Light Fruit Christmas Cake
Celebrate the festive season with this delightful Light Fruit Christmas Cake, a perfect centerpiece for your holiday dessert table. This lighter twist on the traditional fruitcake combines moist, buttery sponge with a medley of mixed dried fruits, chopped nuts, and vibrant glacé cherries, all infused with the zesty brightness of orange and lemon. Enhanced with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and a hint of vanilla, this cake is a fragrant, flavorful treat that’s ideal for those who prefer a less dense alternative to classic Christmas cakes. Simple to prepare in just 30 minutes and baked to golden perfection, this festive bake is perfect to serve as is, dusted with powdered sugar, or elegantly decorated with a light glaze for extra holiday charm. Perfect for sharing with family and friends, this recipe is a must-try for any holiday celebration!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 200 grams Unsalted butter
- 200 grams Light brown sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 225 grams Self-raising flour
- 100 grams Ground almonds
- 300 grams Mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants)
- 100 grams Glacé cherries, chopped
- 75 grams Chopped mixed nuts (e.g., almonds, pecans, walnuts)
- 1 whole Zest of an orange
- 1 whole Zest of a lemon
- 60 milliliters Fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 50 milliliters Milk
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F) and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and light brown sugar together until fluffy and pale in color.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure the mixture is smooth.
Sift in the self-raising flour, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Fold gently to combine.
Stir in the ground almonds, mixed dried fruit, chopped glacé cherries, chopped nuts, orange zest, lemon zest, fresh orange juice, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is evenly distributed.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1.5 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, you may leave it plain, dust it with powdered sugar, or decorate it with a light glaze and festive toppings.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
478 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 23.2 g | 30% | |
| Saturated Fat | 10.0 g | 50% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 99 mg | 33% | |
| Sodium | 166 mg | 7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 62.1 g | 23% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.4 g | 12% | |
| Total Sugars | 38.4 g | ||
| Protein | 7.9 g | 16% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.6 mcg | 3% | |
| Calcium | 77 mg | 6% | |
| Iron | 1.7 mg | 9% | |
| Potassium | 385 mg | 8% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
