This healthy fruit cake tray bake is a lighter alternative to traditional fruit cake. It comes together very quickly and is bursting with festive flavours we all love during this time of the year.
This easy healthy fruit cake tray bake combines traditional festive flavours and is a much simplified, quicker version of traditional fruit cake. And even though it is made with lots of sweet dried fruit and brandy it is still light and fluffy. Ideal to enjoy with Christmas coffee.
If you love fruit cake but have never made one because it takes ages to make then you will love this easy version of the fruit cake recipe.
You will need to soak the fruit in brandy and orange juice but the cake itself takes about 45 minutes to make. And that’s both preparation and baking time!
Dairy free healthy fruit cake recipe
I might have mentioned before that when it comes to baking I usually have a dilemma whether to use butter or oil in a dessert recipe. More often than not I choose oil.
This time I actually tried both and made 2 cakes: one with butter and one with oil. If you’ve had a glance at the list of ingredients at the bottom of this post you will have guessed which cake I preferred – the one made with oil! It was lighter and fluffier than the other cake and it tasted better too! Which is why my easy, everyday fruit cake recipe ended up being dairy free:)
If you like this dairy free fruit cake you might also like these other healthy cakes I made using oil:
- Cranberry Loaf Cake with Rooibos (Dairy Free)
- Simple Chocolate Coconut Cake (Dairy Free, Healthy)
- Marzipan Cake with Chocolate Chips
How to make healthy fruit cake tray bake: step-by-step
1.In a medium bowl combine the dried fruit, pour in the brandy and orange juice, stir and set aside to soak for 4 hours. Stir the mixture occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 190 C and line your cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt and stir using a whisk.
3. In another bowl beat together the eggs with sugar and oil until fluffy.
4. Pour in the fruit mixture, nuts, add the orange zest and stir.
5. Add in the dry mixture and stir just to combine. Do not overstir.
6. Pour the batter into your cake pan and bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, leave in the pan for 10 minutes then lift out with the paper and place on a rack to cool completely.
8. Meanwhile make the icing by combining the powdered sugar with the orange/lemon juice and stirring until smooth. Drizzle over the cake (once completely cooled) and serve.
You might also like this Polish Gingerbread Loaf Cake (Piernik) Recipe, where I’ve used the same icing (as well as oil instead of butter). Easy blueberry cake is another oil based cake using a similar simple icing.
Top tips for making easy, light fruit cake
- Substitutions: I used sultanas, cranberries and prunes, but you can use a different combination of dried fruits as well as adjust the proportions to suit your preference. I used a combination of walnuts and brasil nuts but pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts would work well too. If you prefer to make this fruit cake alcohol free simply add a little more orange juice into the fruit mixture.
- Soaking the fruit: Try to soak the fruit for at about 4 hours or leave to soak overnight.
- Batter: Do not overstir the batter. Once you’ve combined all the ingredients stir only until the flour is no longer visible.
- Spice: I used mixed spice but pumpkin spice would be a good alternative.
- Storing: Store in a plastic container for up to 3 days.
More festive dessert recipe ideas
- Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffles with Chestnuts
- Mincemeat Banana Tartlets with Walnuts
- Festive Fruit Crescent Rolls
Check out also this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes.
Keep in touch
If you make this easy fruit and nut cake I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Healthy Fruit Cake Traybake with Nuts
Equipment
- 23 cm square pan
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 100 g sultanas/raisins
- 100 g dried cranberries
- 100 g prunes pitted, finely chopped
- 60 ml brandy/cherry brandy
- 100 g walnuts/pecans/almonds chopped
- 100 ml orange juice plus zest of 1 orange
- 70 ml vegetable oil plus 1 teaspoon for greasing the pan
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 150 g flour (1.2 cups)
- 1.5 tsp each: baking powder and mixed spice
- Pinch of fine sea salt
For the icing
- 30 g icing sugar/powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp orange/lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine the sultanas, cranberries and prunes with the brandy and orange juice, stir and soak for 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375F /190 C/ gas mark 5. Grease a 23 cm square baking pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt and stir using a whisk. Set aside.
- In another bowl beat together the eggs, sugar and oil for about 2 minutes until fluffy. Add the nuts, fruit mixture and orange zest and stir. Add the flour mixture and stir just to combine (do not overstir).
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth out the top and bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Lift the cake out with the paper and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing by combining the icing (powdered) sugar with 1 tablespoon of either orange or lemon juice and stirring until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cake, scatter some lemon/orange zest and serve!
Notes
- Substitutions: I used sultanas, cranberries and prunes, but you can use a different combination of dried fruits as well as adjust the proportions to suit your preference. I used a combination of walnuts and brasil nuts but pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts would work well too. If you prefer to make this fruit cake alcohol free simply add a little more orange juice into the fruit mixture.
- Soaking the fruit: Try to soak the fruit for at about 4 hours or leave to soak overnight.
- Batter: Do not overstir the batter. Once you've combined all the ingredients stir only until the flour is no longer visible.
- Spice: I used mixed spice but pumpkin spice would be a good alternative.
- Storing: Store in a plastic container for up to 3 days.
- Preparation time does not include the time needed to soak the fruit.
Nutrition
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
Monika this has to be the most beautiful Christmas Cake ever! I love the fruits you used.
Thank you Mollie, it’s probably the easiest ever Christmas cake:)
🙂 I get scared of things with colored fruit in them!! I’ve read the process but it still freaks me out, lol!
These look so good, Monika. A recipe not only perfect for Christmas, but anytime of the year, too! Enjoy and happy Christmas!
Thank you Jhuls, Merry Christmas to you too:)
These cake looks fantastic. Love that it is packed with fruit and nuts and soaking them in brandy can never be a bad thing!x
Thank you Cat, glad you like it:)
Cursing you adding this recipe I though Id done enough baking this year and now I want to make this it looks fabulous.
Thank you for linking up to #CookBlogShare this week. What a fabulous selection of recipes we have had. I dont know about you but I am really looking forward to more of the same next year.
Have a fabulous Christmas and best wishes for the new year. J x
Thank you Jacqui, glad you like my cake! All the best to you too:)