Simple Fruitcake
I have 4 different recipes for fruitcakes on this website which can be found here. I however acknowledge the fact that not everyone has the luxury of making traditional fruitcakes and aging them to maturity. This recipe shows you how to make a very easy fruitcake which does not need time to mature. Granted, it wont be as rich as traditional fruitcakes. It is however buttery with a little bit of spiciness from the grated nutmeg. It also has some almond flour which makes this fruitcake very peculiar.
INGREDIENTS:
(1) 113 Grams Unsalted Butter (1/2 Cup) (See Note 1)
(2) 105 Grams Brown Sugar (1/2 Cup) (See Note 2)
(3) 3 Large Eggs
(4) 1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
(5) 1/4 Teaspoon Pure Almond Extract (See Note 3)
(6) 195 Grams All Purpose Flour (1-1/2 Cups)
(7) 50 Grams Almond Flour (1/2 Cup) (See Note 4)
(8) 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
(9) 1/2 Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
(10) 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
(11) The Zest of 1 Lemon (Grated)
(12) 1/2 Cup Milk
(13) 80 Grams Raisins (1/2 Cup)
(14) 100 Grams Glazed Cherries (1/2 Cup) (See Note 5)
(15) 80 Grams Mixed Citrus Peel (1/2 Cup) (See Note 5)
(16) 60 Grams Pecans (1/2 Cup) (See Note 6)
NOTES:
(1) If you do not have access to unsalted butter, you can use salted butter. Do not add the extra salt the recipe calls for if using salted butter. Your butter should be at room temperature.
(2) You can use granulated white sugar in place of brown sugar.
(3) You can use a total of 3/4 Teaspoon of pure vanilla extract if you do not have pure almond extract.
(4) You can use a total of 2 cups of all purpose flour (240 Grams) if you do not have almond flour. You will however be missing out on the almond flavor profile of this cake.
(5) If you cannot find mixed citrus peel or glazed cherries, you can use a total of 1 cup of raisins. You can also use dried cranberries in place of or in addition to these items. Note however that the mixed citrus peels add a lot of flavor to this cake. The glazed cherries also add color.
(6) You can use almonds or walnuts in place of nuts. You can also leave the nuts out if you like.
PROCEDURE:
(1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
(2) Grease a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan with butter or fat. You can use loaf pans which are slightly bigger.
(3) In a large bowl, mix the flours, salt, grated nutmeg, baking powder and grated lemon zest.
(4) In another bowl, mix the raisins, candied citrus peel, glazed cherries and nuts together. Add about 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture to the fruits and nuts and mix to coat them. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake pan during baking.
(5) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is soft. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
(6) Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar. Do not add all of them at the same time or the mixture will cuddle. Use your spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl at intervals.
(7) Add the extracts and beat to combine.
(8) Add the flour mixture and milk in 3 additions (flour, milk, flour) and beat just until incorporated. Do not over-mix.
(9) Finally add the mixed fruits and nuts to the mixture and mix to combine.
(10) Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
(11) Allow the cake to cool down for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing it from the pan. For better results, wrap the cake when it is completely cool and store until the next day. This allows the flavors to mingle properly together.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Hmmmmm!i must try dis,luks so colourful & easy 2 make,I love d fact dat most of d ingredient av on option,nice one Terry.
Thanks Dupe.
Hey Terry, can’t I just soak the mixed fruits / raisins in alcohol for a couple of hours instead of coating with flour?
Hi. I am not sure soaking fruits in alcohol makes them not to sink. My mind tells me they will sink more as they will he heavier. This is just me guessing.
Making this tomorrow but am taking a little swirl as i soaked my fruits in alcohol yesterday and am adding cocoa powder and 4 different flavours. hmmmm looking forward to a yummy cake. will keep you posted. thanks sir.
Sounds delicious. How did it go?
Thanks Terry for putting up this recipe. But in the absence of almond flour, what can i substitute?
Hi. If you read note 4 after ingredients,it shows you what to do in the absence of almond flour.
Thanks alot Mr Terry. Please how do I age /mature my fruits.
It depends on the recipe you are working with. If you read the Black Caribbean Fruitcake recipe on this website, it shows how fruits can be aged. If you want to age the whole cake and not just the fruits, read my post on how to age fruit cakes.
And what benefit does aging have over using the fruitees like that. Thanks
Aging matures the fruits. This enhances their taste and texture and helps all the flavours blend well in the cake. You might find the fruits in an unaged cake hard and chewy.
Please i need a moist recipe for vanilla cake. Thank
You can use my French Vanilla Sponge Cake and use a simple syrup with it while frosting.
its awesome. wish i cld post a pix
I’m glad you loved it.
Thank you so much for sharing. Definitely going to use this recipe for my family this Christmas.
You are welcome. They will certainly enjoy it.
Made this earlier Terry, will post a picture tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe. God bless.
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Double thumbs up for all you do Terry. God bless you real good. So, i was wondering, can margarine be substituted in recipes that require butter please? I ask because butter is quite pricey here. Thanks
Yes it can be. You however will be missing out on the buttery taste.
this is lovely and nice, am goin to try baking the fruit cake. Tanks so much for the recipe
You are welcome Michelle.
It’s my first time on here and am already in love. Can’t wait to try out some of ur recipes. Thanks for a wonderful site like this.
Glad to have you here Gifty.
Thanks 2 my fly-guy for this recipe! I’m gonna cook this fruitcake & let y’all know how drunk we get this cake until we eat it! Terry Adido, u are the best baker on here! Shout-out friend! Love you!
Awesome! Love you too.
Thanks Terry, u always make cake baking easy.
Hi Terry. Thank you for this recipe. Please will Almond flavour suffuce, as against using the extract? 2) It is okay to bake this cake in a regular cake pan, say an 8- inch round?
No to replacing extract with flour. Yes to pan.