Eggless fruit cake or Christmas cake recipe with lots of mixed dry fruits and nuts and spices. No rum soaking part or egg in this recipe.

Rich, dense and flavorful Festive fruit cake with lots of dry fruits nuts. A slice of cake is heaven in plate.
Check out these Banana chocolate chip cake recipe and Microwave single serving Chocolate cake in my website.
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🎂 Bakery style
I love fruit cake we get in bakeries back in Indian. Past two years, I have been buying fruit cake loaf in the local bakery available here and love it. But we used to get a different rich and dark plum cake in Indian bakeries.
In TN, we get this plum cake without any rum in it. Still it will be rich, dark and so flavorful that will be so different from the fruit cake we get here. If I crack that, will sure post it.
This is very close to it and really delicious and rich fruit cake with nuts. I wanted to bake Christmas cake for a long time, but never got guts to try as I had no straight forward simple recipe.
Every year, I browse for recipes, but somehow drop the plan. This year too, I started browsing for Christmas fruit cake a month before but ended up trying this much late.
🍷 No rum
Festive fruit cake means it usually have Rum, brandy or whisky fed for a long time in regular intervals, way ahead of Christmas. But this one is without any of these and uses just fresh Orange juice.
I got this recipe with just few simple ingredients, self raising flour, dry fruits soaked in just orange juice overnight. I loved the idea of soaking in orange juice just for night. Later noticed it had no sugar in it.
But since I am trying for first time I thought I should try the proper recipe with sugar in it. So I adapted the recipe a little from here and here. So took those 3 recipes and baked to suit my taste and convenience.
🥚 Egg replacement
I replaced egg with curd. Was not sure how it would turn until it got baked and until I tasted. It was really good as I buy from here. Aj too loved it sans nuts. He asked me to bake this again for his birthday without nuts.
It wash a bit on dry side, next time I would adjust with a tablespoon of more liquid in the cake batter for it to hold better. But I won't complain as this way I loved the texture a lot as well.
💬 FAQs
What are the dry fruits used in this recipe?
I used readymade mixed fruit (Silver bird or Red man works best) Sultanas, raisins, candied orange peels, glazed cherries, tutti fruit were there in it.
Can we use store bought orange juice for soaking?
Yes, but I recommend using fresh juice as we are already compromising a lot in this recipe like rum, egg or anything.
What's size of pan is good for this cake recipe?
6 Inch or 6.5 inch works.
Why my cake is too crumbly?
Less wet ingredients. You can adjust one or two tablespoon of liquid in this recipe.
Why my cake cracked too much on top?
You are over mixing the batter. Make sure to just use the folding technique while mixing wet and dry ingredients together, instead of using a whisk.
Can I do this same recipe in microwave mode?
This recipe is for convection mode baking. Microwave oven in convection mode is fine but not in microwave mode. Also take a note to use microwave safe dish otherwise some ovens might give spark while trying to bake.
Do let me know any other doubts if you have in comments, I will share what I know.
Pressure cooker
Can we bake this cake in Pressure cooker?
Definitely yes. Follow the steps below to make cake in pressure cooker stove top:
- Follow the same method in the recipe. But instead of baking in a oven, place it inside pressure cooker.
- Firstly, remove the gasket and pressure valve (whistle) in the lid.
- Heat over medium flame (No water or anything) for 15 mins with lid closed.
- Once hot, carefully place a plate (trivet) that comes with pressure cooker in the bottom.
- Place the baking pan over it carefully. You can also use a vessel, not that you need a baking pan. But make sure it's wide and not tall for easy cooking inside.
- Close with lid and put the flame to low. Cook for 40 to 50 mins or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
- Be cautious as the cooker will be too hot, so handle with care.
- I also suggest to keep a old cooker separately for this as the cooker's life time may be affected because of dry heating.
Related posts
Recipe card
Eggless Christmas cake recipe
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups Plain flour All purpose flour/ maida
- ½ cup Butter
- ¾ cup Sugar used ½ cup unrefined sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup Dry fruits mixed
- ¼ cup Nuts chopped, I used cashews and roasted almonds
- ¾ cup Orange juice
- 3 tablespoon Plain yogurt Curd
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Soak dry fruits in orange juice overnight. I left in outside at room temperature.
- Before making the cake next day, drain the juice completely, reserve 3 tablespoon for later (or can use fresh orange juice too). Add ¼ cup flour to the fruit and coat it well.
- Add chopped nuts to it and keep aside. In a mixing bowl, add remaining 1 cup flour, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
- Mix well with whisk. Sieve it to ensure even mixing, keep aside.
- In another bowl, beat butter smoothly. Add sugar and beat until creamy.
- Add yogurt, orange juice and beat well until creamy.
- Add sieved flour little by little at a time (in 3-4 parts) and fold (mix with spatula gently) it until mixed.
- Lastly add dry fruits and nuts with orange zest.
- Fold it to mix. Pour in a greased, dusted pan.
- Bake in oven preheated at 180 deg C, for 40 –45 mins or until toothpick inserted inside comes out clean. After 10 mins, invert over wire rack to cool.
