Christmas Cake – Moist, Easy Fruit Cake
This moist Christmas fruit cake skips overnight soaking but delivers deep, festive flavor with a velvety crumb. Keeps for months and perfect for gifting!
Equipment
- - Large mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- - 8-inch deep cake pan
- - Foil
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- #### Soaked Fruit
- - 1 cup raisins
- - ¾ cup dried apricots chopped
- - ½ cup mixed peel
- - ⅓ cup glace cherries halved
- - ½ cup chopped dates
- - ¾ cup apple juice or brandy
- - Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- #### Cake Batter
- - 200g unsalted butter
- - 1 cup dark brown sugar
- - ¼ cup oil
- - 2 tbsp molasses
- - 4 eggs
- - 2¼ cups plain flour
- - 2 tsp baking powder
- - ½ tsp salt
- - 1 tsp cinnamon
- - ½ tsp allspice
- - ¼ tsp nutmeg
- - 1 cup walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
- Soak fruit with juice or brandy. Microwave 1 min, rest 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 160°C (150°C fan). Grease & line 8-inch pan.
- Cream butter & sugar. Add oil, molasses, spices, and eggs.
- Mix in flour, baking powder, then fruit and nuts.
- Bake covered 2½ hrs, then uncover and bake 30–45 mins.
- Cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Notes
- Store up to 3 months in fridge or 1 year frozen
- Feed with brandy weekly for deeper flavor
- Decorate with fondant, glaze, or icing sugar
- Feed with brandy weekly for deeper flavor
- Decorate with fondant, glaze, or icing sugar