Easy Christmas fruit cake recipe {Kid-Friendly}

This easy Christmas Fruit cake recipe is kid friendly and requires no overnight soaking of fruits! Much like Super Moist Spiced Fruitcake Recipe

Moist, fluffy, rich, and velvety this is my grandmother's 100 year-old fruit cake recipe which we have been having since childhood. 👶👶

Some recipes that I make a point to bake every year for Christmas -

• Crockpot Christmas Candy (An Easy To Make Recipe)
• Christmas Crumb Cake
• Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Christmas Cookies

Even though there is no one around to bake this cake for me for Christmas, but, it's those simple memories around this Traditional Christmas fruit cake that takes me back to the kitchen and bake it again.

That's how I recall and relive those sweet memories from past.

How to make Old fashioned grandma's fruit cake recipe

Call me old-school but there was something about that old fashioned grandma's fruit cake.

Christmas season is about traditions. It's about those sweet memories which we had shared with our close ones.

It's those little moments of warmth which I use to share with my grandma while the kitchen would be a mess and there the oven would be working all day.

I would sneakily come in take some cookies which she had freshly baked and kept on the counter.

She would shout on me and say - "It's for the guest. Leave!"

Here are some Christmas Cookies which you can bake:

• Chocolate Covered Ritz Cracker Cookies with Peanut butter
• Easy Christmas Tree Cookies
• Christmas Shortbread Bell Cookies
• Christmas Sugar Cookie Truffles

I would pick out the cherries from the top of the fruit cake and my I always thought that I would replace them with new cherries when she would be serving them. 😛

After so many years sharing that simple fruit cake recipe from scratch gives me so much happiness. ❤️

Jump to:

• How to make Old fashioned grandma's fruit cake recipe
• What is the difference between fruit cake and Christmas cake?
• What are the ingredients in a traditional fruitcake recipe for Christmas?
• How to make a christmas cake at home
• What is Christmas fruit cake made of?
• How to serve quick easy moist fruit cake recipe?
• What is the best thing to soak fruit in for Christmas cake?
• Should fruitcake be refrigerated?
• What is the best candied fruit for fruitcake??
• Troubleshooting Tips
• More Christmas Recipes:
• Easy Christmas fruit cake recipe {Kid-Friendly}

What is the difference between fruit cake and Christmas cake?

A fruit cake is a cake made with butter, using candied fruits like candied pineapples, candied apricots, candied citron and etc.

But there are different types of Christmas cakes based on traditions and history for different countries.

For example:

You have:-

Yule Log of Bùche De Noël from France which resembles a log is a cocoa flavored sponge cake filled with cocoa hazelnut whipped cream.

Kurisumasu Keki from Japan is a traditional Japanese Christmas Cake which is made with whipped cream and strawberries.

Panettone is a classic Italian Christmas Cake filled with dry fruits and candied peels. It's rich, fluffy, and looks like a dome.

So, basically, the idea is simple - make it rich, decadent, and delicious. 😋

What are the ingredients in a traditional fruitcake recipe for Christmas?

Fruit Mixture

• Orange Juice
• Tutti Fruity
• Cranberries
• Mixed Nuts and Raisins
• Apricots
• Cinnamon Stick
• Star Anise
• Molasses
• Unsalted Butter
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Orange Zest
• Eggs

Dry Ingredients

• All Purpose flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Ginger
• Ground Cardamom
• Baking Powder
• Sea Salt

Toppings (Optional)

• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chopped Fruits
• Christmas Sprinkles
• Icing Sugars

How to make a christmas cake at home

I have been baking this easy Christmas Cake recipe for so many years and I know the recipe like the back of my hand.

I have no shame in admitting that I screwed up countless times but those days have given me an experience which I put in my Christmas cakes now.

I can say it with guarantee that this is a no-fail Christmas Cake recipe which even though you are making for the first time, you won't screw up.

