Christmas fruit cake is an essential dish on the festive table during the holiday season of Christmas every year in Western countries. With a soft, sweet, and fragrant cake base combined with various nuts and dried fruits that are rich and slightly sour, it promises to bring you a unique experience. Join TasteVN in the kitchen to check out the two recipes below and enjoy!
1. Christmas fruit cake without using alcohol
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Non-Alcoholic Christmas Fruit Cake Serves 6
All-purpose flour 300 gr Nutmeg powder 1 teaspoon Cocoa powder 1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder 1/2 teaspoon Ginger powder 1/4 teaspoon Baking powder 1 teaspoon (baking powder) Baking soda 1/4 tablespoon (baking soda) Cashews 4 tablespoons (3 parts chopped/ 1 part whole) Almonds 3 tablespoons (chopped) Black raisins 4 tablespoons Golden raisins 3 tablespoons Cherry jam 3 tablespoons Green papaya jam 3 tablespoons (Tutty Fruity) Orange juice 6 tablespoons Unsweetened milk 240 ml Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon White vinegar 2 teaspoons Powdered sugar 50 gr Sugar 6 tablespoons Cooking oil 6 tablespoons
How to Choose Orange Juice for a Delicious Cake
- It is recommended to buy canned orange juice instead of fresh orange juice to ensure the cake has a delicious flavor and avoids bitterness. Additionally, you can also substitute canned orange juice with canned grape juice!
- You should buy juice boxes with clear branding, minimal additives, preservatives, and still within the expiration date to ensure safety for health.
Tools Required
Pot, non-stick pan, bowl, round cake mold, parchment paper,…
How to make Christmas fruit cake without using alcohol
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Soak nuts and dried fruits
First, place 3 tablespoons of golden
Mix the cake batter
Add 240ml of unsweetened fresh milk, 6 tablespoons of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder into a bowl and stir well.
Next, sift and add to the bowl: 300g of all-purpose flour, 50g of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/4 tablespoon of baking soda. Use a flat whisk to gently mix the mixture until completely combined.
Then, pour the cooked sugar syrup into the flour mixture and mix once more to blend all the ingredients together.
Mix the batter with the dried fruit mixture
Continue to pour the soaked dried fruit mixture and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar into the bowl of batter, then use a flat whisk to mix thoroughly one more time so that the batter incorporates with the fruits and nuts.
Pour into the mold and bake
Prepare a large pan or pot, pour in a layer of sand about 1/2 of a small finger’s length. Then, place the rack and baking tray inside and heat over medium flame for 10 minutes.
Line the round mold with parchment paper, pour the cake batter in, and sprinkle a little more black raisins and the remaining cashews on top.
Next, place the cake mold on the baking tray, cover tightly with a lid, and drape a cloth over it, then bake over medium heat for the first 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to low and continue baking for an additional 55 – 60 minutes. When the cake is done, remove the cake mold, then cover the top of the cake with a cloth and let it cool completely.
Final Product
The Christmas fruit cake without alcohol has a soft sponge cake base and an aromatic fragrance.
The cake has a sweet and nutty flavor from various nuts, a slight bitterness from cocoa powder combined with a bit of sourness from dried fruits that make your taste buds “dance”, perfectly suited for the festive atmosphere of Christmas at the end of the year.
2. Christmas fruit cake with alcohol
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Processing
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Christmas fruit cake with alcohol Serves 6
All-purpose flour 250 gr Baking powder 1 teaspoon (baking powder) Cinnamon powder 1 teaspoon Ginger powder 1/2 teaspoon Clove powder 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg powder 1/4 teaspoon Chicken eggs 4 Unsalted butter 200 gr (at room temperature) Rum 330 ml Orange 1 Black raisins 100 gr Golden raisins 100 gr Black currant jam 100 gr Orange peel jam 100 gr (or lemon) Cashew nuts 50 gr (chopped) Dried fruit candy 50 gr (gummy candy) Syrup 2 tablespoons Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar 200 gr Brown sugar 200 gr
Where to buy rum?
- You can buy rum at imported liquor stores, supermarkets, or online on e-commerce websites.
- When buying, choose reputable brands and sellers, and carefully check the product packaging to avoid purchasing counterfeit goods.
Tools needed
Oven, dough mixer, pot, non-stick pan, bowl, cake mold, parchment paper,…
How to make Christmas fruit cake with alcohol
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Prepare and soak dried fruits
Place in a jar with a lid in order: 100g golden raisins, 100g black raisins, 100g blackberry jam, 100g orange peel jam, 50g fruit candy, then add 285ml of rum and mix well with a spoon.
After that, seal the jar tightly, place it in the refrigerator refrigerator and soak this mixture for 24 hours.
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Melt the sugar
Place a pot on the stove, add 200g of white sugar and heat on low until the sugar melts and turns a reddish-brown color, then turn off the heat.
At this point, immediately add 118ml of hot water and stir the mixture once more. Then, pour the sugar water mixture into a bowl and let it cool.
Note: The cooked sugar water should be liquid and reddish-brown; do not cook too long as it will cause the sugar water to become thick like candy.
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Mix the nut and dried fruit mixture
In a large bowl, add the softened dried fruits soaked in rum, then add 50g of chopped cashews and mix well.
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Mix the cake batter
In a new bowl, add 250g of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and mix well. Next, pour the dry mixture into the fruit and nut mixture above and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined.
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Mix the flour and dried fruit mixture
In another large bowl, add 200g of unsalted butter to soften, 200g of brown sugar, and use a mixer until the sugar dissolves and forms a thick, smooth mixture like cream. Next, gradually add in 4 eggs and continue to mix well with the machine.
Once the mixture is combined, add about 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest, the juice of 1 orange, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, the melted sugar syrup, 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg powder, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder, and 1/8 teaspoon of clove powder. Use the mixer to blend the mixture for about 3 minutes until it becomes smooth and thick, then stop.
Next, pour the cake flour mixture along with the fruit into the butter mixture in the mixing bowl and use a spatula to mix until the mixture forms a sticky, cohesive mass.
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Pouring and Baking the Cake
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
Prepare a baking mold lined with parchment paper, then pour the batter in and spread it evenly. Next, bake the cake for 40 – 45 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.
Once baked, pour 45ml of rum evenly over the top of the cake and let it cool completely before removing the parchment paper and enjoying the cake.
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Final Product
The Christmas fruit cake with rum when finished exudes a fragrant, mild sour smell characteristic of rum that is incredibly alluring.
When you eat the cake, you will experience its moist softness, combined with the sweet and sour flavor from the dried fruits, giving you a surprisingly delicious taste that will make you fall in love from the very first bite!
What is Christmas fruit cake?
- Christmas fruit cake also known as Christmas fruit cake – this is a type of sweet cake commonly used during weddings and Christmas. Besides basic ingredients like flour, baking powder, and eggs, fruit cake is also characterized by combining dried fruits, nuts, orange juice, various spices, and strong alcohol to create a distinctive flavor.
- The cake has a moist, soft texture, slightly crumbly, with a sweet and sour taste along with the aroma of various ground spice powders that create a very appealing flavor.
- During the preparation process, this type of cake can also substitute rum with other types of strong alcohol, and orange juice can also be replaced with other sour juices like grape juice.
Where to buy nuts and dried fruits?
You can purchase nuts and dried fruits such as: golden raisins, black raisins, lychee jam, cherry jam, green papaya jam (Tutty Fruity),….as well as cashews, almonds at baking ingredient shops, large supermarkets, or buy on e-commerce websites.
With 2 ways to make Christmas fruit cake (Christmas fruit cake) above, I hope you will have an additional recipe for a fluffy, delicious cake to make your family’s Christmas celebration warmer and more joyful. Let’s do it together with TasteVN, wishing you success!