Notes
- You can bake with fully brown sugar too.
- Preheat and baking temperature – 180 deg C.
- I have used a butter paper at the bottom of the pan.
- If the top part of the cake gets brown too fast, cover it with a butter paper while baking.
- You can use nuts of your choice, like walnuts, pistachios etc.
- Make sure to use fresh, good quality baking powder, baking soda.
Stepwise photos
1. Soak dry fruits firstly in orange juice overnight. I left in outside at room temperature.
2. Before making the cake next day, drain the juice completely, reserve 3 tablespoon for later (or can use fresh orange juice too). After that add ¼ cup flour to the fruit and coat it well.
3. Then add chopped nuts to it and keep aside. In a mixing bowl, take remaining 1 cup flour, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
4. Mix well furthermore with whisk. Sieve it to ensure even mixing, keep aside.
5. In another bowl, beat butter smoothly. Add sugar and beat until creamy.
6. Furthermore add yogurt, orange juice and beat well until creamy.
7. Add sieved flour little by little at a time (in 3-4 parts) and fold (mix with spatula gently) it until mixed.
8. Lastly add dry fruits and nuts with orange zest.
9. Fold it to mix. Pour in a greased, dusted pan.
10. Bake in oven preheated at 180 deg C, for 40 –45 mins or until toothpick inserted inside comes out clean. After 10 mins, invert over wire rack to cool.
Soft, rich and flavorful buttery fruit cake. Perfect to make for Christmas or your kids evening snack /school snack box too.
Anjana Jayaram
Yummy, what are the dry fruits you used; tutti fruti?
RajeeSam
Awesome Christmas cake recipe...Raji just for baking begginers can you give the cake mxture consistency before start baking this recipe looks little tight cake batter so got doubt with the consistency ..
Raks anand
Yes this one is thick batter, but it is very light since we beat and fold, not heavy 🙂
Raks anand
Sultanas, raisins, candied orange peels, glazed cherries, tutti fruit were there in it. I used readymade mixed fruit
Unknown
Hi
Can u plz tell me how to make this in a cooker
on2thegame
Lovely looking cake! What size cake tin have you used?
Raks anand
6.5 inch ☺
Raks anand
If you have an indolium metal cooker, spread a layer of sand or rock salt at the bottom of it. Heat it for 10 mins in medium flame over the stove. Put a stand at the bottom. Pour the batter in a greased cooker container or if you have cake pan, pour in it. Place it on top of the stand and cook covered with cooker lid without gasket and whistle. Cook in medium or low flame for 45 mins or until knife inserted comes out clean. Hope I helped you a bit
Ani Paul
Tried this out today,came out really yum
esther
Made three cakes. All the time it came out well and yummy. Tnx
Parimala
Tried this out for Christmas. Came out really well. Thanks for sharing this awesome, egg less recipe. Wish you a very happy new year!!
Raks anand
THank you so much 🙂
Raks anand
Thanks a lot for your feedback 🙂 Wishing you the same!
harini
Hi can we use packed juices like real or tropicana orange juice? or fresh juice from oranges is to be used?Cakes tempts me a lot to try.
Raks anand
Yes, but sugar free juices.
Jothi
Hi I am using the same pan with a lid as urs....but I m getting electric shot inside the oven...is there any reason for it
Anjana Jayaram
Hi Raks, just one more doubt, what are the temperatures for baking the same in microwave?
Raks anand
If you mean microwave convection mode, it's same. If you mean microwave mode, this is not the recipe.
archana
If i want to use egg instead of curd how many eggs should i use?
Bhargavi Krishnan
Hello Raks. Love all your recipes. Do you have a recipe to make this cake vegan. I love Christmas fruit cake and I am a vegan. Wondering how to make this cake without incorporating butter and yogurt.
sindhu chandran
Hi Raks, I generally do not use all purpose flour. can I replace it with whole wheat flour? Will any other measurements change accordingly?
Raks Kitchen
My be the liquid content is needed more. Otherwise no change.
Raks Kitchen
You can google vegan substitute for butter, yogurt and use it in the recipe.
Unknown
Hello raks can I just double the ingredients to get a big cake??
jithu
What is the measurement for cup in grams?
Raks Kitchen
Really sorry I don't know.
Raks Kitchen
So sorry, I don't have kitchen scale. My 1 cup holds 240ml of liquid. So I use it
Raks Kitchen
Yes sure
Lekhasree
Hi, pls let me know how many eggs can be used in place of yogurt
Raks Anand
3 eggs... You can refer the links I have given in the post (check post intro)
Anita
My cake got little soggy/ sticky . What shall I do next time.
Raks Anand
Dry ingredients less or the baking powder/ baking soda did not work (try changing to fresh stock or another brand). Hope you followed the recipe to T and the oven was pre heated.
Priya
What orange juice you used? Natural or store bought?
Raks Anand
I used natural.
Nisha paul
Can u tell the size of the tin
Raks Anand
Mines is 6.5 inches