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Home » Bakers Lounge » cakes/ cupcakes/ cookies » Eggless Fruit Cake Without Alcohol (Vegan)

Eggless Fruit Cake Without Alcohol (Vegan)

By Khushboo 23 Comments December 22, 2020 December 22, 2020

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What is Christmas without a rich Fruit Cake? Brighten your holidays with my better for you Christmas Fruit cake. It is big on flavor and very moist even without eggs, processed flour, or sugar. It is alcohol-free, and Vegan as well! This fruit cake is here to please adults and kids alike!

Eggless fruit cake on a pedestal wih toppers

If you are looking for frosted fruit-based cakes then go ahead and try my favorite Eggless Mango Cake and this Fresh Strawberry Cake. If you are into teatime cakes then you will love this mango peach almond loaf cake and this vegan apple cake.

The iconic Christmas Fruit Cake

This cake tradition began in Britain. It is also known as plum cake mainly made and served around the holiday season like Christmas.

Why is this Christmas cake called a fruit cake? Simple, because it is a rich and dense cake loaded with fruit flavor and a ton of dried fruits. The Classic recipe calls for soaking the dried fruits in alcohol mainly rum or brandy for days. It also uses caramel to sweeten the cake. The caramel lends a deep brown color to the cake. The use of warm spices and fruits just sets this cake apart from the frosted ones out there.

 In India, fruit cake is found everywhere during Christmas. Growing up I never liked fruit cake. Maybe because it is not pretty looking like other cakes and tasted a bit bitter because the dried fruits are soaked in alcohol. Off late I have started appreciating this cake after I tasted the non-alcoholic version of this fruit cake.

Christmas fruit cake served on a charger plate

A better version of the Christmas fruit cake

If you know the rules, it is time to bend them. My recipe is a healthier take on the classic fruit cake. I made it without eggs, condensed milk, alcohol, processed flour, or sugar. Instead of alcohol, this fruit cake has a ton of flavor using orange juice and zest. All-purpose flour is swapped with whole wheat, almond, and oat flour. I have substituted the sugar-loaded caramel with date puree. This cake is naturally sweetened with dates, jaggery, and dried fruits. Overall, this cake is rich, moist, and very tasty even with so many alterations. It is definitely a better choice to make for your family, this holiday season. This cake is dairy-free as well making it Vegan.

Eggless Christmas fruit cake slice served on a white plate

Ingredients to make eggless fruit cake

Ingredients to make a fruit cake

Add flavor with these ingredients

Flavors that go in the fruit cake kept in bowls

Do not skip soaking the dried fruits

This recipe does not require you to plan days ahead. But you do need to soak your dried fruits at least for 2-3 hours. So why exactly you need to soak them despite not using alcohol?

Dried fruits tend to suck up all the moisture once added to the batter. If you just throw them in dry then they will want to eat up all the liquid from the cake. As a result, your fruit cake will turn out super dry. Always soak them in some fruit juice and not just water. They will turn into flavor bombs.

Vegan fruit cake served on a silver platter with tea on the side

My secret to a moist fruit cake

Using oil instead of butter is my secret to keep this cake moist even on days 2 and 3. Don’t worry, you won’t even taste the oil in it.

What to expect? Taste and texture

Christmas fruit cake is not a sponge cake. Consider this fruit cake as a tea time cake. It is not airy or spongy like frosted cakes. It is dense, moist, and flavorful. As a ton of nuts and dried fruits are added to the cake, it won’t turn very fluffy and airy. This is true with any good Christmas fruit cake recipe.

A slice of cake served on a white plate with tea on the side

How to know if the cake is done?

Patience is the key. This fruit cake takes longer to cook than any regular cake. The top might look cooked but the bottom may remain uncooked and sticky. I suggest you do a knife and not a toothpick test after 55 minutes of baking to see if it is done. My cake was cooked for 65 minutes. Insert the knife in the center of the cake, till it reaches the base. If it comes out with cooked crumbs or clean then it is done. Or else bake a little more. If the cake seems to brown quickly on the top, slide a piece of foil to cover the top.

Important tips to make the best eggless fruit cake

  • Make sure to soak the dried fruits in some juice and not plain water. Store-bought unsweetened juice works too.
  • Because of the flours used, the batter is thicker than the usual cake batter. So, do not be tempted to add more liquid.
  • The flavor of the cake deepens the second day. So, plan ahead.
  • Please do not skip the starch – arrowroot. It binds this cake without eggs without adding any flaxseed meal or yogurt. You can swap it with given substitutes.

Christmas dried fruit cake with santa toppers and a red ribbon

Possible additions and substitutes

  • To soak the dried fruits, you can use grape, cranberry, or apple juice instead of orange.
  • Arrowroot is a better choice than cornstarch or potato starch. But can be used interchangeably.
  • Use nuts of your choice.
  • You may add dried ginger pieces, chopped apples, sultanas to the cake. Just do not exceed 1.5 cups of dried fruits.
  • Swap jaggery with coconut sugar or sugar in raw for a better choice over white sugar.
  • Use any flavorless oil instead of avocado oil. You may use melted coconut oil too.
  • If unavailable, swap oat flour with almond flour and vice versa.
  • Swap Chai Spice with 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder.

