Fruitcake is generally one of those misunderstood recipes, and it’s time for that to change! A fruitcake should be a celebration of the holidays, bringing flavors of cranberries, pineapple, citrus, and walnuts to a soft, bright form. This modern take on a holiday fixture will make you rethink your baking ways.
Prep Time20minutes mins
Cook Time1hour hr
Total Time1hour hr 20minutes mins
Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
Sour cream
Baking powder
Dried diced fruit
Walnuts
Orange zest
Here’s how to make this recipe.
Create the batter. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer. Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix together. Once combined, slowly mix in the eggs one by one. Then, grate in the zest of an orange and add flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Roughly chop the walnuts and fold into the batter with the yuletide mix.
Bake the fruitcake. Split the batter into two 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pans. If desired, run a line lengthwise through the center of the loaves with a knife to create a crack. Place into the preheated 350°F oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Before baking
Add additional flavor. Brush 3 tbsp of liqueur/bourbon on top of each loaf. Do it while it is still warm from the oven, then repeat once or twice per week until serving, for up to four weeks.
These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
Mixing in the eggs one by one helps create a good consistency in the batter. By slowly mixing them in, the batter is also more evenly incorporated, making for a superior fruitcake.
Be mindful when baking with flour. When measuring, don’t pack it into the measuring cup. Instead, gently sift it into the cup using a scoop. This gives you a proper measurement. When it comes to mixing it in the batter, mix just until it’s incorporated. Overmixing can make the batter coarse and dry.
Brushing on the liqueur once weekly adds incredible flavor to the cake. It can be made up to four weeks prior to serving.
This boiled fruitcake recipe produces a really moist fruitcake. It was given to me by my mom, and it’s really easy. My mom uses it for Christmas cake by icing it. I use it for birthdays, Christmas, or just for a treat.
Ingredients
1x2x4x
Original recipe (1X) yields 10 servings
1 ½ cups white sugar
12 ounces candied mixed fruit
1 cup milk
¾ cup butter
5 ounces glace cherries, roughly chopped
2 ounces candied mixed citrus peel
2 ounces chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces sifted self-rising flour
2 large eggs
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Line an 8-inch deep cake pan with parchment paper.
Place sugar, candied mixed fruit, milk, butter, cherries, citrus peel, walnuts, allspice, and baking soda in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Stir flour and eggs into fruit mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with brown paper or newspaper.
Bake cake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and continue baking cake for 1 1/2 hours.
Let cake sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wired rack. Remove parchment paper, flip cake, and allow to cool completely on the rack. Cake may be stored wrapped in foil and in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Candied fruits: Fruits like cherries, orange peel, pineapple and citron and are often candied by preserving them in sugar syrup. They add sweetness and a wonderful vibrant colour to fruit cake, and can often be bought at your local grocery store to save time!
Dried fruits: Raisins, currants, dates, and apricots are commonly used dried fruits in fruitcakes. They provide a chewy and fruity texture to the cake and add moisture too.
Nuts: Chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds, are often added to provide a crunchy element and enhance the flavor. For me, nuts are a MUST in a fruit cake otherwise there’s nothing to cut through the dried fruit which can sometimes be overwhelming (well for me anyway). 🙂
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are typical spices used in fruitcakes to add warmth and depth of flavor.
Liquor: Some fruitcakes are soaked in alcohol, such as brandy, rum, or whiskey, which helps preserve the cake and adds a unique flavor. Because I personally don’t drink alcohol I have left this out of this recipe. I have used the the boiled fruit cake method which doesn’t require a long aging or curing time and therefore no alcohol 🙂
How to make fruit cake
This fruit comes together really easily with no mixer required! You can find the full written recipe, quantities of ingredients and recipe video in the recipe card at the end of the blog post, but you can follow along here for visual steps 🙂
Boiled Fruit Mixture
Begin with making the boiled fruit mixture. To a large saucepan add in unsalted butter, soft brown sugar, dried fruits, dates (if using firm dates – see note 2 on recipe card below), orange juice, orange zest and molasses. Bring that to a simmer over a medium heat, and once simmering, continue to let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Once done, pour the mixture in a large shallow dish to cool. To speed up the process I like to place the mixture into the freezer for about 45 minutes. Once ready it should have thickened up in consistency. Make sure it’s at room temperature (not hot or cold) before moving onto the next step.
