Light Fruit Cake (Easy Holiday Baking)

Fluffy and tender cake studded with soaked fruit and citrus. Topped with marzipan and fondant to make the perfect Christmas cake for the festive season. It is simple to make and the most delicious tea cake for the holidays.

So here is the thing, fruit is a hit or miss. either you like it or don’t. But here is where I meet you half way, light fruit cake. It is not as dense and heavy as a rich dark fruit cake but it is still a fruit cake that is tender, soft an delicious. In saying this I was inspired to make this recipe as I was walking through the Christmas aisle in Homesmiths. Firstly, I wanted to buy the whole store, they have some of the best Christmas decoration collection of items. Secondly it took me back to my teenage days when my family friend’s mum would make this tender light fruit cake. Her recipe was made with tutti fruit and only egg yolks so the cake was bright yellow and very fluffy and delicious.

This recipe is not as rich has hers was but it definitely is soft, buttery, fluffy, tender and the perfect fruit cake for those who don’t like a dark and dense fruit cake recipe. Traditionally I would suggest having only light fruits in your cake to keep the color is even lighter but I ran out and didn’t want to wait any longer so I used my soaked fruit. I want to take a moment to appreciate the beautiful decorations and my mixing bowls etc which make this recipe even more festive, all of which shinning bright from Homesmiths. They were so kind to gift me Christmas presents early this season! Without any more time to waste let us get to the recipe.

What is fruit cake? What is the difference between fruit cake and Christmas cake? What is special about Christmas cake?

Fruit cake is a dessert made with a simple pound cake batter that is packed with fruits that has been soaked in an aromatic liquid like alcohol or fruit juice. Different countries make it differently and there are many variations. Traditionally it is served at weddings as well. A Christmas cake most often than not is more dense and richer in flavor and fruit. Christmas cake has many diverse significance in different spaces – it is special not only because of the tradition behind it but also based on how it is made.

What is light fruit cake?

Christmas fruit cake is usually dense, dark and packed with soaked dried fruit. This cake is light without the treacle, dark sugar or dark fruits. It is most often than not made with light fruit like golden raisins, apricots, citrus peel dried figs. It is more tender, soft and lighter in color not to mention very fluffy and citrusy. A light fruit has little to no spices as compared to a rich fruit cake.

What ingredients are needed to make light fruit cake?

To make this cake we need soaked dried fruit, ideally light fruit like golden raisins, dried figs, dried apricots and citrus peel. I ran out of them so I topped up my fruit with dark fruit. The fruit must be hydrated in a soaking liquid like brandy, rum, cointreau as well. For the cake batter we need butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla, orange zest and orange juice. I love adding little almond extract as well. The cake is topped with marzipan and fondant.

What equipment is needed to make light fruit cake?

To make the cake we need a large mixing bowl, rubber spatula and whisk. Bake the cake in an 8×8 inch square tin that is lined with baking paper in an oven. To roll the marzipan and fondant we need a rolling pin and knife to portion the dough.

How to make light fruit cake?

To make this cake we need to soak your dried fruit to hydrate them. Ideally they are soaked in brandy, rum or a combination of alcohols. You could also soak them in fresh, unsweetened orange juice to add to the citrus flavor. This step can be done the night before and stored in an air tight jar, if using alcohol it doesn’t need the fridge but if using fruit juice it must be placed in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 150℃ and line an 8×8 inch square tin with butter and baking paper, set aside. In a mixing bowl add the orange zest and sugar, rub together for a minute to release the oils from the orange zest. Add the butter and using a whisk beat together until pale and creamy – you could do this with an electric beater as well. Add the eggs, vanilla, almond extract and beat again. It will look curdled and split but don’t worry about it. Add the flour, soaked dried fruit, baking powder, salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 minutes on until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the cake is still warm I like to soak the cake with a little soaking liquid – this can be brandy or orange juice. Allow the cake to to cool completely before decorating.

Decorating ideas for light fruit cake?

I have eaten this cake, sliced and served as it is during the holiday season and also, served it to my neighbors. However if you are feeling dressy then you can roll out ready made marzipan to 2 cm thickness, cut it out to 8×8 inches and the same goes with ready made fondant. Brush the cooled cake with a little jam to help the marzipan stick to the top and brush the marzipan with a little brandy to stick the fondant on top. Top with festive sprinkles of your choice. To keep the decoration even more simple make an icing sugar glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice – whisk until thick and smooth, pour it over the cake and allow it to set before slicing. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.

Serving light fruit cake?

This cake is best served the next day. It is more tender and delicious. But thats because all the flavors melt into each other. Further more, I prefer it with a cup of tea but you could just as well enjoy it with coffee. It is a tea cake but also consider this as a festive snacking cake that is perfect for the season. You could serve this as a dessert as well. A tiny square goes a long way. I absolutely love packing this cake and gifting it through the holidays as an edible gift, you can do it in customized jars/boxes etc. and wrap them up to create an extra festive flair.

Storing leftover Christmas cake?

The leftover Christmas cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If the cake doesn’t have any marzipan or fondant on the cake then it can keep for a month, wrapped in cling wrap and then in an air tight container in the fridge. With the citrus in the cake it can go bad if not stored well. The alcohol in the cake keeps it safe for consumption for a very long time. If the cake is being made without alcohol then the shelf life is much lesser and needs to be refrigerated.

Looking for more Christmas cake recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make light fruit cake you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest or instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.

Light Fruit Cake (Easy Holiday Baking)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Course Cake, Dessert, High Tea, Sweet tooth, tea time

Cuisine British, English

Servings 16 squares

Equipment

Mixing bowl
Whisk
Rubber spatula
8x8 inch Square tin
Baking paper
Brush
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

350 gm soaked dried fruit apricots, golden raisins, candied peel, etc*
1 orange zest
44 g castor sugar
44 g brown sugar
88 g butter soft
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 drops almond extract
88 g flour
5 g corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp brandy

For Decoration -

Ready made marzipan & fondant
Christmas sprinkles
Apricot jam
Brandy

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150℃ and line an 8x8 inch square tin with butter and baking paper, set aside.
In a mixing bowl add the orange zest and sugar, rub together for a minute to release the oils from the orange zest. Add the butter and using a whisk beat together until pale and creamy - you could do this with an electric beater as well.
Add the eggs, vanilla, almond extract and beat again. It will look curdled and split but don’t worry about it.
Add the flour, soaked dried fruit, baking powder, salt and whisk until smooth.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 minutes on until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cake is still warm I like to soak the cake with a little soaking liquid - this can be brandy or orange juice.
Allow the cake to to cool completely before decorating, check out the write up above on how I decorated this cake and more ideas. Don’t be afraid to slice and serve it as it is.

Notes

*To make this cake we need to soak your dried fruit to hydrate them. Ideally they are soaked in brandy, rum or a combination of alcohols. You could also soak them in fresh, unsweetened orange juice to add to the citrus flavor. This step can be done the night before and stored in an air tight jar, if using alcohol it doesn’t need the fridge but if using fruit juice it must be placed in the fridge. Around 5 tablespoon of liquid should suffice.
Check out my Soaking dried fruit recipe here
Alcohol free - to make this cake alcohol free replace the brandy with orange juice that has no added sugar in it. However fresh fruit changes the shelf life of this cake.

1 thought on “Light Fruit Cake (Easy Holiday Baking)”

Jitu
November 29, 2024 at 7:36 PM

This is by far my most faovurite posts of the many….festive…colorful…well plated….and gives a sense of juciness without even tasting….kudoa Chef Annika

Reply

Annika Eats

Hi Ninja!

Light Fruit Cake (Easy Holiday Baking)