This Fresh Fruit Cake is NOTHING like the horrible, fruit-from-a-can fruit cake you’ve had in the past. I’ve had horrible experiences with nasty fruit cake too. I’m here to transform it from the ‘worst’ to the ‘best’ Christmas tradition.
Just like my Cranberry Orange Muffins, this cake is bursting with flavor. It’s tangy, citrus, sweet, and packed with some of my most beloved fruits. Fresh cranberries are quickly becoming one of my favorites to bake with. They turn from tart to slightly sour. Oooh, I love them!
My sweet neighbor always brings us something fresh from the oven on Christmas Day morning (love her!). I’m planning on returning the favor this year with this fruit cake. I’m going to bake and give it to her in this silicon bundt pan or this awesome loaf pan.
Fresh Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 Tbs ground or whole flax seed optional
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 small orange peeled and pureed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large green tart apple peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup fresh cranberries washed and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 F.
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In a large bowl, combine and stir flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
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In Vitamix blender, blend orange until smooth. Add applesauce, honey, oil, and vanilla. Blend on low until mixed. Pour orange mixture into dry ingredients and stir.
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In blender, place quartered apple and fresh cranberries. Pulse on low until coarsely chopped. Add to batter and stir well. Fold in blueberries.
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Prepare 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan or bundt pan by spraying with olive oil cooking spray. Spoon batter in evenly. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes for loaf pan or 45 to 50 minutes for bundt pan. Insert toothpick in center. If toothpick comes out clean, the fruit cake is done.
That looks so so good. I’ve been gone for a week and was trying to decide something to bake now that we are home. Looks like I found a winner!
I’ve always heard horror stories about fruit cake, but this actually looks delicious!
Thank you, Jennifer! I’ve had horrible fruit cake experiences too, but this turned out amazingly delicious. Let me know what you think.
Making some blog hop round this morning led me to your site. I am thankful I did. Look at this amazing fruit cake. Pinning for sure. I’ll be coming back to look at some of your wonderful eats. Love your site so far, name is wonderful, colors are wonderful. New Facebook fan, too. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your kind comment, Chrystal! I hope you enjoy the fruit cake and have a very Merry Christmas!
thank you SO much for posting this recipe. I believe it’s exactly like my mother in law’s which was phenomenal.. I know she also used nuts and pineapple which could be incorporated to this as well and maraschino cherries! She’s been gone about 40 years and never wrote anything down. I thought I still had loads of time to start writing. Again, thank thank you.
She was a southern belle are you? All sort of food with bacon grease, except the angel fruit cake 🙂
Jindra, thank you for your sweet comment! I’m sorry you’ve been without your mother-in-law for so long. I did live in Georgia a few years. LOVE the South! You definitely could add nuts, pineapple, and maraschino cherries if you would like. I don’t really like maraschino cherries, so I tweaked mine with just my favorite fruits. Have a very Merry Christmas!