BEST! Rich Fruit Cake (With Glazed Fruits)

Are you a fruit cake lover just like me? This rich fruit cake is deliciously moist and beautifully decorated with glazed fruits for an extra layer of sweetness and a rich fancy look.

You can enjoy a slice of this wonderful rich fruit cake any time of the year with a hot cup of coffee or tea and it’s also a great rich fruit cake to enjoy during the Christmas season with your friends and family.

About this Rich Fruit Cake Recipe

Everybody needs a great rich fruit cake recipe in their repertoire, and If you follow my easy step-by-step instructions below, you will be rewarded with a delicious, moist rich fruit cake every time you make it.

This rich fruit cake is loaded with mixed dried fruit, candied fruit, mixed peel, ground nuts, and glazed fruits. And brown sugar gives a hint of caramel flavor and it is also spiced up with ground cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg.

I used glazed fruit to top the cake to give this fruit cake an extra hit of flavor and a fancy look. So, I used a colorful mixture of dried/candied fruits like cranberries, apricots, cherries, and pineapple. However, just feel free to decorate it as you like.

This recipe is very versatile and forgiving, so you can easily customize it to your taste. And it is also an easy-to-make recipe in just 6 simple steps.

It is even better a day or a few days after you make it. You can keep it at room temperature (around 21°C) in an air-tight container in a cool dry place for about a week.

Modern Christmas cake

If you want to make this rich fruit cake for Christmas, you can make it ahead of time and then feed the cake with brandy or rum to keep the cake longer. Make several holes with a skewer all over the cake, and pour a few tablespoons of brandy/rum on the cake every three days until it is ready to serve or give away as a Christmas gift.

INGREDIENTS FOR Rich Fruit CAKE

For Dried Fruit Mixture

Dried Fruit: For this recipe, I used mixed dried fruit including raisins, currents, sultanas, figs, prunes, and dates along with candied peel to give it a rich taste and flavor. But any dried fruit works as long as the total weight is more or less the same.

Orange Juice: I soaked the dried fruit in orange juice and brandy. You can use only orange juice for the non-alcohol version of the cake.

Brandy: I used a few tablespoons of brandy in my recipe. You can also use rum orange liqueur.

For Glazed Fruit Topping

Dried/Candied Fruit: I used colorful dried/candied fruits like cherries, cranberries, apricots, and pineapple for the glazed fruit topping for their festive look and taste.

Marmalade: I made the glaze with marmalade and orange liqueur. You can also use apricot or apple jam.

Orange Liqueur: If you want to make a non-alcohol glaze, use honey.

For the Cake Batter

Butter: Use softened butter at room temperature as it cream easily. Room-temperature butter is soft, so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent, but make sure not to use too soft butter which is greasy or oily.

Sugar: Adjust the amount of sugar as you like.

Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs as they incorporate into the batter easily.

Flour: I used all-purpose flour.

Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both are leavening agents that help the batter to rise when baked. Make sure to use fresh baking powder/soda for the best result.

Salt: Salt brings out the other flavors in the cake.

Nuts: I used a mix of coarsely ground almonds and walnuts. Use ground nuts of your choice. You can also add some chopped nuts for extra crunchiness.

Spices: Ground spices enhance the flavor and taste. I used a mix of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Feel free to use the ground spices of your choice.

Rich Fruit CAKE – Steps to make

1. Prepare soaked fruit mixture and glazed fruit
2. Prepare the pan and preheat the oven
3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground spices together
4. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and beat the eggs one at a time
5. Fold in the flour mixture and the other stuff (soaked fruit & nuts)
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake

Soak the Fruit in Advance

You need to soak your dried fruits preferably the night before you intend to bake the cake, which is essential for making this rich fruit cake. However, you can also soak the dried fruit a few days or a week in advance and then keep it in a covered container in the fridge until you use it.

I usually clean all the dried fruit by washing them in water, however, it is totally up to you. Place in a colander and run under plenty of cold water and then warm water. And then pat them dry with a few paper towels.

In this recipe, I used a combination of brandy and orange juice to give the cake a very subtle hint of the flavor of alcohol. You can soak the fruit in alcohol (rum, brandy, or Orange liqueur like Grand Marnier) or in a non-alcoholic liquid like orange juice or spiced tea.

The soaked liquid is loaded with nice flavors, so I usually do not drain off the liquid. So, I just combine the soaked fruits with the liquid with the other ingredients to make the cake batter.

About the Pan

I made it in a round pan, however, you can also make it in a loaf pan, or square pan. You can also use the batter to bake mini loaves. Make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.

Line the pan with two layers of parchment paper to protect the cake from becoming over-brown and burnt as it bakes.

