This Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake is soft, moist, tender, loaded with dried fruits and nuts, and flavored with warm spices. The recipe is straightforward and quick without pre-soaking the dried fruits and is alcohol-free!
Various types of fruit cakes are made around the world during Christmas time. Some recipes require soaking the dried fruits for several weeks to months. But this recipe is an instant solution if you are looking for a last-minute Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake!
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Delicious Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
This eggless fruit cake is incredibly easy to make, and you can enjoy it with your friends or family. It also makes a great homemade gift to please your loved ones!
The recipe is vegetarian and does not require alcohol. It is studded with mixed dried fruits and nuts and spiced with warm and flavorful spices.
I added raisins, dates, candied fruits, dried apricots, cranberries, and cherries to the cake and chopped almonds, cashews, and pecans. However, you can choose your favorite dried fruits and nuts for this recipe.
Continue reading the post to customize the recipe to your preferences. I have included substitutions and variations in this recipe post.
We had many potluck parties in December when working in a research company. So, I used to make this Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake in a bundt pan to have many servings. For parties or get-togethers, you can have 20-24 servings of this bundt cake.
If you do not have a bundt pan, you can bake two layers of 8-inch or 9-inch cakes with this recipe. But if you want a smaller cake, you can easily half the recipe and bake it in an 8-inch or 9-inch baking pan.
Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake is moist, tender, fluffy, and delicious, with a burst of flavors. It can be enjoyed not only during Christmas but anytime during the year.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake is alcohol-free.
- It is studded with dried fruits and nuts.
- The cake is flavored with warm spices and vanilla.
- This Eggless Fruit Cake is soft, moist, flavorful, and delicious.
- There is no need to pre-soak the dried fruits.
- It is a straightforward and quick recipe.
- This cake is a perfect holiday treat to enjoy with your loved ones.
Ingredients and Notes
- Orange Juice: Use fresh juice for the best results. You can also use apple juice instead of orange juice.
- Dried Fruits: I added raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, dates, apricots, and candied fruits (tutti frutti). But you can add your choice of dried fruits and as many varieties as you like (keeping a total of 1½ cups). Finely chop the large dried fruits, such as dates, apricots, prunes, etc., for even distribution.
- Flour: I used unbleached all-purpose flour, but you can also use cake flour for a more tender texture. Measure the flour correctly; it is best to use a kitchen scale if you have one.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both work as leavening agents and are essential for this recipe.
- Salt: Salt elevates all the flavors and contrasts the sweetness pleasantly.
- Ground Spices: I added ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for warm and delicious flavors. You can add spices of your choice.
- Nuts: Add finely chopped nuts such as almonds, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, or any of your choice. I added almonds, cashews, and pecans. Add ¾ cup of chopped nuts, either only one type or a combination of two or more nuts.
- Oil: I used sunflower oil to make this cake. The oil keeps the cake moist for longer, even after refrigeration. You can use any neutral-flavored oil.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and hints of molasses flavor. I highly recommend using dark brown sugar, but if you do not have it, use granulated sugar or light brown sugar.
- Sour Cream: You can use plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Orange Zest: Zest the orange before squeezing the orange juice. Orange zest adds a refreshing note to the cake. However, you can skip orange zest if you use candied citrus peels.
- Sugar Glaze: To make sugar glaze, you need icing sugar, cream or milk, and vanilla. It’s super easy and makes the cake more delicious and moist. Add more sugar for a thicker glaze; add more cream or milk for a thinner consistency.
How To Make Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
Baking The Cake
- Add orange juice, water, and all the dried fruits in a medium saucepan.
- Heat the pan on medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling (do not boil for longer), turn off the heat and set aside the pan.
- Allow the dried fruit mixture to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Generously grease a 9 or 10-inch (at least 10-12 cups) bundt pan with oil spray or butter.
- Set it aside.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Add chopped nuts to the flour mixture and mix well.
- Add oil, brown sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest in a large bowl.
- Mix well until everything is well combined.
- Add the dried fruit mixture with the liquid to the wet ingredients and mix well to combine.
- Add dry ingredients in 2-3 parts to the wet and mix until everything is incorporated.
- Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes or until the cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Because every oven is different, keep an eye on the cake after 40 minutes of baking.
- If your cake top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack.
- Once thoroughly cooled, invert the cake onto a cooling rack, cake stand, or serving dish.
Making The Sugar Glaze and Topping The Cake
- Whisk the icing sugar, cream (or milk), and vanilla in a bowl or cup.
- Add more sugar for a thicker glaze and more cream or milk for a thinner consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake and garnish with dried fruits, if desired.
- Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing the cake.
Substitutions and Variations
Flour: Instead of all-purpose flour, use cake flour for a more delicate and tender cake texture. Or, swap half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour to add more wholesomeness to the cake.
Brown Sugar: I used dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown or white granulated sugar instead.
Sour Cream: I mostly use sour cream for my baked goods. But if you do not have sour cream, replace it with the same amount of plain yogurt.
Oil: To add buttery flavor, swap half of the oil with melted unsalted butter.
Spices: I used ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. But you can add your choice of ground spices, such as ground cloves, allspice, or cardamom.
