This candied fruit fruitcake is known as tutti frutti cake. Packed with lots of candied fruit peel and mixed nuts. Baked in a bundt pan with cream cheese and buttermilk batter for a moist and tender crumb. Perfect edible gift for the holidays too.
Table of Content
Have you ever heard of tutti frutti cake? Perhaps not. It actually candied fruit peels that are called tutti frutti
I love this cake very much but you have to love candied fruit peels to appreciate this cake. The fruit peels have a slightly bitter taste to them which when candied tend to mellow down but still have a unique taste to them. The cake is not bitter in any way but candied fruit peel does not taste like regular dried fruits.
Personally, I think you either love it or hate it. I know friends who will eat candied fruit peel for a snack and then there are those that don't even like the smell. My husband won't touch it. I love it.
Why make this fruitcake
- Unlike traditional recipes, this fruitcake is simple and easy to make. The batter takes just 10 minutes to prepare and about an hour to bake.
- Also, once this is cake is done, you can cut into it and enjoy it right away.
- it is made with cream cheese and buttermilk so, you do not need to let it mature for weeks, nor do you need to do any feeding.
- In fact, the shelf-life for this cake is just about a week. But, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- This is not one of those fruitcake recipes you make with or without alcohol.
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour - Just plain old all-purpose flour works just as well. If self-raising flour is all you have, use it but reduce the baking powder and baking soda by half.
- Butter - You do need butter in this recipe to hold the fruit together, oil won't give you that firm texture.
- Cream cheese - gives the cake that soft moist texture as well as a soft tender crumb on the outside.
- Eggs - always use large eggs when baking. A large egg should be around 50 to 60 grams in weight.
- Glace fruits - I'm using fruit peels that's what we call glace fruits or sometimes also known as tutti frutti. These are the candied fruit peels that are chopped finely.
- Mixed nuts - today I am using a mixture of cashews, almonds, and pecans but any nuts would work just as well.
Glace fruit cake - tutti frutti
- Oven - Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C/ Gas Mark 4
- Pan - Grease, and dust with flour an (8-inch) or 6-cup bundt pan.
Alternatively, you can also use an 8 x 2-inch round cake pan or 9 x 2-inch loaf pan. - Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices- set aside.
- Candied fruit - Add 2 tablespoon flour to the chopped candied fruit - set aside
- Cream - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract.
Pro tip - make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it creams well and does not get lumpy - Combine - Add the flour and buttermilk in three additions. Then add the candied fruit and the chopped nuts. Combine well.
Pro tip - do not overmix at this point. Overmixing will cause the flour to blend into the batter and therefore sink to the bottom. - Pan - Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 60 to 70 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Cool - Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional). Enjoy!
Troubleshooting
- Why does my fruit cake not rise? A fruit cake is a dense batter loaded with fruit, so it won't rise like a regular sponge cake. However, it is not a flat dense cake, so there has to be some rise because we do have leavening and eggs in the batter. Make sure to check that the baking powder date is not expired.
- Why is my fruitcake crumbly? Measure the ingredients properly, so there a good balance of fruit to the cake batter. Too much fruit means there is not enough batter to hold it all together. Alternatively, too much sugar in a cake batter will cause the cake to crumble when you cut it. Too little sugar can make the cake dense and tough.
- My fruit cake is too dry? Often, over-baking a fruit cake is the cause of dry fruit cakes. A fruit cake must be baked at the right temperature. The too-high oven temperature will dry the cake. Follow the recipe closely, including baking times.
More fruitcake recipes
This fruitcake is like a coffee cake and is made with cream cheese for a tender crumb. Unlike traditional fruitcakes, this one will keep for about 3 to 4 days at room temperature or 6 to 8 days well wrapped in the fridge. You can even freeze it for up to three months.
Unlike traditional fruitcakes, this one can be stored at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the fridge for 6 to 8 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
No, unlike traditional fruitcakes there is no need to soak the fruits for this fruitcake. The cream cheese helps keeps the cake moist.
Absolutely, like traditional fruitcake you can cover this tutti frutti cake with marzipan as well as fondant or royal icing.
Printable Recipe
Candied Fruit Fruitcake
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save GrowDescription
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Batter
- 2 ½ cups (310 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 oz (113 g) Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- 4 oz (113 g) Cream cheese
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar (granulated)
- 3 Eggs (large)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) Buttermilk
Fruit mix
- 1 lb (450 g) Candied fruit (glace mixed fruit chopped finely)
- 6 oz (170 g) Mixed nuts (cashews, almond, pecans, chopped finely)
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond extract (optional)
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- ½ tsp mixed spices (allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg (optional))
Instructions
- Oven - Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C/ Gas Mark 4
- Pan - Grease, and dust with flour an (8-inch) or 6-cup bundt pan. Alternatively, you can also use an 8 x 2-inch round pan or 9 x 2-inch loaf pan.
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices- set aside.
- Candied fruit - Add 2 tablespoon flour to the chopped candied fruit - set aside
- Cream - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract. Pro tip - make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it creams well and does not get lumpy
- Combine - Add the flour and buttermilk in three additions. Then add the candied fruit and the chopped nuts. Combine well.Pro tip - do not overmix at this point. Overmixing will cause the flour to blend into the batter and therefore sink to the bottom.
- Pan - Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 60 to 70 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Cool - Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional). Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Johnny
I love this recipe. I made it last year and it was a big hit. Everyone kept asking how I made it.
This year I plan to make them part of my Christmas Hamper. I'm going to make small loaves and put them in the Christmas Basket.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Johnny. So happy you enjoyed my recipe. Ah, a fruitcake is the perfect Christmas hamper treat because it has a longer shelflife. Thanks for coming back to write this feedback.
Asjori
I made this cake last year and it was a big hit. Definitely going to make this again this year. Love your recipes. Thanks
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Asjori. So happy you are enjoying my recipes. Thanks for coming back to write this feedback.
Ruchika
Hi Veena! Can you pls help me with an alternative to cream cheese as it may not be available most of the time at home.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Radhika you can actually use Greek yogurt successfully with this recipe. Greek yogurt is hung yogurt with all the water removed. Let me know how it was. Thanks
Sonia
Can’t wait to try it!! Can i bake this in a 10inch pan ?? Cause i don’t have an 8inch pan
Veena Azmanov
Hey Sonia. Yes, you can make it in a 10-inch pan but it will have less height. Alternatively, you can make 1 1/2 recipe for a 10-inch pan (just adjust the serving size in the recipe card below and it will calculate the recipe for you)
pridhi madan
I love all your recipes. It's treat to eyes to watch the videos. Do you think eggs can be replaced with anything in this recipe? Just curious as I get lot of times to bake eggless cake
Veena Azmanov
Hey Pridhi. Thank you, glad you like my recipes. You can use my eggless fruitcake recipe instead of this one. You will find it on my other blog. You can add any fruit mixes you want to this recipe. just keep the amounts the same. Enjoy