Learn how to make the best light fruitcake with this easy recipe. This white fruitcake is topped with a layer of marzipan and a delicious brandy frosting. It's our favourite Christmas cake to serve around the holidays and one of the best recipes we've tried.
Growing up, my mom would make fruitcake from my grandmother's recipe every Christmas season. I think most years, we all pretty much rejected the fruitcake in favour of chocolate treats and Egyptian shortbread cookies. Regardless, my mom kept up the tradition of baking her mom's fruitcake every Christmas, along with plum pudding served on Christmas day.
My grandmother insisted on baking "cake with a little fruit" when she baked fruitcake, and not "fruits with a little cake". Her recipe is not weighed down with cloyingly sweet candied fruits. Instead, hers is a lovely white cake, flavored with almond extract and with a few colorful candied fruits that poke through the cake in some spots.
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Ingredients
This light fruitcake recipe has a more delicate flavour with almond extract so that the dried and candied fruit shine. Here's what you need to make this Christmas cake:
- raisins—we prefer golden and/or sultana raisins
- candied fruit—we use glacéed cherries, candied citrus peel (citron, lemon, orange), candied pineapple, as well as candied or crystallized ginger
- flour—we use bleached all-purpose flour
- leavening agents—use baking powder, not baking soda in this recipe to ensure a lighter cake
- butter—unsalted butter
- sugar—use white, not brown sugar for the cake batter to ensure the cake doesn't get any colour from molasses, and icing sugar for the frosting
- eggs—I use large egg(s) though the original recipe called for medium eggs
- flavourings—you need pure almond extract for the cake batter, as well as vanilla extract and brandy to flavour the frosting. If you'd like, you can use homemade vanilla extract or storebought
- milk—use whole milk (3.25 % fat) or 2 % milk
- marzipan—I favour brands of marzipan and almond paste that clearly print the amount of almonds in their ingredients. Some contain as little as 20 % (this one) while others contain 50 % almond or more (like this one). The price will vary significantly because of this. Higher almond content means the product is likely a little less sweet.
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients or quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
You can get really creative with fruitcake and choose the candied and dried fruits that you enjoy eating:
- Candied fruit: we typically use candied citrus peel (orange, lemon, or citron) as well as pineapple and glacéed cherries in fruitcake. You can also incorporate candied or crystallized ginger. Just make sure the total weight of fruit is similar to the quantities in the recipe.
- Dried fruit: we like to use golden or Sultana raisins, but you could also considered dried apricots, dried pears, dried cranberries, or dried cherries. Again, use the same weight of dried fruit as in the recipe.
- Nuts: we don't typically add nuts to our fruitcake, but chopped toasted walnuts would be great here. You can replace a portion of the weight of fruit with chopped nuts.
How to Make Light Fruitcake
To make this white fruitcake, you will use the creaming mixing method, just like for other cakes, but it's important to start by preparing the fruit first to get that step out of the way before making the cake batter. This way, when your cake batter is ready, so are your mix-ins. Here's how to make this light fruitcake recipe:
Step 1: Plump the raisins with water by pouring boiling water over the dry raisins in a medium bowl (image 1), then let them soak until soft (image 2) before straining them (image 3) and patting them dry (image 4).
Step 2: Combine the plumped raisins with the rest of the candied fruit (image 5), then add in a couple of spoonfuls of the flour (image 6) and stir everything together until the fruits are evenly coated in flour (image 7). This prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the fruitcake.
Step 3: Now make the almond-flavoured cake batter. Start by creaming together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or using an electric mixer (image 8), stirring down the sides of the bowl as needed (image 9), then beat in the eggs one at a time (image 10) and the almond extract. Mix the batter until it is fluffy and light (image 11).
Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (image 12), then add the dry ingredients (image 13) alternately with the milk (image 14), beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Use a spatula at the end to ensure that all the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl are properly incorporated (image 15).
Step 5: Add the flour-coated fruit to the bowl (image 16) and fold them in with your biggest spatula (image 17).
