternatively, use an 8 ½ - 9 / 22 cm cake tin or springform, but reduce the baking time slightly. Start checking after 1 hour and 50 minutes already.
  2. Always use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon link opens in a new tab) in baking; it guarantees the best results.
  3. Sugar: You can replace the muscovado sugar with the same amount of brown sugar minus one tablespoon. Add one tablespoon of molasses instead of the missing tablespoon of sugar if available.
  4. Substitutions: You can replace one-third or half the glace cherries with the candied peel of your choice. You can also replace a small handful of dried fruit with chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 781kcal | Carbohydrates: 145g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 122mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 118g