What is Christmas without a rich Fruit Cake? Brighten your holidays with my better for you Christmas Fruit cake. It is big on flavor and very moist even without eggs, processed flour, or sugar. It is alcohol-free, and Vegan as well! This fruit cake is here to please adults and kids alike!

If you are looking for frosted fruit-based cakes then go ahead and try my favorite Eggless Mango Cake and this Fresh Strawberry Cake. If you are into teatime cakes then you will love this mango peach almond loaf cake and this vegan apple cake.

The iconic Christmas Fruit Cake

This cake tradition began in Britain. It is also known as plum cake mainly made and served around the holiday season like Christmas.

Why is this Christmas cake called a fruit cake? Simple, because it is a rich and dense cake loaded with fruit flavor and a ton of dried fruits. The Classic recipe calls for soaking the dried fruits in alcohol mainly rum or brandy for days. It also uses caramel to sweeten the cake. The caramel lends a deep brown color to the cake. The use of warm spices and fruits just sets this cake apart from the frosted ones out there.

 In India, fruit cake is found everywhere during Christmas. Growing up I never liked fruit cake. Maybe because it is not pretty looking like other cakes and tasted a bit bitter because the dried fruits are soaked in alcohol. Off late I have started appreciating this cake after I tasted the non-alcoholic version of this fruit cake.

A better version of the Christmas fruit cake

If you know the rules, it is time to bend them. My recipe is a healthier take on the classic fruit cake. I made it without eggs, condensed milk, alcohol, processed flour, or sugar. Instead of alcohol, this fruit cake has a ton of flavor using orange juice and zest. All-purpose flour is swapped with whole wheat, almond, and oat flour. I have substituted the sugar-loaded caramel with date puree. This cake is naturally sweetened with dates, jaggery, and dried fruits. Overall, this cake is rich, moist, and very tasty even with so many alterations. It is definitely a better choice to make for your family, this holiday season. This cake is dairy-free as well making it Vegan.

Ingredients to make eggless fruit cake

Add flavor with these ingredients

Do not skip soaking the dried fruits

This recipe does not require you to plan days ahead. But you do need to soak your dried fruits at least for 2-3 hours. So why exactly you need to soak them despite not using alcohol?

Dried fruits tend to suck up all the moisture once added to the batter. If you just throw them in dry then they will want to eat up all the liquid from the cake. As a result, your fruit cake will turn out super dry. Always soak them in some fruit juice and not just water. They will turn into flavor bombs.

My secret to a moist fruit cake

Using oil instead of butter is my secret to keep this cake moist even on days 2 and 3. Don’t worry, you won’t even taste the oil in it.

What to expect? Taste and texture

Christmas fruit cake is not a sponge cake. Consider this fruit cake as a tea time cake. It is not airy or spongy like frosted cakes. It is dense, moist, and flavorful. As a ton of nuts and dried fruits are added to the cake, it won’t turn very fluffy and airy. This is true with any good Christmas fruit cake recipe.

How to know if the cake is done?

Patience is the key. This fruit cake takes longer to cook than any regular cake. The top might look cooked but the bottom may remain uncooked and sticky. I suggest you do a knife and not a toothpick test after 55 minutes of baking to see if it is done. My cake was cooked for 65 minutes. Insert the knife in the center of the cake, till it reaches the base. If it comes out with cooked crumbs or clean then it is done. Or else bake a little more. If the cake seems to brown quickly on the top, slide a piece of foil to cover the top.

Important tips to make the best eggless fruit cake

• Make sure to soak the dried fruits in some juice and not plain water. Store-bought unsweetened juice works too.
• Because of the flours used, the batter is thicker than the usual cake batter. So, do not be tempted to add more liquid.
• The flavor of the cake deepens the second day. So, plan ahead.
• Please do not skip the starch – arrowroot. It binds this cake without eggs without adding any flaxseed meal or yogurt. You can swap it with given substitutes.

Possible additions and substitutes

• To soak the dried fruits, you can use grape, cranberry, or apple juice instead of orange.
• Arrowroot is a better choice than cornstarch or potato starch. But can be used interchangeably.
• Use nuts of your choice.
• You may add dried ginger pieces, chopped apples, sultanas to the cake. Just do not exceed 1.5 cups of dried fruits.
• Swap jaggery with coconut sugar or sugar in raw for a better choice over white sugar.
• Use any flavorless oil instead of avocado oil. You may use melted coconut oil too.
• If unavailable, swap oat flour with almond flour and vice versa.
• Swap Chai Spice with ½ teaspoon dried ginger powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.

What pan size to use?

Make this cake in one 8” * 3” round pan or one 9 “round pan.

Best way to store a fruit cake.

