Super Moist Fruit Cake Recipe

Super moist fruit cake recipe will help you make soft and moist fruit cake in an easy method.

This is one of the simplest and easiest version of making a traditional fruit cake.

In this fruit cake recipe, we boil the dried fruits in liquid which will make the raisins and dried fruits soft and plumpy and thus the cake turns out deliciously moist.

The method of making this super soft fruit cake is one of the least messy ways that we can a fruit cake.

No special equipments are required to make this cake and the cool thing is that we will need a sauce pan and a wooden spoon as the major tools to make this fruit cake.

Why You will Love This Super Moist Fruit Cake Recipe

1. This fruit cake is full of Christmas aroma and is packed with juicy plums, raisins and lots of dry fruits.
2. One of the easiest and quickest moist fruit cake recipe ever
3. You will need only a saucepan,a bowl and a spatula to make this easy boiled fruit cake.

Ingredients

1. Plain flour: 228g or 1 and ¾ cups(loosely packed)
2. Mixed spice: 1 tsp
3. Cinnamon powder:1 tsp
4. Baking powder:1 tsp
5. Salt:½ tsp
6. Eggs (medium): 3
7. Vanilla Extract (optional):1 tsp
8. Soft dark or light brown sugar: 100g or ½ cup
9. Mollasses /if you don't have molasses you can use brown sugar : 3 tbsp
10. Butter: 226g or 2 sticks or 1 cup
11. Dried mixed fruit: 600-700g(you can use dry fruits of your choice and can choose candied peels or glazed cherries or nuts according to your preference)
12. Zest of 1 Lemon
13. Zest of 1Orange
14. Water: 180ml or ¾ cup

All Spices" I have used is powdered nutmeg, cardamom, cloves,dry ginger.

Dried fruits I used in this recipe;

Raisins-175-200g

Cranberries :175-200g

Prunes or dry plumes:175-200 g

Dates:75-100g

Pecans:50-75g

Getting everything ready for making the best fruit cake

• Lightly grease a 7 inch or 8 inch cake tin with some butter/oil and neatly line with greaseproof paper (double thickness).The pan I used in the video is 7 inch pan.
• Chop the nuts and dried fruits into a large clean bowl .You can use a prepared dried fruit mixture available in most supermarkets, or blend your own to create an individual cake, balance the mixture to your preferences (I love more raisins, cranberries,prunes and less chopped dates in mine).
• Grate the rind of lemon and orange and keep it aside.
• Sift the flour ,baking powder, mix spices, zest of orange and lemon and salt into another bowl. 
• Pre-heat oven to 320 F 160°C .

How to make moist fruit cake

We can make moist fruit cake in 3 simple steps.

Step 1.Boil the dry fruits

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter with the raisins, cranberries, brown sugar, molasses and water.

I have not added prunes and dates into this as they are already soft.

Bring it to boil.

Simmer over moderately high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and let stand for 45 minutes or until it is cool.

While it is near to cooling, lightly beat the eggs.Keep it aside.

Prepare the aromatic Flour mix for the Fruit cake.

Mix together the zest of lemon and orange, salt, baking powder, cinnamon powder and ground spices with flour.

Step 2.Add all the rest of ingredients

Add the eggs (lightly beaten) and vanilla extract (optional) and the nuts.

We can add the cut dates and prunes as well at this point.

Add in the flour mix which is Flour+Baking powder+Salt+Ground spices+Zest of orange and lemon.

I didn't add the spices and the zest of lemon and orange into the boil mix because we need to preserve the fresh smell of those spices and that of lemon and orange.

The taste of a fruit cake is mostly the aroma of that cake 🙂

Mix everything together, just until everything is well incorporated.

Step 3.Bake the boiled fruit cake

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan.7 inch pan / 8 inch pan will work.

Bake in the center of the oven @ 320F for about 75-90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Large baking tray (8 inch) will take slightly less baking time.

At around 50 minutes of baking, tent the top of fruit cake with an aluminum foil and continue to bake.This will prevent any chance of over browning on top.

After baking, let the cake cool completely.

Unmold the cake and transfer to a serving platter.

This fruit cake is best to serve the next day.The flavor and texture of cake improves a lot with that time.

The cake may seem buttery and crumbly and less flavorful if we cut it immediately it is cooled.

This last minute fruit cake is so flavorful and has a very soft and moist texture even though it is a fully packed dense fruitcake.

It is not a necessary thing to season this fruit cake before serving. But it's all your preference and if you want to age or season the fruitcake, you can do it so. In that case, you need to make this fruit cake, in advance so that you have enough days to feed the fruit cake with alcohol.

Watch the video to see how easy it is to make super moist fruit cake

How Long Will This Dried Fruit Cake Last at Room Temperature ?

This dried fruit cake will last for up to 2 weeks when kept covered at room temperature(60-80 F or 15-26 C).

The shelf life of this moist boiled fruit cake (which is not made with alcohol) depend on the ambient temperature where it is stored.

If your place is hot and humid, then it's better to keep it covered in fridge or freezer; if you plan to keep it for more than a week ;or you can feed the fruit cake with alcohol (ageing or seasoning) so that it can stay fresh for longer.

How Long Will This Fruitcake Stay Good in Refrigerator or Freezer ?

Fruit cake or Plum cake can be stored in refrigerator for up to three months, or can be stored in the freezer for an entire year.

How Long Will Traditional Fruitcake Fed With Alcohol Last?

Fruitcake covered or soaked in alcohol can last much longer than those fruit cakes that are not fed with alcohol. 

The alcohol in the fruitcake acts as a preservative and can also enhance the flavors. 

A dish that would normally be good for only a few days will last up to a month when covered or soaked in alcohol. So, fruitcake with alcohol can last years.

For those looking to prepare fruitcakes with alcohol for storage, you’ll want to make sure to brush the fruitcake with alcohol fairly consistently during the ageing process.

What is Seasoning or Aging a Fruit Cake

"Seasoning,” also known as ripening or aging, a fruitcake involves letting it mature in a cool, dark place for several weeks. It is a traditional technique meant to improve the flavour and texture of fruitcake.  

How long will it take to age a rich fruit cake

The aging process for a fruitcake will take roughly between three weeks to three months.Therefore a fruitcake "meant for aging" should be made well in advance as it needs to sit for quite some time.

How to properly age homemade fruit cake

After you bake the fruitcake,allow the fruit cake to cool down completely.

When cooled, remove it from pan and then remove parchment paper.

You can feed the fruit cake either by wrapping the cake with a cheesecloth that is already soaked in alcohol or by brushing the top of fruit cake with alcohol.

Either soak the cheesecloth in whiskey, rum, brandy, bourbon,or other liquor and then wrap it around the cooked, cooled fruitcake.Then wrap it again using a plastic wrap and store .

You can also simply brush the cake with an alcohol of your choice and wrap tightly.

For soaking and brushing ,do not use wine. Using fruit juice can increase the chances of your fruitcake going mouldy.  

Wrap the fruit cake tightly and store in a cool, dry place while aging.

If the fruit cake is wrapped with soaked cheesecloth, resoak the cheesecloth once a week and age for six weeks to three months.

If you wrapped your fruit cake simply using a plastic wrap, then brush it with more alcohol every few days during the first two months.

How do you store plum cake?

The fruit cake needs to be stored in a cool, dry and dark place.

If you live in a hot or humid environment then it may be better to either freeze the cake until you want to ice or serve it, or keep it in the fridge.

The fruit cake can be frozen for up to a year. The cake needs to thaw overnight at room temperature if it is frozen.

How do you store iced fruit cake?

The traditional marzipan and fondant icing that is applied to Christmas cakes actually helps preserve them by creating an airtight seal.

However,we need to apply the icing properly on to the cake using a cake board , in order for this to work. Once the cake has been iced, it's better not to store it in an airtight container, or the icing will weep. So place the cake in a cool, dark and dry place and covered in foil.

How to freeze any leftover slices of Christmas Fruit cake

If you have leftover slices of Christmas cake, you can freeze them for a later date. Simple wrap them securely in double layer of plastic wrap, place in an airtight container and store in the freezer.

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If you love this fruit cake recipe, then you might also like the "bread" version of this Christmas fruit cake.

Bread made with lots of dry fruits and is filled with Christmas aroma as it has warm spice powder added to it.

This bread is one of the best breads for making french toast the next morning; it is slightly sweeter like a brioche bread and has beautiful warm spicy aroma.

You will also love the fact that you can make this Fruit Bread in a super easy,"NO Knead Method".

Easy No knead Fruit Bread : "Bread" Version of this Christmas Fruit Cake

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If you love Fruit Cake ,then You will also love this Festive Fruit Bread :Panetonne, Made Specially during the Holidays

Super Moist Fruit Cake Recipe: Printable