What pan size to use?

Make this cake in one 8” * 3” round pan or one 9 “round pan.

Best way to store a fruit cake.

  1. Fruit cake keeps well at room temperature for 3-4 days.
  2. It will stay fresh in the fridge, for up to a week.
  3. For extended shelf life, freeze individual pieces wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Then place them in an airtight container.
  4. I prefer warming up the slice for 15-20  seconds before eating. It tastes like it is fresh out of the oven.

KEEP IN TOUCH – Are we friends yet? Let’s connect on-Facebook| Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter. Never miss a recipe. Please subscribe to my blog. It is free! Pin this photo for future reference.

Other recipes to try on Christmas holidays –

Eggless Red Velvet Cake

Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies

Savory Red Velvet Crepes

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies ( Eggless)

Avocado Caprese Bruschetta

Let’s make the best moist fruit cake

Liked this recipe?Do give it a star rating in the comments !
Print recipe
5 from 16 votes

Eggless fruit cake without alcohol (Vegan)

Make moist and yummy eggless fruit cake for Christmas at home. It is made with healthy ingredients and sweetened with dates.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Adjustable Servings -12
Calories 360kcal
Author Khushboo

Ingredients

To soak dried fruits

  • 9-10 pitted dates coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup cranberries
  • 8 apricots chopped
  • 1.5 cups orange or apple juice

Dry ingredients

  • 1¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour/ atta (125 grams)
  • ½ cup almond flour (50 grams)
  • ½ cup oat flour (50 grams)
  • 2.5 tablespoons arrowroot see notes
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt

Spices

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons Chai spice OR allspice or see notes

To mix in another bowl

  • 180 ml / ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons date puree see notes how to
  • ⅓ cup jaggery powder Or the sugar of your choice
  • 237 ml / 1 cup milk of choice plant based or cow milk
  • 2 teaspoon vinegar Or lemon juice
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1.5 tablespoon orange zest

To add-in

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts a mix of pecans, walnuts, and almonds

Instructions

  • Heat up the orange juice until hot.
  • Pour over the dried fruits, cover, and let it stand for at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours max.
  • Drain the liquid and discard it. Gently pat the dried fruits dry by not squishing them. Keep aside.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease, dust, and line the bottom of an 8" by 3" round pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients mentioned.
  • Sift the wheat & oat flour, arrowroot, baking powder & soda.
  • Add almond flour, salt, spices and mix well.
  • In another bowl add in the date puree, jaggery powder, milk, vinegar, oil, orange zest.
  • Beat well with the electric or handheld whisk until creamy.
  • Slowly add in the dry ingredients in batches.
  • Whisk until it forms a thick batter.
  • You can use a spatula to fold the batter well.
  • Add in the drained dried fruits and nuts.
  • Gently fold them in until combined.
  • Top it with some dried fruits and nuts if desired.
  • Bake in a pre-heated oven for 60-70 minutes in an 8” pan or 50-60 minutes in a 9” pan.
  • Or until a knife inserted deep in the center comes out clean without any sticky batter.
  • Once done, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
  • Then loosen up the sides and carefully invert it on a dish. And again invert it right side up on a cooling rack.
  • Let it cool completely before cutting.

Step by Step video of the recipe -

Notes

How to make date puree?

Soak 12 pitted dates, preferably Medjool dates in ½ cup very hot water for 1 hour and then blend it until smooth. No need to sieve it. It makes approx. 1/3rd cup plus 2 tablespoons very thick puree.

Important tips to make the best eggless fruit cake

  • Make sure to soak the dried fruits in some juice and not plain water. I have used freshly squeezed Valencia orange juice. Store-bought unsweetened juice works too.
  • Because of the flours used, the batter is thicker than the usual cake batter. So, do not be tempted to add more liquid.
  • The flavor of the cake deepens the second day. So, plan ahead.
  • Please do not skip the starch – arrowroot. It binds this cake without eggs without adding any flaxseed meal or yogurt. You can swap it with given substitutes.

Possible additions and substitutes.

  1. To soak the dried fruits, you can use grape, cranberry, or apple juice instead of orange.
  2. Arrowroot is a better choice than cornstarch or potato starch. But can be used interchangeably. Use only 2 tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch instead.
  3. Use nuts of your choice.
  4. You may add dried ginger pieces, chopped apples, sultanas to the cake. Just do not exceed 1.5 cups of dried fruits.
  5. Swap jaggery with coconut sugar or sugar in raw for a better choice over white sugar.
  6. Use any flavorless oil instead of avocado oil. You may use melted coconut oil too.
  7. If unavailable, swap oat flour with almond flour and vice versa.
  8. Swap Chai Spice with 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder.

What pan size to use?

Make this cake in one 8” * 3” round pan or one 9 “round pan.

