Quick Christmas fruit cake without alcohol is for you if you forgot to soak the fruits, or don’t like the taste of alcohol, or can’t consume alcohol. It is exactly like your classic fruit cake without the flavor development that alcohol helps in, and is equally moist and delicious.
Christmas presents, decked-up Christmas tree, Santa, and warm and cozy hot chocolates. Winters do have a special place in all our hearts. Fruit cake is the most sought-after cake of this season and is savored by all. Professionally, we bake these cakes after a month of soaking the nuts and fruits. Fruit mixing is a ceremony we chefs look forward to every year.
A plethora of alcohol, fruit juices, and spices are added, of course following secret recipes..shhh. Being a part of this tradition is one of the perks of being a chef, where we get to mix huge quantities of fruits and nuts. Now that is what we call fun!
I always prefer my fruit cake to have that dense yet moist and soft crumb and this one just turns out to be perfect. I am onto my fourth batch of this cake already and I am sure you are gonna be baking these too. You just need to soak the fruits and nuts for two hours and that’s it. I am using brown sugar to impart that lovely color and flavor to our cake. A serving of this fruit cake will get you right in the holiday mood.
Why do we have fruit cakes at Christmas?
Fruitcake comes from a long line of holiday traditions.
In the 1800s fruit cakes were made from barley mash and had pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins. Later in the Middle Ages, fruitcakes with honey, preserved fruit and spices were popular.
Fruit cake made with butter and sugar was banned for a while in Europe in the 18th century because it was thought to be just too rich and tasty. From the 19th century on fruitcake became a traditional wedding cake in England.
The American tradition of eating fruitcake around the holidays stemmed from the British tradition, when the dessert was sometimes called Christmas cake or plum cake. This fruitcake was incredibly popular in Victorian England, when it became a vital part of celebrating holidays and weddings. Both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton served fruitcakes at their weddings, making this cake a monarchy favorite.
While the American version is derived from the English, the popular cake actually dates back to Roman times. The Romans often served a cake called “Satura”. Satura was made up of pine nuts, barley mash, pomegranate seeds, raisins, and honeyed wine. Surprisingly, the recipe hasn’t improved much over the years.
Some speculate that this dish was invented as a way to preserve fruit. The historic Christmas cake is actually edible for up to 25 years after it’s made. Shockingly, this doesn’t make it more appealing.
There are links on this site that can be defined as affiliate links.
What equipment do I need?
What ingredients do I need to make this Quick Christmas fruit cake without alcohol ?
You will be needing a good amount of dry fruits for this recipe. I have added tutti frutti, raisins,, cashew, hard or dried up cherry and almonds. You can also add different dried and candied peels. I soaked them in some freshly squeezed orange juice. You can buy a pack of orange juice too. If you are using freshly squeezed orange juice, check the taste. If it is too sour, add some sugar and dissolve to make it sweeter.
I have also used garam masala or hot spices powder. You can purchase it online or from any local store or check out the recipe here. You are going to need some nutmeg powder or you can simply take a nutmeg and grate it. Make sure you sieve it before adding.
This recipe calls for some softened butter, which means you need to keep the butter out at least half an hour ahead of baking this cake.
Plum cake is known for it’s that dark rich color, but fruit cake also has some color and you can get that from brown sugar. Do not substitute it with normal grain sugar.
This recipe uses eggs, so make sure you keep it at room temperature before using.
I have added baking powder as a leavening agent and vanilla essence for another layer of flavor.
How to make this Quick Christmas fruit cake without alcohol ?
- Chop up the nuts and fruits. Squeeze some fresh orange juice if available.
- Take butter out from refrigerator for softening meanwhile.
- In a sauce pan, add the chopped nuts and fruits with the orange juice.
- Simmer for five minutes on low flame and let it cool and soak for two hours minimum.
- Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees Centigrade/356 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar, till the sugar blends in and the butter becomes fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating.
- Add vanilla essence or extract.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder and the spices.
- Add to the butter mixture and fold to mix everything smoothly.
- You should be having a thick batter by now.
- Add the soaked fruits and nuts with the juice to the batter.
- Fold to mix everything.
- Now line a 8.5inch by 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper/ butter paper.
- Pour the batter in the loaf mold.
- Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes and at 200 degrees Centigrade/392 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. insert a knife or skewer, if it comes out clean, cake is done.
- Cool the cake completely before taking it out of the mold.
- Your cake is ready and I am sure your home smells like Christmas already.
- Merry Christmas🎅 ❄️
Pro Tips to nail this Quick Christmas fruit cake without alcohol ! (Read this first)
- Ensure you are soaking the fruits and nuts for at least two hours.
- I would recommend buying som orange juice for better taste and flavor.
- Do not skip out on brown sugar. I would suggest buying a packet because Christmas recipes do have brown sugar always.
- Make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Softened butter means butter that is soft to touch. Do not use hard butter or absolutely melted butter. It will not give you similar results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Christmas fruit cake be frozen?
Good news: Yes! You can freeze this fruit cake. Wrap it up tightly in some cling film or some aluminum foil and place it in the freezer.
Is Christmas fruit cake healthy?
No! It is not at all healthy but definitely delicious.
Where did Christmas fruit cake originate?
In the 1800s fruit cakes were made from barley mash and had pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins. Later in the Middle Ages, fruitcakes with honey, preserved fruit and spices were popular.
Fruit cake made with butter and sugar was banned for a while in Europe in the 18th century because it was thought to be just too rich and tasty. From the 19th century on fruitcake became a traditional wedding cake in England.
When to bake Christmas fruit cake?
Traditional Christmas Fruit cake preparation begins at least a month before. But this one is a quick one and has no alcohol, so you can make this anytime.
Can I make this cake without nuts?
No. If you have any nut allergy, avoid fruit cakes altogether. Fruit cakes are meant to be enriched with nuts and dry fruits, without that it’s not a fruit cake. Check out the cake section for other recipes.
Cozy winter recipes:
Christmas Fruit Cake- no alcohol, quick fruit cake recipe
December 3, 2021
: 4
: 2 hr
: 40 min
: 2 hr 40 min
: Medium
This Christmas I am sharing no alcohol and quick Christmas fruit cake recipe with you. Fruit cake without alcohol sounds crazy but this cake turns out absolutely delicious, moist and soft.
Ingredients
- For the fruit mixture-
- Orange juice(store-bought/freshly squeezed)- 60 ml
- Tutti frutti- 30 gm
- Raisins- 30 gm
- Cashew- 10 gm
- Cherry- 20 gm
- Almonds- 10 gm
- Hot spices powder(garam masala)- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder- a pinch
- Flour- 100 gm
- Butter(softened)- 100 gm
- Brown sugar- 100 gm
- Egg- 2 nos.
- Baking powder- 1 tsp
- Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Directions
- Step 1 Chop up the nuts and fruits. Squeeze some fresh orange juice if available.
- Step 2 Take butter out from refrigerator for softening meanwhile.
- Step 3 In a sauce pan, add the chopped nuts and fruits with the orange juice.
- Step 4 Simmer for five minutes on low flame and let it cool and soak for two hours minimum.
- Step 5 Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees Centigrade/356 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 6 In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar, till the sugar blends in and the butter becomes fluffy.
- Step 7 Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating.
- Step 8 Add vanilla essence or extract.
- Step 9 Sieve the flour, baking powder and the spices.
- Step 10 Add to the butter mixture and fold to mix everything smoothly.
- Step 11 You should be having a thick batter by now.
- Step 12 Add the soaked fruits and nuts with the juice to the batter.
- Step 13 Fold to mix everything.
- Step 14 Now line a 8.5inch by 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper/ butter paper.
- Step 15 Pour the batter in the loaf mold.
- Step 16 Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes and at 200 degrees Centigrade/392 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. insert a knife or skewer, if it comes out clean, cake is done.
- Step 17 Cool the cake completely before taking it out of the mold.
- Step 18 Your cake is ready and I am sure your home smells like Christmas already.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Tag @alishasdessertsafari on Instagram and hashtag it #alishasdessertsafari
Don’t forget to subscribe to get new recipes every week! Also, follow me on social media for baking tips and dessert recipes. I hope you found my post “Quick Christmas fruit cake without alcohol ” helpful and in case if you have any queries, feel free to post them in the comments. Thank You
9 thoughts on “Quick Non-Alcoholic Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe”