Light Fruit Cake- rich, luscious Madeira cake that’s light, fluffy and moist with a wonderful buttery taste studded with dried mixed fruits. It has a delicious and festive blend of flavors that’s perfect for this time of the year!
Happy holidays, everyone!
Every baker always has a must-bake list on Christmas Day. Agree? One of my must-bake item is this lighter version of Christmas Fruit Cake.
If you dislike fruit cake, perhaps you should try this light fruit cake. It will change your mind about your distaste for fruit cake. It is loaded with fruit but it’s not too heavy, not too sweet and makes a lovely snack for a picnic. You can also serve this for breakfast or afternoon tea.
What is Fruit Cake?
To those who aren’t familiar yet with this popular holiday treat, a fruit cake is a cake made with candied or dried fruits and spices, usually soaked in spirits like this Caribbean Black Cake HERE, and are usually served during wedding days or Christmas.
But our version for today is lighter than that and much easier to make!
Light Fruit Cake Ingredients
This fruit cake recipe is basically a Madeira cake – firm yet light and buttery cake usually eaten with tea for breakfast or afternoon snacks in Britain. Then it’s studded with raisins and other dried fruit mixes. As you see, it’s kinda on the denser side, unlike a traditional fruit cake that’s heavier with more booze in the mix.
Below are the ingredients you’ll need to make this holiday cake:
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- almond flour (may replace with flour)
- milk
- raisins
- chopped mixed dried fruits, candied peel, cherries
- nutmeg
- lime zest
- dark rum (optional)
- almond flavor
- vanilla extract
To make this cake you have to cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy to achieve a good structure. I remember as a teenager, whenever I was making a cake without a mixer, I would cream the butter and sugar until I thought my hands would fall off – it was like running 5 miles. But, I had to achieve the fluffiness by all means.
How Long Does Light Fruit Cake Last?
Though this cake has rum in it, it’s not the same with the old-fashioned fruit cake though which is constantly brushed with alcohol to preserve the cake for ages. Ours here has rum that serves as another hint of flavor and can be optional, especially when serving to kids.
Although this isn’t as boozed-up like the usual fruit cakes, this tasty cake has a great texture for soaking up rum, syrup, and sauces, and it does not get soggy when mixed with the aforementioned ingredients. It also freezes well and a good cake to ice.
You can double wrap this cake with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. I would usually make 2 cakes around this time – one to eat right away, and the other one to freeze up.
More Holiday Cake Recipes
- Red Velvet Cake (with video)
- King Cake
- Vanilla Cake
- Coconut Cake (with video)
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake (with video)
- Chocolate Marble Cake
- Italian Cream Cake
How To Make Light Fruit Cake
Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease and line the cake tin (pan) with baking parchment. Cream together the butter and sugar at a high speed in a stand mixer until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 5- 7 minutes. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt into the batter, then add the almond flour. Mix.
Pour in milk a little at a time, then add the dried fruits, nutmeg, lime zest, rum, almond flavor, and vanilla extract. Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. 
Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt or 10-inch cake pan. Bake at 325 F until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powder sugar, if desired. Serve with tea and/or whipped cream.
Watch How To Make It
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This post was first published in October 2016 and has been updated with new photos, write up and so as the recipe.
Light Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounce (226.8g) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup (250g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups (218.75g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25g) salt
- ½ cup (48g) almond flour (may replace with flour)
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
- ½ cup (75g) raisins
- 1 ½ cup chopped mixed dried fruits, candied peel, cherries
- 1 teaspoon (2g) nutmeg
- 1-2 tablespoons (2g-4g) lime zest
- 2-3 tablespoons (30g-45g) dark rum , optional
- 1 teaspoon (4.2g) almond flavor
- 1 teaspoon (4.2g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease and line the cake tin (pan) with baking parchment
- Cream together the butter and sugar at a high speed in a stand mixer until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 5- 7 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt into the batter, then add the almond flour. Mix.
- Pour in milk a little at a time, then add the dried fruits, nutmeg, lime zest, rum, almond flavor and vanilla extract.
- Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt or 10-inch cake pan.
- Bake at 325 F until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powder sugar, if desired.
- Serve with tea and/or whipped cream.
Tips & Notes:
- No soaking of fruits required! Replace candied fruits with about a cup of raisins, dried cranberries, prunes or dates. Or also add dried chopped apricots, and/or chopped nuts.
- Adjust flavoring with what you have on hand.
- You can leave this cake outside for about a day or two. I usually tightly wrap and freeze until ready to be served. It works out great all the time .