Best way to store fruit cake

  • Fruit cake keeps well at room temperature for 3-4 days.
  • It will stay fresh in the fridge, for up to a week.
  • For extended shelf life, freeze individual pieces wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Then place them in an airtight container.
  • I prefer warming up the slice for 15-20  seconds before eating. It tastes like it is fresh out of the oven.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 449IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Click photo & send it @carveyourcraving or tag #carveyourcraving on Facebook or Instagram to be featured!

 

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Bakers Lounge, cakes/ cupcakes/ cookies December 22, 2020

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Geeta

    January 10, 2023 at 12:38 am

    Can you please re-check measurements in this recipe ? I followed everything to T and cake batter was thin and not thick as per your video. Is the amount of wheat flour mentioned above okay ?

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      January 11, 2023 at 4:23 pm

      Hello Geeta, I checked the measurements. They look fine and nothing was an error from my side. This cake batter is not thin at all. If you read the comments from other readers they tried it as well and loved it. I am not sure why your batter is thin.

      Reply
  2. Shipra

    December 15, 2022 at 1:02 am

    Can we use cow milk at the place of cashew milk

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      December 15, 2022 at 4:46 pm

      Yes, use the milk of your choice.

      Reply
  3. Sherry khera

    December 29, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    5 stars
    Tried this recipe exactly and the cake turned out so good! Made this for a potluck dinner with my friends and was such a hit! Thankyou for the recipe Khushboo.

    Reply
  4. Shruti Grover

    December 28, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you Khushboo for sharing this recipe for fruit cake right in time for Christmas that too a healthier version. I was literally craving for this cake once holidays started, and then my wish was granted with this recipe.Easy to follow and very well explained recipe. My family and friends loved it.I replaced oats flour with almond flour and it turned out awesome !A must try recipe!!

    Reply
  5. KT

    December 28, 2020 at 11:02 am

    5 stars
    I tried your recipe and it came it beautiful! Thank you so much for putting in effort to mention steps in detail. It helped immensely.

    Reply
  6. Jyotsna Sudha

    December 27, 2020 at 12:11 am

    5 stars
    I replaced oats flour with almond flour as in the notes. I skipped dates paste and added on 1/8th cup of jaggery. I mainly made so that my little one can have without sugar. To my surprise all kids n adults liked this. Thank u so much for sharing this recipe in detail and loved all the tips and notes. Looking forward for more healthy recipes. I’m glad I stooped by your insta profile.

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      December 27, 2020 at 3:17 pm

      I am glad that you liked this recipe Jyotsna, I have many healthy treats on my blog.

      Reply
  7. Swati

    December 25, 2020 at 5:46 pm

    5 stars
    Very well written and well explained recipe. I didn’t have arrowroot and oat flour, hence i used cornstarch and almond flour as suggested by you and it turned out awesome. Perfect Christmas cake. Thank you Khushboo!!

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      December 26, 2020 at 3:05 pm

      Thank you for the wonderful feedback Swati, I am glad that the substitutes worked for you!

      Reply
    • Sangeeta Bathija

      December 27, 2020 at 10:52 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, Really turned out amazing👌🏻

      Reply
  8. Himani

    December 24, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    5 stars
    I tried out the recipe today..turned out really yummy..so yummy it got over before Christmas 🎄..am making another batch today..thanks so much for this keeper recipe Khushboo ❤️

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      December 26, 2020 at 3:06 pm

      That is awesome Himani, we love this healthy version too!

      Reply
    • Nitya

      January 21, 2021 at 3:22 pm

      Can I use just almond flour to make this gluten free?

      Reply
      • Khushboo

        January 21, 2021 at 5:17 pm

        Hello Nitya, I haven’t tried using just almond flour. It will be too crumbly and heavy in my opinion.

  9. Ayush

    December 24, 2020 at 3:16 am

    Hey ! Thank you for sharing a healthy version for the most loved Christmas cake !! I have a 7 inch round pan , so will that work or by how much should I reduce all the ingredients ?

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      December 26, 2020 at 3:09 pm

      Hello Ayush, I think you will have to cut the recipe into half if it is a 7*2″ pan. But it will be a little thinner cake, less height.

      Reply
      • Ayush

        January 01, 2021 at 4:07 am

        5 stars
        Tried this cake yesterday, just halved the quantity of ingredients and totally loved how it turned out ! Such a good balance of all the flavours

      • Carole

        December 04, 2021 at 10:06 am

        I don’t see the oven temperature, 350?

      • Khushboo

        December 05, 2021 at 12:55 pm

        Hello Carole, the 4th line of the instructions mentions it. Yes, 350 deg F.

  10. Shruti

    December 23, 2020 at 9:56 am

    Thank you for sharing this recipe.Any replacement for oats flour?

    Reply
    • Khushboo

      December 23, 2020 at 3:16 pm

      You can swap it with almond flour as mentioned in the notes or wheat flour should be fine too. Just adjust liquid accordingly.

      Reply

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