Step 6: Divide the light fruitcake batter among a few cake pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. I like to make 2 loaf cakes (image 19) and 6 muffin-sized cakes (image 18), but you can bake this recipe in a tube pan plus a loaf pan, or only in muffin pans. Just make sure to not overfill the larger pans as the cake will take too long to bake. For the photos, I used an OXO pan and a small Pullman loaf pan, and a 6-cup muffin pan.
Step 7: Bake the fruitcakes until the edges are golden brown. You can use a cake tester to check the middle of the loaf cakes, but try not to poke through any fruit. Muffin-size mini fruitcakes take about 30 minutes to bake, while loaf cakes take about 1.5 hours to bake.
Tip: Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. This takes several hour so I usually frost them the next day.
Step 8: Prepare the brandy frosting by creaming the butter first (image 23), then sifting in the icing sugar (image 24) and mixing it in to form a crumbly, soft mixture (image 25). Add the brandy and vanilla (image 26) to bring the frosting together.
Step 9: Continue whipping the frosting until it is light and fluffy (image 27), and smooth (image 28).
Step 10: Roll out each piece of marzipan into a thin layer (image 29), large enough to cover the cakes you've baked. You can use round cookie cutters to cut out rounds of marzipan (image 30) to fit the tops of the muffin-sized mini fruitcakes. Top each cake with a layer of marzipan and then smear with frosting (image 31).
Fruitcake Baking Tips
Fruitcake recipes like this one tend to make a lot of cake. We always split the batter between several pans because there is so much of it. I most often bake this recipe in one to two loaf pans and muffin pans. Be sure to butter the pans and dust them with flour to ensure the cakes don't stick.
Bake fruitcake at a lower oven temperature than other cakes (325 °F/160 °C instead of 350 °F/175 °C) for longer to make them slightly moister and to prevent the fruit from burning.
The baking time will vary according to the pans you choose to bake this recipe in. Bake this fruitcake recipe until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the edges are evenly browned.
Here's a rough idea of how long it takes to bake this fruitcake recipe in different cake pans based on my experience and reader comments:
- Fruitcake loaves: split the batter between TWO greased and floured loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Individual mini or cupcake fruitcakes: divide the batter between greased and floured standard 1-cup muffin pans and bake for about 30 minutes
- Sheet cake fruitcake: spread the batter in a greased and floured 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Tube pan fruitcake: spread half the batter per greased and floured tube pan and then bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
Fruitcake Baking FAQs
Light fruitcake (also called white fruitcake) is typically flavoured with almond extract and eaten immediately, like typical butter cake recipes. On the other hand, dark fruitcake is made with molasses (or brown sugar) and dark alcohol (like brandy or dark rum) to age the cake for several months and even a year before serving.
Just like other butter cakes, it's important to measure your ingredients properly. Too much flour and not enough butter or sugar can lead to a more dry texture. Also, bake fruitcake at a slightly lower temperature for longer time to create a more moist texture without overbaking. Overbaking this cake will make it dry. Use a serrated knife to slice the cake and avoid crushing it with a knife.
Bake your fruitcake at a slightly lower temperature, 325 °F (165 °C), to stop the candied fruits and raisins from burning.
Store this cake for up to 1 month wrapped tightly and stored in a cool, dry place. It will begin to dry out after that.
Other Fruitcake Recipes
It's not Christmas without this old-fashioned fruitcake recipe. If you've never tried a light fruitcake, I hope you will try this recipe! Here are some other fruitcake (and fruitcake adjacent) recipes to make this season:
- Slice-and-bake fruitcake cookies with candied fruit, raisins, and toasted walnuts
- Use leftover candied fruit and raisins to make homemade mincemeat for mincemeat tarts and mincemeat cookies
- After the holidays, if you find yourself with leftover fruitcake, remember you can make these boozy Christmas cake balls! They are so good, and I suspect people like them more than the cake itself.
My grandmother's fruitcake recipe could probably convert all those fruitcake-haters into fruitcake-lovers. Sure, the thin layer of marzipan and brandy frosting might help convince you that this is an amazing fruitcake recipe, but honestly, the cake is delicious, ungarnished with a cup of tea.
If you tried this light fruitcake recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Light Fruitcake with Marzipan and Brandy Frosting
Ingredients
For the fruitcake
- 450 grans golden raisins or sultana raisins
- 115 grams candied citron
- 225 grams glacéed cherries green and red, quartered or diced
- 115 grams candied pineapple diced
- 600 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 10 mL baking powder
- 345 grams unsalted butter softened
- 450 grams granulated sugar
- 4 large egg(s)
- 5 mL pure almond extract
- 250 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
For the frosting and garnishes
- 230 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 60 mL brandy
- 10 mL pure vanilla extract
- 560 grans icing sugar plus more for rolling out the marzipan
- 500 grams marzipan
- ~5 glacéed cherries red and/or green, optional for decorating
Instructions
To make the fruitcakes
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F (165 °C). Grease and flour two 9x5 loaf pans, lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, or grease and flour two sets of muffin pans (24 muffins total), or whatever pans you'd like to use. Set the pans asked.
- Place the raisins in a medium bowl and pour 500 mL (2 cups) boiling water to cover them completely. Then let them soak for 15–20 minutes until softened before straining and patting them dry.
- In a large bowl, stir together the rehydrated raisins and candied fruits. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the total amount of flour and stir it in so that all the fruits are coated with flour.
- Whisk the baking powder into the rest of the flour. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
- Add the almond extract and mix again.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- When the flour is completely incorporated add the flour-coated fruits and mix on low til they are evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
- Divide the batter among the loaf pans and/or muffin cups and bake the loaves for about 1.5 hours and the muffins for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester poked through the center of the batter (not through the fruit) comes out clean.
- Let them cool slightly before unmolding to cool completely.
To make the frosting and marzipan
- Prepare the frosting by beating together the butter, brandy, vanilla and powdered sugar until it is nice and smooth. Add as much powdered sugar as needed to obtain the desired consistency.
- Roll out the marzipan blocks using powdered sugar until it is ¼ cm (~0.1 inches) thick. Cut into rectangles to fit the top of your loaf cakes or cut out with round cookie cutters for the muffins. We are only covering the tops of the fruitcakes with marzipan.
- Top each fruitcake with marzipan. You can use a dollop of frosting to glue it down.
- Cover the marzipan with frosting and garnish with a sliver of glacéed cherry.
Notes
- Coating the fruit in flour prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the fruitcake.
- Fruitcake recipes like this one tend to make a lot of cake. We always split the batter between several pans because there is so much of it. I most often bake this recipe in one to two loaf pans and muffin pans. Be sure to butter the pans and dust them with flour to ensure the cakes don't stick.
- Bake fruitcake at a lower oven temperature than other cakes (325 °F/160 °C instead of 350 °F/175 °C) for longer to make them slightly moister and to prevent the fruit from burning.
- The baking time will vary according to the pans you choose to bake this recipe in. Bake this fruitcake recipe until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the edges are evenly browned. Based on my experience and reader comments
- Fruitcake loaves: split the batter between TWO greased and floured loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Individual mini or cupcake fruitcakes: divide the batter between greased and floured standard 1-cup muffin pans and bake for about 30 minutes
- Sheet cake fruitcake: spread the batter in a greased and floured 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Tube pan fruitcake: spread half the batter per greased and floured tube pan and then bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
- Depending on how much frosting you want on your fruitcake (whether you cover just the top or the top and sides of your cakes, you may need more frosting, so have extras of these ingredients at room temperature just in case.
Nutrition
Wynne Armstrong says
Hi Janice,
Looks like a lovely fruitcake. Where do you purchase your marzipan and is it difficult to roll out?
Many thanks.
Wynne
Kathleen says
Hi there, just finished baking 24 mini cakes and two mini loaf pans as well with this batter. The all look amazing and taste very good. The brandy buttercream is also done. `i have to say that a cut a bit on the powder sugar cause `i felt it was sweet enough with less. Tomorrow `i will tie a red ribbon around them and serve them with tea in the afternoon. My Christmas is a big hit already. Thanks for sharing this recipe. cheers Kathleen from Holland!
Terrie says
These look delicious and they`re very pretty too. I do not have that many ramekins. Can you give the cooking times and pan dimensions if we want to make a `big`cake?- thanks!
Janice says
Hi Terrie! My mom and I had a long discussion about the baking time. Her mother used to bake this recipe, split between a tube pan and a loaf pan, and my mom is pretty sure it took an hour. She says that one year, she tried to put all the batter in just one tube pan (no loaf pan) and then it took forever in the oven and still wasn't properly cooked after all. So, definitely split it between a couple pans.
Last year, I think I used muffin tins to make the fruitcake, but I can't remember how long I baked them for in a muffin pan. I'll try again this Christmas and follow up when I have something more exact. I'm sorry. I should have written it down because, I agree, 20 ramekins isn't ideal for anybody! Sharon left a comment above to say she baked this recipe in a 9x13 and it took 1 hour 20 minutes.
You can use a cake tester to check the doneness, but try not to poke through a fruit (not easy). I hope this helps! If you try the recipe, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Janice says
Hi Terrie,
My mom baked the fruitcake recipe in two loaf pans, and she left them for a good hour and a half (1.5h) at 325ºF. Hope that helps!
Sharon says
Hi there! Just want to let you know that I made your grandmother's fruit cake two weeks ago and it was a success. I did approach the baking with uncertainty because my kids do not like fruitcake at all, myself included. But your cakes look so pretty that I really wanted to try baking it. The catch was selling it to my girls, because it is such a large cake that I would require help finishing it. I managed to persuade them to giving the fruitcake a chance and the fact that it was not a dark fruitcake helps. Anyway, I cooked the raisins in half water and half white wine ( in the hope that it would keep longer should the kids back out of helping me to finish the cake, and I could just eat it more slowly on my own- it's a really big cake!). I also baked it in a 13 by 9 inch pan at 325F for 1 hour 20 minutes. As for the frosting, since I was not in possession of any brandy (and I did not want to buy, not really knowing how it will turn out with the kids), I used vodka infused with vanilla beans which I had just soaked three days ago to make vanilla. Well, the cake turned out really awesome and the kids and hubby loved it. Between the four of us, we took just under a week to finish the whole cake, crumbs included. Thank you for the recipe; the kids have requested for the fruitcake again and I will be making it again soon. I have all the ingredients already sitting in the pantry and now I only need to find the time. Thank you again for the recipe.
Linda Reid says
I make the traditional dark fruitcake that is loaded with fruit and held together with cake. Marzipan and royal icing go on top. Your grandmother's little cake things are cute but there is no need to insult the traditional cake. There are a lot of people that like it. Why do you think it's been around for so many years?
Janice says
Hi Linda! Thanks for taking the time to visit my site and leave a comment!
I'm sorry you were offended by what I wrote, but I did refer to "commercial fruitcake", and not your recipe. I'd much rather a homemade fruitcake any day than some mass-produced cake made in a factory. Perhaps that's just me. In any case, I really hope you give my grandmother's "little cake things" a try. Merry Christmas!
J Lee says
Hi - I want to try this as just one large cake. What type of pan(s) do you use and what is the temp and time? Thanks--looking forward to making this cake this year.
Janice says
My mom has baked this cake in a couple loaf cake pans successfully at 325ºF, or even in a tube pan (like for Angel Food cake), but unfortunately neither one of us can remember for how long, so I couldn't say. We are thinking they take about an hour in these pans. Honestly the best way to tell if they are one is to look for signs of the cake separating from the pan sides cleanly and also a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean (but this can be difficult because of the candied fruits so be careful where you poke). I hope that helps somewhat. I really hope you get to try this recipe! And if you do, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Deeps @ Naughty Curry says
brandy frosting sounds devine! gotta try this 🙂