This oil free vegan Christmas Fruit Cake is soft, fluffy, chewy and absolutely flavor packed. Its perfectly moist and a well risen holiday treat made with dried fruits. Make it with rum or with orange juice so as to fit to the taste of all age groups.
I have provided both options with and without rum here in this recipe so that even kids can enjoy this traditional Christmas cake.
This cake can be made and refrigerated for weeks. So therefore, make the rum cake first and refrigerate. The older the cake, tastier it is. Make another round with orange juice for the kids. This way everybody can enjoy the holiday season with the traditions.
I have tested this recipe many times and is loved by my family immensely.
So here, I am to share this awesome fruit cake recipe with you.
Ingredients you will need:
For soaking
Oranges or rum
Prunes
Dates
Apricots
Cranberries
Raisings
Orange peel
Dry ingredients
Whole wheat flour
Almond flour
Pecans
Brown sugar
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Cardamom
All spice
Wet ingredients
Vanilla extract
Apple cider vinegar
Oat milk
I have used these easily available ingredients in this recipe which you may buy from any local grocery store. However, I have provided links to few of them here for your convenience.
If you buy from these affiliate links, I get a small commission which in turn encourages me to bring in more delicious recipes for you all.
Ingredients notes:
- Prunes – This gives a nice variety to the dry fruits in this cake recipe. Moreover, it helps in digestion, is high in fiber and rich in iron.
- Dates – it adds to the sweetness in this dessert which helps me in reducing the amount of added sugar in this cake. Moreover, these are very nutritious and helps in fertility.
- Orange peel – candied fruits play an important role in this cake recipe. I used a store-bought orange peel and added a bit of orange flavor to this recipe.
- Oranges – I used fresh oranges and squeezed them to soak the dry fruits. I love the fresh flavors and this way I made sure to that there was no hidden added sugar to this recipe. The only added sugar I used is the brown sugar with the minimum quantity possible.
- Pecans – this is one of the dry fruits that is traditionally used in this dry fruit cake recipe. It adds to its nutrition and flavor.
- Oat milk – I specifically used oat milk here because of its creamy texture and subtle sweet flavor.
How to make Christmas Fruit Cake
Firstly, I squeezed out fresh orange juice and soaked all the dry fruits in it for 30 minutes. If you plan to use rum then add ¾ cup rum and ¼ cup orange juice and soak the dry fruits in it for about 1 hour.
Secondly, I mixed all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Next, I added vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar to the soaked fruit and mixed it.
Thereafter, I folded in all the ingredients together along with oat milk and whipped up a sticky soft batter.
Afterwards, I spooned it out in the prepared cake pan and then baked it in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the tester came out clean.
Once done, I took it out and let it cool completely. Then, I inverted this dry fruit cake on a flat surface.
Voila! My entire house was smelling delicious that aroma was so appetizing.
We all enjoyed it. My kids loved it and enjoyed it every night all week after dinner. Of course, I made it without alcohol for them.
I made a small version with rum as well for us which I and my husband occasionally enjoy after dinner.
I love all the festivities that this Christmas cake brings to our house year after year.
Expert tips:
- When blending oranges in a blender, do not add any liquid to it. We do not want the cake to have any extra liquid other than mentioned in the recipe to get the perfect texture. Just blend it as is. The oranges are watery in nature and blend even without adding any water. Make sure to squeeze it very well and discard the pulp.
- If using rum then make sure to cool down the cake completely or else rum might taste stronger when the cake is hot.
- If you plan to use parchment paper then first grease the cake pan and place the parchment paper. However, make sure to shape it exactly as the pan shape and size so that no extra paper is hanging out. On the sides as well the parchment paper should be neatly placed and should not hang out of the cake pan.
This can be refrigerated for about 2-3 weeks in an air tight container.
I have made it absolutely oil free so we definitely save on some calories. I used dry fruits which are natural sweetener. However, I have used brown sugar in this recipe but as little as possible so as to keep the delicious taste intact. Therefore, I would say this is a healthier version of the same of traditional Christmas cake. However, it is dessert and should be enjoyed occasionally since its a bit heavy if you are following restricted calorie diet plan.
It basically originated in ancient Rome. Later on, this European dessert was enjoyed during the holiday season because in olden days sugar, dry and other spices used to be very expensive so they use to indulge in this recipe only during holidays.
Yes, this cake is also known as rum cake if you make it with rum or brandy. It is also known as plum cake for Christmas. In olden days it was know as fruit cake and in America, we call it Christmas fruit cake.
Simply substitute the oranges with ¾ cup rum and ¼ cup orange juice. Also, reduce the oat milk to 1/8 cup at the end while whipping up the batter. I have mentioned the steps in details below in the recipe card for both alcohol and non-alcohol options.
You may also like:
Pistachio Cake
Pumpkin Cake with quinoa flour
Oil free Cherry Cake
Vegan Strawberry Cake
Vegan Carrot Cake with oat flour
Did you make it?
If you get a chance to make this recipe then please leave your feedback in the comments below along with the ratings. In addition, you may tag @kiipfit on Instagram with your recipe image because we would love to see what you cooked.
If you desire to explore more delicious recipes of mine then you may checkout my cookbooks.
Christmas Fruit Cake
Ingredients
For soaking
- 4 small mandarin oranges (peeled)
- 1/4 cup chopped dried prunes
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup candied fruit – orange peel
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp ground all spice
Wet ingredients
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup oat milk
Instructions
- In a blender combine peeled oranges and blend it smooth. Strain it with the help of a strainer and discard the pulp. If you have a juicer, you may juice out the oranges as well. In a large mixing bowl combine prunes, dates, apricots, cranberries, raisins and orange peel and soak them in the orange juice for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 350-degree Fahrenheit and grease an 8-inch round cake pan. You may place a parchment paper after greasing the cake pan so its easy to take the cake out. In another mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon.
- Now, add vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar to the soaked ingredients and mix it with a spoon. Fold in the soaked ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add oat milk and whip it up into a sticky thick batter.
- Spoon out the batter in the prepared cake pan and bake it in the middle rack of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.
- Once done, take it out and place it on a flat surface. Let it cool for 10 minutes. As soon as the cake starts to leave its side invert it on a flat surface or and let it cool down further on a rack. Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For rum cake option: instead of oranges substitute 3/4 cup rum and ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice to soak the dry fruits. Soak it for at least 1 hour. Mix dry ingredients as in step 2. Then, add vanilla extract and vinegar to the soaked ingredients and quickly fold the soaked ingredients into the dry ingredients and add in 1/8 cup oat milk. Bake it as in step 4 and 5. Let it cool down completely.
- If making alcoholic version of this cake, make sure to cool it down completely before slicing, or else the rum flavor will be too strong.
- It can be refrigerated in an air tight container for about 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply