This Kerala Style Christmas Fruit Cake is a moist and absolutely delicious treat for the holidays. Quick and easy recipe that does not require soaking of fruit for days.
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Holiday baking feels incomplete without a Christmas fruit cake. So, I make sure to bake this moist and delicious cake along with cookies in December. This is a great edible gift and is also perfect to serve with tea or wine.
Traditionally fruit cakes need a lot of preparation. Dry fruit are soaked in wine or other spirits for days if not months before making the cake.
But the good thing about this recipe is that the dry fruit don't have to be soaked ahead of time. Which makes it perfect to make when you short on time or completely forgot to soak the fruit.
This Kerala fruit cake recipe has a nice depth of flavor and a lovely color with the addition of homemade caramel. If you are worried about making caramel, don't fret - it is easier than you think. Use the step by step photos to guide you on how to make it.
Also this is an easy moist Christmas fruit cake, unlike traditional (brick like) ones. My family wants me to make it every week. So, go ahead make it yourself and enjoy!!
Why I love this recipe
- quick and easy to make
- soft, moist and fluffy
- perfect for holiday baking
- stays fresh for a week
- great edible gift for the holidays
Ingredients
This Indian style fruit cake recipe has a nice balance of dry fruit and spices. The whole house smells like the holidays while baking this one:
- Dry ingredients:
- all purpose flour, salt, baking powder
- spices - ground cloves, ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- granulated sugar
- Other ingredients:
- eggs
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- Dry fruit & nuts - Use your favorite combination of dried fruit and nuts. I used a combination of dried cherries, cranberries, raisins and dates.
- Baking pans to use:
- 6" round cake pan that is at least 3" deep
- 8" round cake pan that is at least 2" deep
- 8½" x 4½" loaf pan
Instructions
Make the Caramel: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Melt the sugar on medium heat, while stirring. Once it reaches the deep amber color, take it off the heat and cool for 1~2 minutes. Then bring the pan to the sink and add 3~4 tablespoons of water slowly, swirling the pan. Caramel is now ready. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the baking pan* and line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Keep ready.
Add flour to the dry fruits and nuts, so that they are dredged completely. This will prevent them from sinking.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Mix well and set aside.
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy about 3~4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
Next add 1 egg and beat until incorporated. Add ⅓rd of the flour and mix well. Repeat with the remaining eggs and flour.
Add the cooled caramel and flour coated dry fruit. Gently fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the edges.
Bake for 40~50 minutes until the top is dark brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking the cake around the 35 minute mark to avoid over-baking.
Remove onto a wire rack, after 10 minutes remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely before cutting. Store the leftovers of Kerala Christmas fruit cake at room temperature for upto 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
- Make sure to drench the dry fruit really well with flour while making the cake. This prevents them from settling in the bottom of the cake.
- While adding water to hot caramel, it will gurgle violently. So, make sure to do it over the sink and keep your hands away.
- Use any of your favorite dry fruit in the recipe. Dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, dates, berries etc. Make sure to chop bigger dried fruit into bits.
- Baking pan sizes and baking times:
- 6" round cake pan that is at least 3" deep - 40~50 minutes
- 8" round cake pan that is at least 2" deep - 35~45 minutes
- 8½" x 4½" loaf pan - 45~55 minutes
- High altitude alterations I made to the recipe:
- increased flour to 1¼ cups
- reduce baking powder to ¾ teaspoon
- Store the leftovers of Kerala Christmas fruit cake at room temperature for upto 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Few more delicious sweet treat recipes to try
- Red velvet cupcakes
- Mocha cake with mascarpone frosting
- Sourdough chocolate cake
- No-bake Nutella cheesecake
- Vegan chocolate French toast
- Homemade hot cocoa (using cacao powder)
- Eggless cookies and cream ice cream
I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.
Kerala Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ½ cup Cashews, chopped
- ¼ cup Black Raisins
- ½ cup Mixed Dry Fruit (cherries, dates etc)
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 Large Eggs
Instructions
Make the Caramel:
- In a small saucepan, combine ⅓ cup sugar and water. Heat on medium heat, melt the sugar while stirring. Let the sugar caramelize until deep amber color, don't stir it -- twirl the pan to melt evenly. Once it reaches the desired color, take it off the heat and cool for 1~2 minutes.
