Spiced Fruit Cake (Printable)

A rich, moist cake featuring dried fruits, warm spices, nuts, and zesty citrus notes for a festive touch.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dried Fruits

01 - 7 oz raisins
02 - 5.3 oz currants
03 - 3.5 oz chopped dried apricots
04 - 2.8 oz chopped candied orange peel
05 - 1.8 oz dried cranberries

→ Nuts

06 - 3.5 oz chopped walnuts (optional)

→ Liquid

07 - 5 fl oz dark rum or orange juice

→ Cake Base

08 - 8 oz unsalted butter, softened
09 - 7 oz dark brown sugar
10 - 4 large eggs
11 - 9 oz all-purpose flour
12 - 1 ½ tsp baking powder
13 - ½ tsp salt

→ Spices

14 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
15 - 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
16 - ½ tsp ground nutmeg
17 - ¼ tsp ground cloves
18 - ¼ tsp ground allspice

→ Other

19 - Zest of 1 orange
20 - Zest of 1 lemon

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - Combine all dried fruits, candied peel, and nuts in a bowl. Pour over the rum or orange juice, stir well, and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight for optimal flavor.
03 - In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
04 - Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition.
05 - Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and all spices into a bowl.
06 - Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture until evenly combined.
07 - Stir in the soaked fruits and nuts along with any remaining liquid, followed by the orange and lemon zest until uniformly distributed.
08 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly.
09 - Bake for 90 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center emerges clean.
10 - Allow the cake to cool fully in the pan before removing. Wrap tightly in parchment and foil to retain moisture.

# Tips from dashanddishes:

01 -
  • The fruits soak up the rum overnight and turn jammy and sweet, making every bite ridiculously moist.
  • It actually gets better after a few days wrapped up, so you can bake it ahead without any stress.
  • The spice blend is warm but not overpowering, just enough to make your kitchen smell like the holidays without trying.
02 -
  • Don't rush the soaking step, dry fruit in a cake is sad and chewy, but soaked fruit is soft and jammy.
  • Low oven temperature is non-negotiable, too hot and the outside burns while the inside stays raw.
  • If the top starts browning too fast, cover it loosely with foil halfway through baking.
03 -
  • Weigh your ingredients if you can, especially the flour, it makes a real difference in how the cake turns out.
  • Let the cake cool completely before you slice it, warm fruit cake crumbles, cold fruit cake slices like a dream.
  • If you're giving it as a gift, wrap it up while it's still fresh and tie it with string, it looks homemade in the best possible way.

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