Fruit Cake
Preheat oven to 140 °C (285°F) with the fan on (see note 3 on recipe card below if you don’t have a fan function) and grease an 8×3 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release), and line the bottom with baking paper.
Sift together your flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, ground ginger powder, nutmeg and all spice. Mix together with a whisk or fork and set aside for now.
In a small bowl combine the unflavoured vegetable oil and eggs. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
In a large bowl add in the boiled fruit mixture from earlier (make sure it’s at room temperature), and add in the oil/egg mixture. Using a spatula, fold until it’s well combined. The mixture is quite thick so may take a bit of mixing to get it all combined properly.
Next add in the walnuts (and dates if you didn’t add them to the boiled fruit mixture), and fold until well combined.
Next add in the sifted dry ingredients from earlier and fold until just combined. Do not overmix, so only mix until you can’t see any more streaks of flour.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and spread it out evenly. Drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles, and then bake for 75-85 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 30 minutes and then run a thin knife around the edges of the cake tin to release the cake, and then turn it out onto a wire rack (right side up) to cool.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the orange syrup. Combine orange juice and sugar in a bowl, and then heat it up (in the microwave or on the stove top) until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Using a pastry brush, brush the orange syrup all over the top and sides of the cake while the cake is still warm. Be sure to use all the syrup up as you want it to soak deep into the cake.
Wrap the cake in two layers of foil (see video below for demonstration) and place it into an airtight container. Leave it in a cool dry place for 48 hours before serving. I know it’s hard to wait, but it is crucial to allow the fruit cake to sit for 48 hours before serving it. This is going to allow the flavours to develop and the cake to become nice and moist. If you cut the cake too early, it may seem a little crumbly. It will still taste nice, but for the perfect texture it’s best to wait 🙂
This strawberry spoon cake is sort of a mix of a spoonbread, a pudding cake, and a biscuit all in one! It’s then topped with delicious strawberries for an easy, home-style dessert. It’s better to err on the side of under-baking this cake rather than over-baking, as it’s meant to have a soft center. Serve it warm, with some vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
305
Calories
12g
Fat
45g
Carbs
5g
Protein
Ingredients
1x2x4x
Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Combine strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss to combine and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
Place butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Place skillet into the oven and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees). Allow the butter to melt as the oven preheats.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven; swirl to spread butter evenly. Pour remaining melted butter into the flour mixture. Set the skillet aside to cool slightly. Add buttermilk and vanilla to the flour and butter mixture. Stir just until no dry clumps of flour remain. Pour batter back into the skillet, and spread into an even layer. Spoon strawberries and their juices over the top.
Place skillet back into the oven, and bake until center of the cake is just barely set, 32 to 37 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
This Strawberry Crumble Cake is so fresh and full of delicious strawberry and vanilla flavor. It has a moist vanilla cake that is topped with strawberries and crumble topping. This cake taste of summer, is super easier to make and perfect for any gathering.
This strawberry crumble cake is such a delicious treat and the texture of the cake is so soft and fluffy. Strawberry season is one of my favourite seasons and this fluffy vanilla cake is full of delicious vanilla flavor and topped with strawberry and lots of crumble.
This strawberry crumb cake is the perfect cake for spring and summer days, valentine’s day, baby showers and other celebrations.
Strawberries: This cake has a delicious layer of strawberries that brings lots of summery flavor.
Vanilla cake: This vanilla cake is so easy to make and is so soft!
Crumb topping: The cake is topped with lots of crumble for a delicious crunchy texture.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
Butter: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
Eggs: Let the eggs come to room temperature before baking.
Sour cream: Sour cream makes for a softer and more tender cupcake. I recommend using a sour cream with fat content of around 18%. Measure out the sour cream and let it come to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
Strawberries: Use fresh strawberries for this recipe for the best result. I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries for this recipe as they hold more liquid and therefore will make the cake more wet and soggy.
