It's that time of the year when the radio plays your favourite Christmas carols, and storefronts are lit up with red, green and white lights. When the mind of the home-cook turns to baking. When images of cakes, cupcakes, cookies and muffins crowd my FB feed. When my post on how to soak fruits for a Christmas fruit cake is the most popular on my blog and my readers send urgent anxious questions through comments, messenger and the like. There have been many requests for a recipe for an Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake, but this post has taken time, as I am not all that used to baking eggless cakes. Finally the process turned out to be quite simple.
Somehow I'm not comfortable with just substituting eggs with bananas or apples, though this has been successfully done by many friends and bloggers and the results are pretty tasty. I have however, been looking for a recipe for a cake which is 'naturally' eggless!
The theme for the 175 Foodie Monday BlogHop is Christmas Special, and the eggless Christmas Fruit Cake did get made, just in time for posting on the theme. All thanks and credit to the recipe in 'Baking', by Martha Day. This is one of the earliest baking recipe books that I bought but with its 400 odd recipes, I did not notice the one for an Eggless Christmas Cake till recently. I have made several changes to the recipe but it helped me with the information I needed for making this
Christmas Fruit cake.
The fruits have been soaking in rum for more than a year as I did not get to bake my Christmas cake last year, due to a troublesome shoulder pain. With periodic topping of rum, the dry fruits have been waiting patiently till I got around to baking this eggless Christmas fruit cake. I do have to bake two more, to send to my son in law and a non alcohol one for my grandchildren in Mumbai, and I hope I get that done by next week.
Once your fruits (dry fruits and not fresh ones) are ready (soaked in rum, boiled in tea decoction, soaked in orange juice/ apple juice/ cranberry juice) making the cake is a breeze. Keep everything ready from the ingredients list below, and then mix the batter for the eggless Christmas fruit cake from the instructions below.
The ingredients include molasses as an optional item which can be omitted for a lower calorie, no-added-sugar version. As molasses are not easily available in India, honey can be used instead. And of course, molasses is also just sugar, so its no healthier or lower in calorific value. The cake is flavourful because of the fruit, so the vanilla extract is also an option that may be left out if you wish.
Here is a detailed guide on soaking the fruits for the Christmas cake
Eggless Christmas Cake with Fruits soaked in Juice:
For instructions on non alcoholic soaking of fruits, see the first part of the recipe in my post for baking an easy rich Christmas cake. where you soak the fruits for less than a week, storing it in the fridge till you are ready to bake.
Another way to soak the fruits in juice and without alcohol, is given below:
1. One day before the day you have planned for baking the Christmas Plum cake, heat the soaking liquid (cranberry juice, apple juice, orange juice etc) on low heat.
2. Add the sliced dry fruits and stir them in, keeping the liquid on a low simmer.
3. Transfer the fruit along with the liquid into a container. Once it cools, cover the container and keep it in the fridge or in a dark cool place overnight.
4. Use the fruits as in the recipe below, along with the liquid in which it is boiled.
For detailed recipe with volumes for fruit and for the soaking liquid, check my recipe on this blog for soaking fruits for the Christmas Cake.
For a traditional Christmas cake with egg, here is my recipe.
This Post for an Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake has been sent to the Event, Foodie Monday BlogHop
"Recipe"
Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake batter
- 350 gms mixed dried fruits pre-soaked in 250 ml soaking liquid (alcohol or unsweetned juice)
- 300 gms maida or all purpose flour 1 cup
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 50 gm toasted nuts hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pecan nuts
- Spice mix (see below)
- 1 teaspoon Zest of lemon from 1 lemon
- 250 ml milk 1 cup (at room temperature) Diary or soy or almond milk as preferred
- 200 ml sunflower oil (1.75 cups) or butter, melted, cooled but liquid
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - optional
- 1 tablespoon molasses -optional (omit for no sugar option) or treacle, dark syrup or dark honey
- 1 tablespoon icing powder - optional (omit for a no sugar version) for sprinkling on the finished cake
Spice mix to be added to the cake batter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- a pinch clove powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
Instructions
- The Time given above for making the cake does not include time for pre-soaking the fruit, but only for mixing the batter and baking the cake. Please read the write up to my post on How to make a rich Christmas fruit cake, as it has many tips that can help you when you are baking this eggless cake. For how to soak fruits for the Christmas cake, check the links in the write up to this post, above.
- Keep the butter (if using) out well ahead of time to bring it to room temperature before you start baking. The milk should also be at room temperature. Grease with oil and line with parchment, a square 8" tin. Use 2-3 layers of parchment and allow the paper to jut out of the tin all around, for at least an inch, maybe 2. Measure the ingredients as in the list above, and keep them ready for mixing the batter. Toast the nuts and chop into very small pieces but not into crumbly bits
- Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F) Add the toasted sliced nuts to the measured quantity of soaked fruits, and stir them in.
- Sieve together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder and baking soda and the spice mix. If using butter, melt it but allow it to cool, without solidifying. Hot butter should not be mixed into the cake.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in milk, oil/ melted butter and molasses if using, and the vanilla extract, if using. Omit the molasses for a non-added sugar version. Add the lemon zest.
Add the nuts, mix.
