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sliced large fruitcake with pumpkin puree on a silver platter
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4.80 from 5 votes

Pumpkin Fruitcake

Moist pumpkin fruitcake with lots of dried fruit. A rich cake perfect for Christmas, a nice change from a traditional fruitcake.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • Fruitcake Note 1,2:
  • 180 g/ 6.4 oz/ ¾ cup unsalted butter very soft
  • 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 225 g/ 8 oz/ 1 cup pumpkin puree canned or homemade
  • 250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 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/ 5 fl.oz/ ⅔ cup milk
  • 75 g/ 2.6 oz/ ⅓ cup raisins Note 3,4
  • 75 g/ 2.6 oz/ ⅓ cup cranberries
  • 75 g/ 2.6 oz/ ⅓ cup chopped apricots
  • Glaze Note 5:
  • 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ 1 cup icing sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • more chopped dried fruit or nuts to top, optional

Instructions

Fruitcake:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a springform of about 23-26 cm/ 9-10 inches with baking paper.
  • Chop the apricots (or any larger fruit pieces you are using) and set them aside.
  • 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.
  • In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, dried ginger, and salt.
  • Measure the milk in a jug.
  • Alternatively, start adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter-egg mixture.
  • Fold in the dried fruit (and any other additions).
  • 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, size of the springform, and especially on the wetness of the pumpkin puree.

Glaze:

  • Mix the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons in a small bowl. Only add the 3rd tablespoon if necessary. The glaze should be thick and slightly pourable.
  • Glaze the cake.
  • If desired, top with chopped dried fruit or nuts.
  • 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.

Video

Notes

  1. I recommend using a kitchen scale for measuring the ingredients; it guarantees for best results. Butter, flour, and pumpkin puree can be very tricky to measure correctly with a cup. (Amazon affiliate link)
  2. The cake should be baked at least one day in advance. You should only cut it after 24 hours.
  3. Other dried fruit can be used instead. For instance: dates, cherries, barberries, mulberries, prunes.
  4. You can also add a small handful of chopped walnuts/pecans/almonds or dark chocolate chips.
  5. 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g