- Then bring the pan to the sink and add 3~4 tablespoons of water. Hot caramel will gurgle violently, so make sure you keep your hands at a safe distance. Add water slowly, swirling the pan. Caramel is now ready. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the pan & ingredients:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 6" round cake pan that is at least 3" deep or use a 8" round pan or a 8½" x 4½" loaf pan. Lightly grease the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Keep ready.
- In a small bowl, combine dry fruit and nuts with 1~2 tablespoons of flour. Mix well and make sure that they are dredged completely. This will prevent them from sinking.
- In another small bowl, combine the remaining flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Mix well and set aside.
Make cake batter:
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, beat butter and the remaining ⅔rd cup of sugar until light and fluffy about 3~4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
- Next add 1 egg and beat until incorporated. Add ⅓rd of the flour and mix well. Repeat with the remaining eggs and flour.
- Add the cooled caramel and flour coated dry fruit. Gently fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the edges.
Bake the Cake:
- Bake for 35~45 minutes* until the top is dark brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking the cake around the 35 minute mark to avoid over-baking.
- Remove onto a wire rack, after 10 minutes remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to drench the dry fruit really well with flour while making the cake. This prevents them from settling in the bottom of the cake.
- While adding water to hot caramel, it will gurgle violently. So, make sure to do it over the sink and keep your hands away.
- Use any of your favorite dry fruit in the recipe. Dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, dates, berries etc. Make sure to chop bigger dried fruit into bits.
- Baking pan sizes and baking times:
- 6" round cake pan that is at least 3" deep - 40~50 minutes
- 8" round cake pan that is at least 2" deep - 35~45 minutes
- 8½" x 4½" loaf pan - 45~55 minutes
- High altitude alterations I made to the recipe:
- increased flour to 1¼ cups
- reduce baking powder to ¾ teaspoon
- Store the leftovers of Kerala Christmas fruit cake at room temperature for upto 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Jolly
Loved the texture and look of the cake. It looks superbly delicious and super soft. I always thought to make a Xmas cake but never soaked dry fruits, so it’s always pending into my to-do list, but now I can make without thinking of soaking. I will try your version soon.
Padma Veeranki
Fruit cake has so many nostalgic memories for me as a kid...I make it even till date for every Christmas, but never managed to click pics!! I too sometimes prepare even without soaking...Want to grab a slice off the screen...Looking delicious and yum 😋
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
This is a beautiful and gorgeous looking X-mas cake. So soft and moist, each slice looks so perfect and loving the pictures of this cake, beautiful light!
Vandana
The perfect golden color and texture have made this cake look so tempting. Adding caramel is such an interesting idea. I will definitely try this recipe.
sasmita
Love the shots here first of simple. So simple yet elegant 🙂
The fruit cake here is much perfect for upcoming celebration. Perfect moist and absolutely delicious it is and no requirement of soaking the dry fruit for days is a plus point.
Vasu Ganti
Made this for the first time, ever for any fruit cake, and we just love the end product. This is perhaps an oven feature, but, I had to leave the cake in for another 15 min at 350F, after the first 50 min of baking, since the cake still a very soft and gooey center. Once done, I let it cool on a wire rack before slicing. Superb recipe. Thanks much.
Meredith
Can a little rum or brandy be added to the batter to give the flavour without soaking the fruits?
cookshideout
Hi Maureen, Yes, you can also add brandy or rum for soaking the fruit. Do not omit vanilla. Please let me know how the cake turns out.
Thank you
Maureen
Sorry to bother you again... I’m having a struggle caramelizing the sugar without crystallization. However I may have figured it out. My question is this.... what consistency should the caramelized sugar be... a liquid or more like honey?
cookshideout
Once the sugar caramelizes it is thick liquid like honey. Then you wait for 2 minutes and add water while swirling to thin it out. Please let me know how it turns out.