written 12/14/2024, updated 12/31/2024
Adapted from King Arthur
What
Less traditional fruitcake than cake with fruit. Made without eggs.
Ingredients
1½ – 2½ cup Dried Fruit, chopped*
⅔ cups Candied Red Cherries, optional
1 cup Toasted Pecans or Walnuts, optional
⅓ cup Fruit Leather, diced, optional
¼ cup Liquid (water, juice, or liquor)
8 Tbsp Butter, room temperature
1 cup + 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
⅛ tsp Fiori di Sicilia**
Egg Replacer (2 Large Eggs)
1¾ cups All-Purpose Flour
½ cup Orange Juice
2 Tbsp Fruit Juice
*Fruits as desired, typically cranberries, cherries, currants, raisins, pineapple, dates, etc.
**Italian Flavoring. Can be subbed with 1:1 ratio of almond + orange extract, or vanilla + orange extract
Supplies
Mixing Bowls
Electric Beater or Stand Mixer
Food Processor or Knife
Loaf Pan
Oven
Stirring Spoon/Spatula
Non-Stick Spray
Foil
Measuring Implements
Basting Brush
Servings and Time
Serving: 1 Cake
Time: 45 minute Prep + 2 hour Bake + Cooling = 3+ Hours Total
Directions
Fruit
- In a heat-safe bowl, prepare Dried Fruit (1½ – 2½ cup) by chopping either by hand or in a food processor
- If later using optional Candied Cherries (⅔ cups), Pecan/Walnuts (1 cup), and/or Fruit Leather (⅓ cup), then subtract that amount from the 2½ cup Total
Method 1
- Add Liquid (¼ cup)
- Cover and microwave for 1½ minutes
- Let Cool
Method 2
- Mix Boiling Water into Liquid (¼ cup)
- Pour over Fruit
- Cover to keep warm
Cake
- Prepare Egg Replacer (2 Large Eggs)
- In large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat Butter (8 Tbsp, softened) and Sugar (1 cup) until fluffy
- Beat in Baking Powder (1 tsp), Salt (½ tsp), and Extract (⅛ tsp – either Fiori di Sicilia or substitute)
- Beat in Egg Replacer, half at a time
- Using a spoon or spatula now, stir in one-third of the Flour (1¾ cup Total)
- Add half of Orange Juice (½ cup total), stir
- Stir in the second one-third of the Flour
- Stir in the rest of the Orange Juice
- Repeat for the last of the Flour
- Without draining it, stir in the soaked Fruit and if using, Candied Cherries, Nuts, and Fruit Leather
- Preheat oven to 325F
- Lightly grease a loaf pan
- Pour batter into loaf pan
- Bake for about 2 hours
- Check to be sure it’s not burning, tent with foil if exterior starts to burn and inside not done
- When done, cake should be fully brown and an inserted skewer or toothpick will come out cleanly
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes
- While waiting, combine the Fruit Juice (2 Tbsp) and Sugar (2 Tbsp)
- Microwave for 45 seconds
- Turn the cake onto a cooling rack
- Brush the Fruit Juice combination all over the warm bread
- Let cool completely, even overnight
ENJOY
Pictures
Notes
- Attempt 12/14/2024: Used WAY too much fruit and liquid (about 2 cups total). Tried to add another two-third cups of flour to compensate, but the cake didn’t bake well, being too wet, and even after half-hour increase, ended up very wet and not fully done. Cake cracked, and while it mostly held together, easily fell apart. The trick is waiting overnight for it to hold together. Then it’ll feel like your typical door stopper. In the end, the Orange Juice brush on at the end left a really undesirable perfume taste all around the exterior of the cake. The inside was good, but the outside fragrance left an off-putting aroma that ultimately destroyed the cake. Would recommend NOT orange juice but a fruit juice wash, like cherry. The excessive fruit did not end up taking away from the cake. In fact, that’s how I like fruitcake: full of fruit. Next time, I would cut down a bit, however.