- You can omit the rum altogether, if you prefer.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Vivian says
Hi Imma, just came across your blog. What can I use in place of rum…I won’t be adding it because of the kids. Thank s
ImmaculateBites says
Leave it out completely. No need to add.
Staci says
I’ve tried your new recipe and was wondering if you could post the original recipe for us? We found the updated recipe just isn’t as good for us as compared to the original. We have been trying to recall from memory but feel that we are still missing something.
Thanks,
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Staci
Here is the older recipe. The instructions are the same
10 ounce un-salted butter
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
6 Large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Almond flavor.
2-3 tablespoons lime zest
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1- 11/2 cup raisin
1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit candied peel, cherries
2-3 Tablespoons dark rum optional
⅓ cup milk
Shagun mathue says
Hie. What is the quantity of the cake if I measure it in pounds?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello! Do you mean the weight of the cooked cake in pounds?
Elva says
Hi Imma, my cake turned out really good but a little dry, what can I add so it wont be so dry next time I make it. Thank you it is a wonderful recipe.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Elva,
Fruit cake is more on the dry side . However, you can add about 1/3 cup sourcream to the mixture , after you cream the butter and sugar . Do let me know how this works out for you. Thanks
Chhavi says
Thank you.
I tried the recipe and loved it except it was dry. I’ll try adding sour cream too. Thanks
Frances D says
Hi Imma,
Thanks for this recipe.. Can you please help me out with the flour measurement in kilograms. Using cup is confusing Pls.
Appreciated.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Frances. I already updated the measurements. Happy baking!
Muriel says
Looking forward to trying this for Christmas. How long do you think the cake will keep as is? I may feed it with some alcohol too, but may not.
ImmaculateBites says
You can leave it outside for about a day or two. I usually tightly wrap and freeze until ready to be served. It works out great all the time .
Muriel says
Thanks. I made a Christmas one and had enough for a little doll sized one so I could try it. Delicious and will keep well I think.
Dana says
Thank you thank you!!! Best fruit cake recipe ever
Actually I love lots of your dishes, sweet to savoury. You are my go to when looking for a recipe. Love it you don’t scrimp on the ingredients
imma africanbites says
Awww. Thank you so much for the sweet words, Dana. You just made my day. =)
Andrea says
Dana, I totally agree with your post. I am so impressed with Imma’s recipes and is now my “go to” as well. Love, love, love them. Just tried the Caribbean Rice and Beans and the Slow Cooker Stewed Chicken. Both are to die for!!!
I am definitely trying this fruit cake this weekend. It looks great! Keep up the good work!
Chew says
Fantastic fruit cake recipe.. definitely a Keeper! I Moist and lighter than many of other fruitcake recipes that I tried! Thank you for sharing!
imma africanbites says
Thank you, too , for trying it out. Happy New Year!
Sharon says
Thanks for the recipe, my cake turned out great. It’s hard to get high quality glacé fruits so I substituted with mostly dried fruits. I used candied lemon peels, dried chopped apricots, dried montmorency and bing cherries soaked in cognac. I also threw in a 1/2 cup chopped cashew nuts.
Magdalene says
Thanks very much for this wonderful recipe. You didn’t mention when to put the almond flavour. Also in my country at times it’s difficult to get those fruits and cherries etc. And if i find it might be expensive, can I do it without them? Can u also use the batter for cupcakes?
ImmaculateBites says
Sure! Just go with raisins. I make it all the time with raisins only. You add almond flavor with other flavors. And yes, you can bake in cup cakes.
Sheelagh says
There is no cherries in the ingredients How much do I use
ImmaculateBites says
About 1/2 a cup would work.
zillah says
hi where can you buy the candied mixed fruits, chopped cherries etc. did not see it in walmart. I want to try baking the cake
kelsey says
Ok thanks
kelsey says
Not sure if i bought the right fruit mixed. Is the fruit mixed supposed to be hard like candy? Because the Hawaiian fruit mixed i bought is dried but not that hard. Should i still soak it for two hours? THANKS
Africanbites says
You bought the right fruit, it is not suppose to be hard as candy. Yes, soak it for two hours with warm water.
Africanbites says
Yes, the kids are allowed to eat it. You can omit the rum altogether if you prefer. The amount of raisin is one and half cup and you do not need to keep it for a week. Soak the fruit in lukewarm water for about 2 hours.
I have never used Hawaiian fruit mix before … but i guess it would work because it is dried fruit . Let me know how everything works out!
Kelsey says
I am going to try this, it looks good. My questions are:
– Since rum is one of the recipes, are the kids allowed to eat it too?
– I bought Hawaiian fruit mix, is that ok?
– How much quantity of raisin is to be used
– Must the mixture be kept for one week?