How to Make Fruit Cake at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Impress Your Loved Ones

Nothing beats the charm of spending your summer evenings at your favorite nook in the house. A perfect tea time solo date is often paired with a chilled and refreshing iced tea, a great thriller to cozy up with, and an ever-decadent array of fruit desserts. The task of choosing your favorite fruit desserts is always going to be a difficult one, but everyone has their strong opinions. For example, some would never like a tart tropical flavor sneaking into a luscious cream cake recipe, or even a dry fruit cake recipe.

The fruit cake, a timeless classic, often associated with winter festivals and celebrations, is still considered the perfect mid-day snack. It’s the ideal dessert to always stack your fridge with, especially if your house is central to all gatherings and gossip sessions.

This rich, sinful cake, is an amalgamation of flavors, and more often than not, holds a cherished place in the realm of homemade baked goods. It carries a unique blend of dried fruits nuts, and sweet essences, that evoke a sense of warmth and comfort.

The origins of this heavenly delight can be traced back to the Roman Empire, where it was prepared with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins mixed into barley mash. Over centuries, the recipe evolved, incorporating a wider range of ingredients and spices brought in through trade routes (for example, the eggless dry fruit cake), making it a popular treat across Europe. Despite its sometimes divisive reputation, a well-made fruit cake is a symphony of flavors and textures. It combines the sweetness of fruits, the crunch of nuts, and the subtle undertones of spices, all held together in a dense, moist cake. What makes a dry fruit cake recipe particularly special is its versatility. It can be tailored to suit individual tastes by playing around with the types of dried fruits, nuts, and spices used.

Making a fruit cake at home is a rewarding experience, as it allows you to control the quality of ingredients and adjust the flavors to your liking. This guide will walk you through each step, from preparing the fruit mixture to baking the cake to perfection, ensuring a delightful result every time. Whether you’re baking one for a holiday, a special occasion, or simply to enjoy a slice with your afternoon tea, this dry fruit cake recipe is sure to become a favorite in your baking repertoire.

Here’s how to make fruit cake at home:

Ingredients

• 200 gm all-purpose flour
• 150 gm unsalted butter, softened
• 200 gm brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 100 ml milk
• 300 gm mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants, chopped apricots, and dates)
• 100 gm mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans), roughly chopped
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp orange zest
• 50 ml orange juice
• 2 tbsp brandy or rum (optional)

Method:

1. Take a bowl, and combine the mixed dried fruits with orange juice and brandy or rum (if you choose to use it). Mix the ingredients well and let it soak for at least 30 minutes. This step helps plump up the fruits and infuses them with flavor.
2. Preheat your oven to 150°C. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the unsalted butter and brown sugar together until it is light and fluffy. This should take about three to five minutes using an electric mixer at medium speed.
4. After this, add the eggs, one at a time, beating them well after each addition. This helps incorporate air into the batter, making the cake lighter.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt. Sifting helps remove lumps and evenly distributes the spices.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix at low speed until the ingredients are just combined to avoid overmixing (since it can make the cake dense).
7. Gently fold in the soaked fruit mixture (along with any remaining liquid), mixed nuts, and orange zest. Ensure the fruits and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
9. Now, bake it in the preheated oven for about two hours or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with an aluminum foil.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. The flavors will develop and deepen over a few days, making the cake even more delicious.