Dried Fruits: The recipe does not require adding the same dried fruits. You can use your favorite dried fruits, change the ratio, and make the recipe your own. Dried fruits such as dates, apricots, glazed cherries, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried plums, dried pineapples, dried mangos, raisins, candied fruits (Tutti Frutti), candied citrus peels, and prunes can be used for the cake. You can use any dried fruits you choose, but keep the same amount (1½ cups) as the recipe suggests.
Nuts: I added almonds, cashews, and pecans. But you can add your choice of nuts. You can even add only one type of nut or more than three types of nuts. Some suggestions are walnuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts.
Orange Juice: Use apple juice instead of orange juice. If you do not want to use fruit juice, you can replace it with water.
Vanilla Extract: With vanilla extract, you can add pineapple or orange extract to add fruity flavor to the cake.
Sugar Glaze: To make the cake more refreshing, top it with orange glaze instead of sugar glaze. To make the orange glaze, add orange juice instead of cream or milk.
Storing Suggestions
Store the cake tightly covered at room temperature for three days. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the cake after a day.
This Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake will stay in the fridge for a week.
Baking Tips For Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
Measurements: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients for the best results.
Nuts and Dried Fruits: Finely chop the nuts and dried fruits for their even distribution in the cake.
Mixing The Batter: Do not overmix the batter to get a soft and tender cake.
Baking the Cake: Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the cake after 40 minutes of baking. Overbaking may dry the cake, and underbaking may cause it to sink. If the top of the cake browns too quickly, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil and continue baking.
Sugar Glaze: You can skip the glazing; the cake will still be delicious.
FAQ For Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
You can use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. If possible, I recommend using whole wheat pastry flour. The best way is to use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour. However, please note that the taste and texture of the cake will be slightly different if whole wheat flour is used.
I used sour cream for this cake, the only dairy product. For the plant-based cake, you can replace the sour cream with dairy-free yogurt. For the sugar glaze, add water, dairy-free milk, or orange juice instead of milk.
You can also make this cake without fruit juice. Replace the juice with water and use 270ml of water in total.
You can use two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans instead of the bundt pan. The baking time will be 25-35 minutes or longer; keep an eye on the oven after 25 minutes of baking. Check the cake’s doneness by inserting a cake tester in the center; it should come out clean.
Yes, definitely! To bake a small cake, you can half the recipe and use an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan. The baking time will be 25-35 minutes or longer; keep an eye on the oven after 25 minutes of baking. Check the cake’s doneness by inserting a cake tester in the center; it should come out clean.
More Eggless Cakes
Recipe Card
Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake (No Alcohol)
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120ml) orange juice or apple juice
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon (150ml) water
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup dates finely chopped
- ¼ cup dried apricots finely chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup dried cherries or glazed cherries
- ¼ cup candied fruits (Tutti Frutti)
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup chopped almonds
- ¼ cup chopped cashews
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoon (210ml) oil (any neutral flavored)
- ¾ cup (180g) sour cream or yogurt
- 1½ cup (300g) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
For The Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) icing sugar
- 3 tbsp cream or milk (or as required)
- ¼ tsp vanilla
Instructions
Making The Cake
- Add orange juice, water, and all the dried fruits in a medium saucepan. Heat the pan on medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat and set aside the pan. Allow the dried fruit mixture to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously grease a 9-inch or 10-inch (at least 10-12 cups) bundt pan with oil spray or butter. Set it aside.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Add chopped nuts to the flour mixture and mix well.
- In a large bowl, add oil, brown sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix well until combined.
- Add the dried fruit mixture with the liquid to the wet ingredients and mix well to combine.
- Add dry ingredients in 2-3 parts to the wet and mix until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes or until the cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Because every oven is different, keep an eye on the cake after 40 minutes of baking. If your cake top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Once thoroughly cooled, invert the cake onto a cooling rack, cake stand, or serving dish.
Making The Glaze
- Whisk the icing sugar, cream (or milk), and vanilla in a bowl or cup.
- Add more sugar for a thicker glaze and more cream or milk for a thinner consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake and garnish with dried fruits, if desired. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing the cake.
Storing Suggestions
- Store the cake tightly covered at room temperature for three days. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the cake after a day.
- This Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake will stay in the fridge for a week.
Notes
- Measurements: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients for the best results.
- Nuts and Dried Fruits: You can add your choice of dried fruits and nuts to the cake. Finely chop the nuts and dried fruits for their even distribution in the cake.
- Mixing The Batter: Do not overmix the batter to get a soft and tender cake.
- Baking the Cake: Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the cake after 40 minutes of baking. Overbaking may dry the cake, and underbaking may cause it to sink. If the top of the cake browns too quickly, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Sugar Glaze: You can skip the glazing; the cake will still be delicious.
- Bake In The Round Cake Pans: If you do not have a bundt pan, divide the batter evenly in two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans. Bake the cake layers for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The baking time may vary depending on the oven.
- Make a Smaller Cake: To make a small cake, half the recipe and bake it in an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan. Depending on the oven, the baking time will be 25-35 minutes or longer.
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