A Mixed Fruit Cake is the kind of classic treat that fills your kitchen with warmth and nostalgia.

Packed with plump dried fruits, citrusy notes, and rich spices, this cake is a comforting slice of tradition in every bite.

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Ingredients

For the Fruit Cake

¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter

¾ cup (150 g) soft brown sugar

2 cups (350 g) dried fruits
Use a mix of sultanas, raisins, currants, red & green glacé cherries, and citrus peel

½ cup (100 g) dates, pitted and finely chopped

⅔ cup (166 g) sweetened orange juice
(store-bought, like Just Juice or Tropicana)

1½ tbsp orange zest
(zest of 1 medium orange — reserve the juice for the syrup)

2 tbsp (36 g) molasses

1¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt
(omit if using salted butter)

1½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

¼ cup (52 g) vegetable oil
(unflavoured — canola works well)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (100 g) walnuts, halved

For the Orange Syrup / Glaze

3 tbsp (50 g) freshly squeezed orange juice

1¾ tbsp (20 g) white granulated sugar

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Instructions

Boiled Fruit Mixture

Combine Ingredients:
In a large saucepan, add the unsalted butter, soft brown sugar, dried fruits, chopped dates (see note if using firm dates), sweetened orange juice, orange zest, and molasses.

Simmer:
Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once it starts bubbling, let it cook for a few more minutes until everything is softened and well combined.

Cool the Mixture:
Pour the hot mixture into a large, shallow dish to cool completely.
To speed this up, place the dish in the freezer for about 45 minutes.
The mixture should thicken as it cools.
Ensure it reaches room temperature (neither warm nor cold) before moving to the next step.

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Fruit Cake

Prepare the Oven & Pan:
Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F) with the fan on.
If your oven doesn’t have a fan, see note 3.
Grease an 8×3-inch cake pan and line the bottom with baking paper.

Mix Dry Ingredients:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Whisk to combine and set aside.

Mix Wet Ingredients:
In a small bowl, whisk the vegetable oil and eggs together using a fork. Set aside.

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Combine Fruit & Wet Mixtures:
Transfer the cooled boiled fruit mixture to a large bowl.
Add the oil–egg mixture and fold together with a spatula until fully combined.
The batter will be thick — take your time mixing.

Add Nuts and Dates:
Fold in the walnuts (and the dates, if you did not boil them with the fruits earlier).

Add Dry Ingredients:
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the fruit mixture.
Gently fold until just combined — stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
Avoid overmixing to keep the cake soft and tender.

Recipe credits: Cakes by MK