Eggless Christmas Cake recipe that is alcohol-free and refined flour-free, flavoured with spices and nuts, is a real treat and is sure to make even Santa Claus happy!
When Christmas is around and you try out this easy Plum cake recipe then do not forget to try out Easy Christmas Chocolate Truffles as well as Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread.
The Plum Cake for Christmas is actually a fruit cake that is apt for winters with so many nuts, spices, rum etc in it. It is a very healthy cake which keeps you warm during chilly days. So, you can make it throughout winters and enjoy it with tea or pack in your lunch box.
And now before we proceed let me share with you that this is my 100th post...Yippeeee... So happy I am. Another reason for my happiness is that my 100th post coincides with not one but 2 things. Firstly, it happens to be a Christmas Cake and secondly, it is being posted on my wedding anniversary. And Sandeep, my dear hubby, just loves this cake. So, isn't that great!!!
We are going to make this Christmas Cake more healthy by using wheat flour. And believe me, nowhere you will feel the taste of wheat. The sponginess, texture and taste are not at all compromised. Though Rum is meant for chilling days only we are not using it as we want to make it alcohol-free. However, if you want to add rum you can either soak the fruits in rum or add a little, just a few drops while making the cake.
So, if you are looking for an eggless, wheat-based, alcohol-free Christmas cake recipe then you are at the right place.
I tried this Christmas cake last year for the first time and I got an awesome response both from the ones who tried as well as from the ones who tasted it. It's colour, texture, taste is perfect. No rum or any other alcohol is used but still, it is very moist.
Christmas Cake Variants
A traditional Christmas cake is made with rich, moist currants, sultanas (golden raisins) and raisins that have been soaked in Rum. Christmas cake is baked in many different ways in different countries but generally, they are variations of fruit cake only. They can be dry, moist, heavy, spongy etc. There is no fixed recipe.
In India, Christmas cakes are traditionally fruit cakes with many variants. In Sri Lanka, they use treacle (a type of jaggery syrup) and lots of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg etc in the cake. Whereas in Japan, its just a sponge cake with some icing.
If Interested in knowing about the Christmas cake of other countries then read here.
Why Christmas Cake Is Also Called Plum Cake?
As seen above, Christmas cake is made with currants, raisins etc. And the term Plum originally referred to prunes, raisins, and grapes. And as these so-called Plum are the main ingredient in Christmas cake, therefore they are often referred to as Plum cake also. Read here.
Traditional Christmas Cake
Traditionally, people soak dried fruits in alcohol, usually rum, for 8 to 10 months. At times, even upto a year, as they believe that these soaked fruits make the cake really rich and moist too. And they bake it somewhere in November only. Why? Because they then feed it with alcohol. After baking the cake, holes are poked all over the cake and then rum or whisky or brandy is poured on to it. And this process is repeated 3 to 4 times in every 8 to 10 days. They do it so that the cake remains moist and the flavours are absorbed well.
Eggless, Alcohol-free and Quick Version Of Easy Christmas Cake
The recipe for the Christmas cake that I am sharing here has loads of fruits, dried fruits, spices, caramel syrup, candied peels....everything that should be there in a Christmas cake. Fruits are soaked, but not in alcohol or some juice. I soaked fruits in black tea, as suggested by famous blogger Shano Biju. Tea gives the perfect colour to this cake. Thanks, Shano Biju.
This recipe is more or less based on my popular Teatime/ Fruit Cake. Only that I have added lots of soaked fruits and spices in it to make it a perfect Christmas Cake. Also, this time I reduced the quantity of condensed milk to almost 1/4. I have used little-condensed milk as it gives a really good texture to the cake. You can avoid it in case you don't want to add it. In that case, add more sugar.
And now you must be wondering as to what all is used in this cake? What are the ingredients used in this Plum cake? So, just a few more minutes. It has everything that will make it taste like the best Christmas cake ever. Trust me!
Step by Step Photos
- Soak fruits in strong black tea for a minimum of 24 hours.
- Make Caramel Syrup. For this, heat brown sugar with 1 teaspoon water.
- Do not stir or mix.
- Heat this mix till brown sugar melts and caramelizes.
- Heat this mix till brown sugar melts and caramelizes.
- Grease a round baking tin of 7".( I made it in 6" plus 2 muffins)
- Start Preheating oven at 170 degrees for at least 15 minutes. Till the oven gets ready, you too prepare the cake batter.
- Sift wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices at least 3 times. Sifting aerates the flour which in turn makes the cake light. So, do not skip this step.
- Add chopped nuts and soaked fruits in this dry mix and toss nicely so that everything gets coated with flour. Again this is very important for the even distribution of fruits in the cake. Otherwise, fruits tend to sink down into the cake. You can add orange or lemon rind or candied peels.
- In a big bowl, take all the wet ingredients (except soda water)...oil, condensed milk, curd, brown sugar, vanilla essence and caramel syrup. Mix with a whisk properly for a minute or so till everything mixed nicely.
- In this wet mix, add the dry mix of flour and nuts in 2 or 3 batches.
- Adjust consistency using soda water and pour the batter in the greased baking tin.
- Tap it 2 -3 times to release air bubbles if any.
- Sprinkle some nuts and tutti-fruity. (Optional)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till the skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Invert on a wire rack and let it cool down.
- Serve with love or use it for gifting to your loved ones.
FAQs
Q) Instead of tea, in what else can I soak fruits?
