Lighter Christmas Cake with Apple and Fruit

Amethyst · December 21, 2025, 3:43pm

Lighter Christmas Cake with Apple and Fruit

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 26 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pitted dates, chopped
3 cups applesauce
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups raisins
2 cups mixed candied fruit, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon orange zest

Glaze:

1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup water
whole pecans for garnishing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease three 8 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pans.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated; stir in vanilla and applesauce.

Add the walnuts, pecans, raisins, candied fruit, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and orange zest. Mix until just incorporated and no visible signs of flour remain. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes in the pan. Then invert the cake onto a metal rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze:

Just before serving, combine the apricot preserves and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the glaze has thinned and is shiny. Brush the tops of the cakes with the glaze and garnish with whole pecans.

Notes:

Storing the Christmas Cake: Once it is completely cool, wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.

Serving the Cake: A serrated knife works best for cake slicing. Serve on its own or spread with salted butter.
Christmas Cake Ingredient Notes:

A few thoughts, resources, and substitutions for the ingredients in this fruited cake.

Nuts:
While I used 1 cup of walnuts and 1 cup of pecans in this recipe, you can use all walnuts, all pecans, or your favorite nuts.

Candied Fruit:

There is so many variety of candied fruit. And any of the flavors you like work well. Paradise Fruit Company sent me some samples of their product, and I chose the Old English Mix.

Orange Zest:
One of my favorite elements of this cake is the orange zest. Unless you really don’t like orange, I wouldn’t skip this ingredient.

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of 31 Daily.com