1. Fruit cake keeps well at room temperature for 3-4 days.
2. It will stay fresh in the fridge, for up to a week.
3. For extended shelf life, freeze individual pieces wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Then place them in an airtight container.
4. I prefer warming up the slice for 15-20  seconds before eating. It tastes like it is fresh out of the oven.

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Other recipes to try on Christmas holidays –

Eggless Red Velvet Cake

Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies

Savory Red Velvet Crepes

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies ( Eggless)

Avocado Caprese Bruschetta

Let’s make the best moist fruit cake

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5 from 16 votes

Eggless fruit cake without alcohol (Vegan)

Make moist and yummy eggless fruit cake for Christmas at home. It is made with healthy ingredients and sweetened with dates.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Adjustable Servings -12

Calories 360kcal

Author Khushboo

Ingredients

To soak dried fruits

• 9-10 pitted dates coarsely chopped
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup cranberries
• 8 apricots chopped
• 1.5 cups orange or apple juice

Dry ingredients

• 1¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour/ atta (125 grams)
• ½ cup almond flour (50 grams)
• ½ cup oat flour (50 grams)
• 2.5 tablespoons arrowroot see notes
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Spices

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Chai spice OR allspice or see notes

To mix in another bowl

• 180 ml / ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons date puree see notes how to
• ⅓ cup jaggery powder Or the sugar of your choice
• 237 ml / 1 cup milk of choice plant based or cow milk
• 2 teaspoon vinegar Or lemon juice
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1.5 tablespoon orange zest

To add-in

• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts a mix of pecans, walnuts, and almonds

Instructions

• Heat up the orange juice until hot.
• Pour over the dried fruits, cover, and let it stand for at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours max.
• Drain the liquid and discard it. Gently pat the dried fruits dry by not squishing them. Keep aside.
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease, dust, and line the bottom of an 8" by 3" round pan.
• In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients mentioned.
• Sift the wheat & oat flour, arrowroot, baking powder & soda.
• Add almond flour, salt, spices and mix well.
• In another bowl add in the date puree, jaggery powder, milk, vinegar, oil, orange zest.
• Beat well with the electric or handheld whisk until creamy.
• Slowly add in the dry ingredients in batches.
• Whisk until it forms a thick batter.
• You can use a spatula to fold the batter well.
• Add in the drained dried fruits and nuts.
• Gently fold them in until combined.
• Top it with some dried fruits and nuts if desired.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 60-70 minutes in an 8” pan or 50-60 minutes in a 9” pan.
• Or until a knife inserted deep in the center comes out clean without any sticky batter.
• Once done, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• Then loosen up the sides and carefully invert it on a dish. And again invert it right side up on a cooling rack.
• Let it cool completely before cutting.

Step by Step video of the recipe -

Notes

How to make date puree?

Soak 12 pitted dates, preferably Medjool dates in ½ cup very hot water for 1 hour and then blend it until smooth. No need to sieve it. It makes approx. ⅓rd cup plus 2 tablespoons very thick puree.

Important tips to make the best eggless fruit cake

• Make sure to soak the dried fruits in some juice and not plain water. I have used freshly squeezed Valencia orange juice. Store-bought unsweetened juice works too.
• Because of the flours used, the batter is thicker than the usual cake batter. So, do not be tempted to add more liquid.
• The flavor of the cake deepens the second day. So, plan ahead.
• Please do not skip the starch – arrowroot. It binds this cake without eggs without adding any flaxseed meal or yogurt. You can swap it with given substitutes.

Possible additions and substitutes.

1. To soak the dried fruits, you can use grape, cranberry, or apple juice instead of orange.
2. Arrowroot is a better choice than cornstarch or potato starch. But can be used interchangeably. Use only 2 tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch instead.
3. Use nuts of your choice.
4. You may add dried ginger pieces, chopped apples, sultanas to the cake. Just do not exceed 1.5 cups of dried fruits.
5. Swap jaggery with coconut sugar or sugar in raw for a better choice over white sugar.
6. Use any flavorless oil instead of avocado oil. You may use melted coconut oil too.
7. If unavailable, swap oat flour with almond flour and vice versa.
8. Swap Chai Spice with ½ teaspoon dried ginger powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.

What pan size to use?

Make this cake in one 8” * 3” round pan or one 9 “round pan.

Best way to store fruit cake

• Fruit cake keeps well at room temperature for 3-4 days.
• It will stay fresh in the fridge, for up to a week.
• For extended shelf life, freeze individual pieces wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Then place them in an airtight container.
• I prefer warming up the slice for 15-20  seconds before eating. It tastes like it is fresh out of the oven.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 449IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg

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