STEP 1: For the crumble, add all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a bowl and mix it together. Melt the butter and pour the melted butter over the flour mixture. With a fork mix it together until it forms a crumbled structure and there is no dry flour left. Place it in the fridge while preparing the cake.
Before starting preheat the oven to 175ºC/ 350ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 20×20 cm square pan with parchment paper.
STEP 2: For the cake, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt and set it aside.
STEP 3: In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, and granulated sugar and mix it on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time into the mixture and mix it in until combined.
STEP 4: Continue by adding half the dry ingredients, on low speed, and whisk until just combined. Then add the sour cream, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Then add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour the cake into the prepared pan and make the strawberries.
STEP 5: Clean and cut the strawberries. Add them to a bowl and sprinkle them with flour, granulated sugar and lemon juice. Stir it well together. Spoon the strawberries over the cake in an even layer. Then top the strawberries with the crumble.
STEP 6: Bake it for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let the cakes cool down completely.
This recipe shows you how to make an easy strawberry shortcake that’s perfect for a quick dessert. If you love strawberries and shortcake, this recipe is for you!
This sensational strawberry poke cake is made with cake mix and strawberry Jell-O and finished with a creamy lemon topping. Add whole or sliced strawberries just before serving if you like.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Beat cake mix, 1 cup water, eggs, oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean, 21 to 26 minutes. Use a fork or chopstick to poke holes in cake; set aside.
Pour remaining 1 cup water into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in strawberry gelatin mix until dissolved. Mix in 1/4 cup cold water. Pour over cake. Refrigerate soaked cake until completely cool, at least 1 hour.
Make topping: Whisk together milk and lemon pudding mix in a bowl until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped topping.
Frost cooled cake with topping; store in the refrigerator. Top with whole or sliced strawberries when ready to serve.
Leavening agents — this strawberry cake uses both baking soda and baking powder. Make sure they are fresh and replace them if they’ve expired.
Butter — buy unsalted butter to prevent the cake and buttercream from tasting salty as there is salt added to the cake.
Eggs — this recipe uses a lot of egg whites to keep the cake light and fluffy. Save the egg yolks for my crème brûlée recipe.
Milk — to add the maximum richness and creaminess to the cake, make sure you use full-fat milk.
Strawberry reduction — reducing a strawberry puree is the secret to a flavorful strawberry cake and frosting. Adding strawberries directly into the batter or frosting does not incorporate the strawberry flavor throughout the cake, and just pureeing strawberries adds too much liquid to the cake and frosting. A strawberry reduction ensures the most flavor.
Cream cheese — be sure to use full-fat cream cheese and not the spreadable type from a tub. Cold cream cheese won’t mix well, so make sure to bring it to room temperature.
How to Make Strawberry Cake
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed just until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg whites and vanilla. Beat until on medium speed until well combined and very fluffy. Reduce the speed to low.
3. Add the flour mixture in batches to the mixer.
4. Alternate the flour with the milk and the strawberry reduction, mixing just until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. If desired, mix in a drop or two of pink food coloring.
5. Divide the batter among the 2 buttered 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the powdered sugar alternating with a tablespoon of the strawberry puree. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy. Then assemble the strawberry cake by adding the frosting between the cake layers and the exterior of the cake.
My mom made this cake while living in the Depression. It is so good, I hope this fills your needs and your memories.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
208
Calories
11g
Fat
26g
Carbs
2g
Protein
Ingredients
1x2x4x
Original recipe (1X) yields 24 servings
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ cups water
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9 inch layer pans.
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and sugar into a large bowl. Stir in mayonnaise. Gradually add water and vanilla and blend until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Cool, remove from pans, and frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.
Wacky cake is made without milk or eggs and is a moist, dark, and delicious chocolate cake. A brainchild of the Depression era when ingenious cooks developed a cake that could be made without expensive and scarce ingredients. Frost with your favorite icing.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
225
Calories
9g
Fat
36g
Carbs
2g
Protein
Ingredients
1x2x4x
Original recipe (1X) yields 10 servings
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in an 8×8-inch ungreased cake pan. Make 3 depressions in flour mixture; pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, then stir with a fork until well blended.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
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