This Gluten-free fruit cake is made in a blender and topped with orange glaze. It is super easy to prepare, flourless, moist, and loaded with sweet spices, making a unique Christmas fruit cake!
This is not your ordinary fruitcake!
Unlike other gluten-free fruit cake recipes, ours is flourless! We used gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread (or bagels) instead of gluten-free flour.
Moreover, there is no stand or hand mixer involved. We make it in the blender!
You can easily replace whole milk with oat milk or almond milk for making it dairy-free.
It comes loaded with spices, citrus zest, and candied fruits soaked in rum.
You may add pecans for a crunch and extra nutty flavor!
Last but not least, it comes topped with a sweet orange glaze.
It is festive and perfect for those who want a seasonal dessert but doesn't have much time to prepare the classic fruitcake.
What is a fruitcake?
Also known as fruit cake or fruit bread, it is a cake or quick bread made with nuts, spices, and candied or dried fruits that may be soaked in spirits.
Depending on the country, it may be iced and decorated for Christmas or weddings. There are several different versions around the world.
IS CHRISTMAS CAKE THE SAME AS FRUIT CAKE?
Yes! These 2 terms are often used interchangeably. Christmas Cake is a fruit cake baked in a round cake, topped with icing before serving.
But it can also be baked in a loaf pan, resembling a quick fruit bread.
Although most fruit cakes are usually made a few weeks before the holidays in order to have time to mature, our gluten-free fruit cake is best made up to 2 days prior to serving.
It has a unique texture (dense and custardy-like almost like a bread pudding) and won't get dry easily!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this gluten-free fruit cake, you will need:
For the soaked fruit mixture:
- ⅓ cup candied fruit cake mix, chopped
- ¼ cup dark rum
For the fruit cake:
- 250 g gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread, sliced into ½-inch chunks and stale (You may use gluten-free cinnamon and raisin bagels if you prefer)
- 1 cup whole milk, warm (or oat milk or almond milk for a dairy-free fruit cake)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon gingerbread spice (or mix together 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon ground cloves)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped (OPTIONAL)
Glaze (OPTIONAL):
- ½ cup confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar)
- 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk (or oat milk)
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
How to Make Gluten-Free Fruit Cake
- The Day Before Baking: Combine the candied fruits with the dark rum in a small mixing bowl. Cover and allow the mixture to soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours prior to preparing the fruit cake batter.
- Right after soaking the fruits, cut the gluten-free bread into chunks, and place it in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Let it sit on the counter, uncovered, to dry out or get stale. It will take at least 8-12 hours. PIC. 1
- Prepare the Fruit Cake: Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). In a medium bowl, pour the warm milk over the stale bread chunks and allow to soak for 15 minutes, or until softened. PIC. 2 You may have to gently mix it to make the milk wet some chunks of bread.
- In a blender (or food processor), blend together the soaked bread with any remaining milk, eggs, sugar, orange extract, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger until smooth. You may have to stop the blender at least one time to stir the thick mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Stir in the orange and lemon zest using a rubber spatula. Do NOT blend them! Then, stir in the soaked fruit with any remaining rum, if they haven't been mostly absorbed. Stir in the pecans (optional)!
- Bake: Grease an 11x6-inch loaf pan using nonstick cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and tap the pan to level the batter, if needed.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean. PIC. 3
- Transfer the pan to a rack and let your gluten-free fruit cake cool down for about 30 minutes.
- Then, gently run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen your fruit cake. Place a serving plate on top of the pan and gently flip the pan onto the plate.
- Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: In a small ball, whisk the sugar with the milk and orange extract until obtaining a smooth mixture, free of lumps. If it is too thick, you may add a tiny amount of milk to thin the glaze just enough to be pourable.
- Stir in the orange zest using a spoon. Pour the glaze over the slightly cool fruit cake and allow it to rest until the cake is fully cool and the glaze has set. PIC. 4
- If you want, garnish the top with extra glazed fruits or rosemary sprigs.
TIP: If you forgot to leave the bread chunks out overnight, toast the chunks in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or just until hardened. Do not let them burn! Allow them to fully cool before soaking them.
Can this gluten-free fruitcake make you drunk?
No! The alcohol will evaporate during the baking process.
Storage
Store your gluten-free fruit cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Yes, you can serve it chilled!
Do NOT freeze your moist fruitcake; otherwise, it will alter its texture.
Other Gluten-free Cake Recipes
- Lemon pudding cake
- Tapioca cake
- Chocolate nut cake
- Rice cake
- Sweet corn cake
- Corn magic custard cake
- Creamy corn cake
- Peanut butter mug cake
- Chocolate lava mug cake
- Chocolate fudge mug cake
- Orange and almond cake
PIN & ENJOY!
Gluten-Free Fruit Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the soaked fruit mixture:
- ⅓ cup candied fruit cake mix chopped
- ¼ cup dark rum
For the fruit cake:
- 250 g gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread sliced into ½-inch chunks and stale (You may use gluten-free cinnamon and raisin bagels if you prefer)
- 1 cup whole milk warm (or oat milk or almond milk for a dairy-free fruit cake)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon gingerbread spice or mix together 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup toasted pecans roughly chopped (OPTIONAL)
Glaze (OPTIONAL):
- ½ cup confectioners sugar icing or powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk or oat milk
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
Instructions
- The Day Before Baking: Combine the candied fruits with the dark rum in a small mixing bowl. Cover and allow the mixture to soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours prior to preparing the fruit cake batter.
- Right after soaking the fruits, cut the gluten-free bread into chunks, and place it in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Let it sit on the counter, uncovered, to dry out or get stale. It will take at least 8-12 hours.
- Prepare the Fruit Cake: Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). In a medium bowl, pour the warm milk over the stale bread chunks and allow to soak for 15 minutes, or until softened. You may have to gently mix it to make the milk wet some chunks of bread.
- In a blender (or food processor), blend together the soaked bread with any remaining milk, eggs, sugar, orange extract, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger until smooth. You may have to stop the blender at least one time to stir the thick mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Stir in the orange and lemon zest using a rubber spatula. Do NOT blend them! Then, stir in the soaked fruit with any remaining rum, if they haven't been mostly absorbed. Stir in the pecans (optional)!
- Bake: Grease an 11x6-inch loaf pan using nonstick cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and tap the pan to level the batter, if needed.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Transfer the pan to a rack and let your gluten-free fruit cake cool down for about 30 minutes.
- Then, gently run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen your fruit cake. Place a serving plate on top of the pan and gently flip the pan onto the plate.
- Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: In a small ball, whisk the sugar with the milk and orange extract until obtaining a smooth mixture, free of lumps. If it is too thick, you may add a tiny amount of milk to thin the glaze just enough to be pourable.
- Stir in the orange zest using a spoon. Pour the glaze over the slightly cool fruit cake and allow it to rest until the cake is has fully cool and the glaze has set.
- If you want, garnish the top with extra glazed fruits or rosemary sprigs.
- TIP: If you forgot to leave the bread chunks out overnight, toast the chunks in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or just until hardened. Do not let them burn! Allow them to fully cool before soaking them.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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