Gluten-Free Fruit Cake
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!
Servings 10 slices
Calories199.7 kcal
Cost $ 0.75 per slice
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 Baking pan
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 medium bowl
- 2 Small bowls
- 1 blender or food processor
- 1 Rubber Spatula
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
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 199.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.7g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 3.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 41.3mg | Sodium: 130.2mg | Potassium: 87.4mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 20.6g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 94.1mg | Iron: 0.7mg
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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