You can soak fruits in orange juice or in Rum. Fruits soaked in Rum remains good for up to a year too. In fact, the longer they are soaked, the better is the flavour.
Related Recipes
So, before Christmas bells start ringing, let's prepare our Eggless Wheat Christmas Cake: Alcohol-free. But before that, a look at the related recipes:
- Teatime Cake/Fruit Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Muffins
- 2 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake
- Tiger Cake
- Chocolate Walnut Brownie
- Banana Walnut Chocolate Muffins
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Eggless Christmas Cake Recipe
An easy cake for Christmas which even Santa Claus will like.
My 1 Cup = 240 ml
For Soaking Fruits
- 1/2 tsp Tea Leaves
- 1/2 Cup Mixed Fruits
- 3/4 Cup Water
For Caramel Syrup
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar or Jaggery Powder
- 1 tsp +4 Tbsp Water
For The Cake
- 1 Cup (130 g) Wheat flour (See Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Nuts (Almonds, cashews, walnuts etc)
- 1/2 Cup Soaked Fruits (Apricots, raisins, dates, prunes etc)
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Dry Ginger Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Clove Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg Powder
- 1/4 Cup Oil, See Note 4
- 4 Tbsp Condensed Milk
- 4 Tbsp Curd
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- 4 Tbsp Caramel Syrup
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Soda water (Club Soda/Carbonated Water)
For Soaking Fruits
- Chop dried fruits like dates, apricots, raisins, tutti fruity etc.
Make strong tea by adding tea leaves in boiling water. Give a boil. Strain it and let it cool down.
- Once cool, add chopped fruits.
- Soak these for at least 24 hours.
- Strain it and use or store it in the refrigerator.
- Can store these up to 15 days.
Make Caramel Syrup. (See Note 2)
In a pan, put 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp water.
- Do not stir or mix.
Heat this mix till brown sugar melts and caramelises.
Switch off the gas stove. Stirring continuously, very carefully add 3 to 4 tablespoon water. Sugar is extremely hot at this stage and can cause severe burns so do it very carefully and with a distance.
- Switch on the gas, give 2-3 boils and take it off the gas stove.
- Let it cool down a little and then use.
- It hardens/sets as it cools. We need liquid caramel syrup, therefore, in case it hardens much then heat it gently. Soon it will return to its liquid state and then use it.
Making The Cake
- Grease a round baking tin of 7".( I made it in 6" plus 2 muffins)
- Start Preheating oven at 170 degrees for at least 15 minutes. Till the oven gets ready, you too prepare the cake batter.
- Sift wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices at least 3 times. Sifting aerates the flour which in turn makes the cake light. So, do not skip this step.
- Add chopped nuts and soaked fruits in this dry mix and toss nicely so that everything gets coated with flour. Again this is very important for the even distribution of fruits in the cake. Otherwise, fruits tend to sink down into the cake.(keep aside 1 tbsp chopped nuts for sprinkling on the top)
- In a big bowl, take all the wet ingredients (except soda water)...oil, condensed milk, curd, vanilla essence and caramel syrup.
- Mix with a whisk properly for a minute or so till everything mixed nicely.
- In this wet mix, add the dry mix of flour and nuts in 2 or 3 batches.
Adjust consistency using soda water. Keep the consistency slightly on the thicker side only. (See Note 3)
- Pour this batter into the greased baking tin.
- Sprinkle nuts and tutti fruity on top. (Optional)
- Tap the tin 2-3 times to release the air bubbles in the cake batter, if any.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or till the skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- In case, cake sticks to the skewer then bake for 5 minutes more. Since each oven is different, so you need to keep a check on it 30 minutes onwards. (Mine took 45 minutes)This cake takes little longer time than the usual cakes.
- After taking out the cake from the oven, wait for 4-5 minutes.loosen the sides with a knife and invert the cake on a wire rack and let it cool down.
- Always invert the cake on a wire rack otherwise it will get soggy from the bottom.
- Serve with love or gift it to your loved ones.
- Can keep this at room temperature for 3 to 4 days in winters.
- If kept in the refrigerator, even lasts for about a week.
- Can make this cake with all purpose flour(maida) also. Can even use half of each flour, that is, 1/2 cup wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. In case you make it with all-purpose flour, adjust the quantity of aerated soda water, requires less quantity.
- You can use any oil, be it refined, olive, canola or any other. Avoid coconut oil as it has a very strong flavour. I used groundnut oil here.
- Add soda water in the last, when your oven is ready. Immediately after adding soda water, pour it into the baking tin and straight into the oven.
- Baking time may vary from oven to oven, so keep a check 30 minutes onwards. But it normally takes longer time than usual cakes. Can adjust the quantity of dried fruits and nuts as per your choice and preference.
- Salt is added to enhance the flavour of the sugar, so go ahead.
- In case, the top gets cooked fast, whereas the bottom part needs more cooking, then cover the top part with aluminium foil.
- You can also bake this cake in disposable baking pans. In that case, no need to grease it or line with parchment paper. Simply pour the batter and bake.
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Is there a substitute for soda water?
You may use either milk or Mirinda.
I will try this recipe.
What should be the consistency of the final batter is it thick or does it fall like ribbon.
After how long do we unmould this.
Thanks Manisha
Hi Manisha… the consistency of the batter is thick unlike other cakes. Unmould it after 5 to 7 minutes when gets slightly cool. If baking in disposable pans tgen no need to unmould and leave it as it is.
Try it and don’t forget to share your valuable feedback.