• Step 1: Soak berries in Orange Juice for 30-60 minutes.
• Step 2: Add it to a saucepan with molasses, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon stick, star anise, and orange zest.
• Step 3: Simmer over low heat for 30-minutes until thick and custard-like.
• Step 4: Remove from heat. Discard cinnamon stick and star anise. Allow it to cool down at room temperature.
• Step 5: In a separate bowl sieve the dry ingredients. For the dry ingredients you will need all purpose flour, granulated sugar, spices (ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom), baking powder, and sea salt.
• Step 6: Combine the berry mix into the bowl and mix lightly.
• Step 7: Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350F for 30-min or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
• [OPTIONAL] Step 8: Add the topping and serve.

What is Christmas fruit cake made of?

A typical Christmas fruit cake is made of dry fruits, nuts, and raisins. They are soaked in orange juice (since I made it kid-friendly). The longer you soak them the better it is. The dry fruits soak up all the flavors of the juice and becomes plum, moist, and full of flavors.

Secondly there goes in unsalted butter with spices like cinnamon, star anise and you sort of boil the fruit mixture with the spices. As a result, the flavors and fragrance of the spices infuses in with the fruit mix.

Finally, you make a mixture of dry mix. Which is obvious since you are baking a cake. The dry mixture contains all purpose flour, granulated sugar, and spices.

When it comes to spices the typical spices that goes in a traditional Christmas fruit cake are:

• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Ginger
• Ground Cinnamon

How to serve quick easy moist fruit cake recipe?

Christmas Fruit cake is so delicious that kids won't give you time to serve it in a proper way. At least in my home, this is the cake. Keep it away to cool down is a hard task for me.

But, to serve it for Christmas party, here's is what I suggest:

Use my homemade Cream Cheese Frosting recipe to make a fluffy, airy, Cream Cheese Frosting. Slather that over your decadent Christmas fruit cake.

Top with Fresh fruits. I like to use colors.

Pomegranate for red (you can use strawberries as well), Kiwis (for green) and some mandarin orange slices cut into small cubes.

PS: Don't use strawberries with blueberries or else it will look like a cake for patriotic day. 😀

What is the best thing to soak fruit in for Christmas cake?

It is best to soak fruits in something tarty such as apple juice or orange juice.

But if you are not making it kid-friendly you can soak it in so many different things.

Should fruitcake be refrigerated?

The best way to refrigerate a fruit cake is by wrapping it tightly with an aluminium foil or saran wrap.

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to one month. If you live in a cold place then you can store it at room temperature provided it's covered with a glass Cloche.

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 6 months and in the freezer for up to 12 months.

Make sure you do random checks for any signs of off-odor or mold or spoilage. If that's the case, then discard the cake.

What is the best candied fruit for fruitcake??

• Candied Pineapples
• Apricots
• raisins
• candied citron
• glacéed cherries or candied cherries
• mixed candied peel

Troubleshooting Tips

1. Why is my fruitcake gummy?

If your fruitcake is gummy then it certainly needs more time in the oven. Often the toothpick comes out clean but still you will find the fruitcake gummy. So the second trick is to lightly press the center of the cake with your finger and see if it springs back.

2. Why is my fruit cake dry and crumbly?

It's because of the heat. Every oven works differently. A 350F in my oven might be 380F for your oven. So, it's best to use an oven thermometer for these cases.

3. how to moisten a dry cake after baking

If you pour sugar syrup onto the cake the cake will soak up the moisture and won't taste as dry.

4. My Fruit cake is crumbly but moist

If that's the case then you might have not measured the ingredients properly. Too much fruits makes the cake moist but crumbly. Other times the gluten content of the flour is also to blame. So, the best way to fix it would be to use a frosting to cover it all up.

More Christmas Recipes:

• Christmas Wreath Fruit Platter
• Antipasto Skewer - Christmas Antipasto Wreath Food
• Orange Spiced Eggnog Muffins