Add the soaked dry fruits with their liquid, and mix it all in, not stirring too much but just enough that all the flour becomes moist. - Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin. Bake for 1.5 hours or till the cake is lightly brown/ golden brown and a tooth pick inserted, comes out clean with no batter clinging to it. It can take upto 2 hours, depending on the oven, so keep checking after the first 1.25 hours. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Brush the surface with apricot, peach or apple jam. Though the cake tastes pretty good even without the jam.
- You can give a cake a glaze on top, or drizzle some icing sugar, if you wish.
Sunil Issar says
Hi. Just stumbled across this recipe and can't wait to try it. Went through the recipe and could not figure out at what stage would you add the oil / melted butter to the ingredients. Do I add it to the milk and then pour in the milk/butter mix into the dry ingredients?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi and thanks for pointing out the omission, and my apologies for not having noticed this. I've rectified it in the recipe card now. The oil or melted and cooled butter should be added along with the milk and molasses, into the dry ingredients. It does not have to be mixed with the milk, just add then one after the other. All the best and do let me know how the cake turns out. Merry Christmas!
Isha says
Hello Sujata,
This will be my first time baking a Christmas fruit cake and from the moment I read your recipe I just cannot wait to get it ready ! However, I must wait and follow your instructions to soak the fruits. 🙂
I do have a question(could be silly, but very excited for this cake to be perfect;)) , 350gms of soaked fruits mean 100gms of fruits and 250ml of soaked liquid?
Also, I intend to make it a day earlier for a party, any tips how may I store it? Should I keep adding a little bit of rum to keep it moist?
I will definitely update you with how it turns out. I will be doing eggless version.
Thanks!!
Isha
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Isha and I’m so glad you found the post useful.
To answer your queries:
350 gms of soaked fruit means you soak the fruits and take 350 gms from this, for the cake. Not additional liquid, just 350 gms of soaked fruit after draining the liquid. Is this clear please?
2. Making the cake about a week earlier would be good, it allows the flavours to mature. Every two days or when the top looks a little dry, wet it with a little rum spread on top.
If you are baking it just the day before, you don’t really need to top unless it looks dry.
When fruits are soaked in alcohol, the alcohol acts as a preservative so you don’t have to store the cake in the fridge. Just wrap/ double wrap in foil, keep in an airtight container in a cool dark place like a kitchen cupboard.
I will be eagerly waiting for your feedback as to how the cake turns out! All the best! Feel free to ask if you have any further doubts
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram says
Wow, the texture of this cake is really exciting. I am so thrilled to see a different version. I will try soon.
Sujata Shukla says
Thanks Seema! I was surprised at the texture too, as its the first time I tried out this version of an eggless fruit cake!
Sasmita Sahoo Samanta says
Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake with the tips of without addition of sugar is a lovely option during the festive time Lovely pick for theme dear di !!
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Sasmita! With everyone around, including my readers, being health conscious, this recipe was the least I could do for people to enjoy their Christmas Cake even without adding sugar!
Preethi Prasad says
Fruit cake without sugar is so tempting. Bookmarking this recipe t o try it out soon. Fab share.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Preethi! I hope it comes out as well for you as it did for me
themadscientistskitchen says
OMG! I think I need to bake this cake soon. It is amazing! I did not realize you had grandchildren Sujata they must have loved it.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you, Archana. Three grandchildren actually, ages ranging from 2 to 7!
Veena Krishnakumar says
I have an eggless recipe but a sugarless one is something I was looking for. Perfectly baked
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Veena. It really came out well,though initially I was worried - eggless, sugarless, was not sure how it would turn out!
poonampagar says
Lovely eggless sugar-free fruit cake di ! I would like to try it out for my Father in law for sure. Thanks for the share.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you, Poonam! With all the health concerns we have, it is good to be able to make a tasty dessert with little or no sugar!
Vidya Narayan says
Loved the detailed recipe Sujataji. I find it very challenging to cook or bake an eggless recipe from the original as it gives us so much scope to experiment and the results turn out amazing, clearly in this case as well. Loved the no sugar recipe, in particular, especially for us at home.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you, Vidya. Im now getting the courage to bake more eggless recipes as the Christmas cakes have turned out very well. I also made an eggless cranberry orange cake which my friends said was really tasty.
Vidya Narayan says
Cranberry Orange sounds amazing! Love the citrus flavours in tea time cakes.
Sujata Shukla says
I do too. Love the combination of cranberry and orange, they seem made for each other.
mayurisjikoni says
A sugarless Christmas Cake now that has caught my attention. Would love to make this for my hubby. Bookmarking this recipe as last year when I tried baking an eggless Christmas cake, it failed. A foolproof recipe is a keeper for sure.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Mayuri! Im getting the hang of it and finding it comfortable to bake eggless now!
Batter Up With Sujata says
Cake looks so tempting. Loved its without sugar. I can imagine the heavenly taste. I am drooling.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Sujata. Though sugarless (except for a tablespoon of molasses) the cake was sweet enough because of the dry fruits, without being overly so!
sizzlingtastebuds says
I love that this has no added sugar and I would love to try this sometime! My family loves tea cakes and especially low sugar and low fat ones .. baked perfectly Sujata ji
Sujata Shukla says
So glad you like it, Kalyani! With people being more health conscious nowadays, its nice to be able to come up with such versions!
The Girl Next Door says
Wow, this fruit cake looks so good! I'm drooling! 🙂
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Priya!