This Fruit Cake Takes Time to Bake

You need to bake this fruit cake slowly about 60 minutes or so at a low temperature (160C) not to overcook on the edges while the center gets done. You can top it with a few layers of foil towards the end if it seems to be browning too quickly. Baking temperature and time are just a rough guide, so make sure to adjust the temperature and time according to your oven.

Tips for making this rich fruit cake

PREPARATION

• The most important thing to remember when making this cake is to have all the ingredients at room temperature.

MAKING THE BATTER

• Cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat shortly and lightly until the yolk just disappears into the batter.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture with the soaked fruit mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Avoid over-mixing the cake batter as it’ll lead to a tough and rubbery cake. The final mixing should be just long enough to ensure the ingredients are incorporated.

BAKING

• Make sure to preheat the oven before placing your cake in the oven.
• Oven temperature and baking time depend on your oven and the type of pan you’re using, so you will need to adjust them accordingly.
• Do not open the oven door (especially for the first 20 minutes), or it will collapse,
• If the oven is too hot the cake will crack.
• Be careful not to overbake the cake. Test the cake with a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it is clean, then your cake is done.
• Cover the cake with foil for the final 15 minutes if the cake is browning too quickly.

RicH Fruit Cake-Tips for Storing

A slice of this fruit cake will be pretty good the same day it’s baked. However, this cake just continues to get better and better as it ages. Here’s how to store this fruit cake for the best results.

At Room Temperature: Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for about a week. As this fruit cake is made with less alcohol, you may not be able to keep it too long at room temperature.

In the Refrigerator: You can store it in the refrigerator for a few weeks in an airtight container. Allow coming to room temperature before serving. If you want to keep it longer, you can feed it with brandy from time to time.

In the Freezer: This cake will freeze beautifully (without the topping). You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices without the topping for a few months to one year. Wrap the whole cake (or individual slices separately) with plastic wrap and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving. Do not thaw frozen cake in the microwave or oven as it will dry out and the taste will change.

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Rich Fruit Cake (Step-by-Step) Recipe

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Serving: 8 to 10 slices

Instrument

20 cm Round Cake Pan

Ingredients

For Soaked Fruit Mixture

• 400g mixed fruit, chopped as needed
• 50g of candied peel, chopped
• 150ml of orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of brandy

For the Cake batter

• 175g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
• 225g light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp lemon or orange zest
• 100g ground nuts
• 215g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

For Glazed Fruit Topping

• 150g of dried/candied fruit of your choice
• 3 tbsp marmalade
• 1 tbsp orange liqueur or brandy

Prepare the Soak the dried fruit

Place all the dried fruits and candied peel in a bowl and add brandy and orange juice. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. You can also prepare the soaked dried fruit a few days or a week ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

Make the glazed fruit

Use dried or candied fruits of your choice for making the glazed fruit.

Warm the marmalade briefly in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Add orange liqueur and mix well. Mix with the dried/candied fruits. Set aside at room temperature.

When you are ready to make and bake the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C with a rack in the lower-center position. Grease and line the bottom and sides of the cake pan with two layers of parchment paper.

Make the cake batter

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together lifting the sieve quite high to give the flour a good airing as it goes down.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter on medium-high speed using an electric mixer for about one minute.

While adding the sugar in 4 to 5 additions, cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, as needed to incorporate any sticky residue.

Beat in the eggs one at a time. Make sure the egg is completely incorporated before adding another one but do not beat too long. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, as needed to incorporate any sticky residue. You can add about one tablespoon of flour to prevent the batter from curdling.

Stir in the orange/lemon zest and ground nuts and beat briefly.

Add two tablespoons of flour to the mixed dried fruit and mix well.

Add the flour, and soaked fruit along with the liquid alternately, one-third of each at a time, gently folding them in with a spatula. Make sure to mix in the soaked fruit to distribute evenly throughout the batter.

The finished batter should be smooth and homogeneous.

Bake the fruit cake

Spoon the batter into your prepared pan. Even the surface of the cake with a rubber spatula. Tap the pan on the table once or twice to settle the mixture.

Lower the temperature to 160 C and bake for about 60 minutes. Start to test it for doneness after 60 minutes by inserting a skewer into the center. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done and if not, bake for another 10 minutes or so and check again. If the cake looks like it’s browning too much, cover the cake with foil loosely on top and continue baking.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for ten minutes then remove it from the pan, peel off the lining paper, and cool completely on a wire rack. You can brush the marmalade glaze all over the cake while it is still warm and it’s totally up to you.

Top with Glazed Fruit

Before serving, top the cake with the glazed fruits to give your cake a fancy look.

Serve & Enjoy!

A slice of this fruit cake goes perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee.

BEST! Rich Fruit Cake (With Glazed Fruits)

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