- Ingredients:
- 8oz (200g) mixed fruit
- 2 medium eggs (beaten)
- 6oz (150g) brown sugar
- 6oz (150g) self raising flour
- 4oz (100g) margarine
- 1 level teasp mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
Easy Fruit Cake,
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Easy Fruit Cake Recipe
Sharon of The Cake Recipe comments: this is a really quick and easy fruit cake recipe, and has been baked by our family for many years.
- Place 8oz (200g) mixed fruit into a saucepan and cover with cold water
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes
- Drain and keep in saucepan
- Add margarine to the fruit and let it melt
- Add beaten eggs, sugar, flour, mixed spice and a pinch of salt
- Mix well
- Pour into an 8 inch (20cm) tin, greased or lined (or equivalent loaf tin)
- Bake at 170°C (340°C, gas mark 4) for approx 1 hour
- Remove from tin and allow to cool on a baking rack
- Serve with a hot cup of tea!
Author: Sylvia, 64, Lancashire
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Welcome to The Cake Recipe, founded by Sharon, a passionate baker and mum of two, living in rural Lancashire. 
Just made this cake. Family could not wait, so we had it hot with vanilla custard, it was very nice. I don’t think it will last long. Have to start baking again!! Thanks for the recipe.
This is a brilliant cake to make. Tastes fantastic. I will be trying it using tea instead of water next time. Thank you for posting.
I soak the fruit overnight in the hot water, I add cinnamon stick, orange zest, ginger tea bags, or any spicy tea bags I have , and vanilla pod. Basically anything spicy to add extra flavour. I have used this recipe a couple of times and it always turns out great.
Soaked fruit in flavoured tea of choice. Makes for more fruity flavour or just plain tea for old fashioned one. Great recipe with lovely results.
How long will it keep for if I make this?
Hi Helen, it’s not a very dense fruit cake, so it won’t keep for too long. It should safely keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight tin – if it hasn’t been eaten before!
HI MADE THIS RECIPE LOVELY AND MOIST, I DID SIMMER IN TEA INSTEAD OF WATER, ALSO ADDED CHOPPED NUTS WILL MAKE AGAIN
Excellent recipe ,Hubby loved it came out really well.
Loved the cake but too sweet for me. Can I cook the same but without adding the sugar?
I’ve not tried it without the sugar. If you’re finding it too sweet I would try reducing the sugar rather than taking it out altogether. Perhaps try it with 3oz (75g) sugar instead of the 6oz (150g). Let me know how you get on. Thanks Sharon
Baking the cake again today, I need to make two or a larger version. If I double the ingredient how long do I bake the cake? Going to try half the sugar first see what affect it has.
Hi Dennis, I’d test it after 1hr 30 mins to see if it’s ready, and if not, keep testing it regularly after then to be sure. Good luck
Doubled quantity in all except the sugar. Baked in a round tin and 90 mins was probably correct. I cooked on for another 10 minutes and the top was dry whilst the rest was moist. I took the cake to work and after the shock that I could bake the team gave the cake a rating of 4.5 (11 in the team). Next week I am making the tea loaf again.
Thanks Dennis for your feedback. Glad the team liked it – I guess that was 4.5 out of 5?
Easy cake, very tasty, made it twice both time it has sunk in the middle, how do I get round this, or what am I doing wrong
Sounds like a classic case of opening the oven door before the cake is cooked ? Also check that the oven was pre-heated (up to temperature before adding the cake) and that you used self raising flour ? Glad it tasted good nevertheless
Thanks for the reply, I have used self raising flour also used some baking powder to make sure, also not opened the over till an hour has passed, the only thing, although I pre heat the oven, how long would it take to preheat a gas over to the required temp, I left it about 15 mins?
Loved this recipe, so easy to make. Passing the recipe to my friends here in Brittany who commented how good it is.
Very easy to make and tastes delicious. Made it recently for the first time and now making it again after repeated requests from my family.
Love this recipe. Literally just finished baking it, had to put it back in the oven though as the bottom wasn’t bake enough. Still looks mighty tasty!!!
I hadn’t made a fruit cake before so chose this recipe to do today as a kind of practice fruit cake. Having made the cake and the whole family polishing it off in one night, I will definitely be making it again! So, so easy to make and is delish!!
I have made this cake twice i love it, but the fruit drops to the bottom , what do i have to do to stop this.
regards wayne.
Hi Wayne, this isn’t something I’ve come across with this recipe before. Make sure you always add the egg & dry ingredients to the pan (once you’ve bolied the fruit), and not the other way round. Also ensure you beat it well. Let me know how your next attempt goes. Thanks Sharon
Since finding this recipe i make it all the time. My husband loves it and its so easy even he could make it . I pass this recipe on to family and friends who think they can’t cook, they are always so pleased with the finished results.I often change the mixed fruit for other combinations so long as the quantity is the same and i also add half a teaspoon of ground ginger. It can be adjusted to your taste.
This cake is sooooo yummy it never had time to cool before it had gone. I have made another hoping it will last a little longer. ( some how I dont think so) Just love it, easy to make and sooooo moist.
Thanks for a wonderful tasty and easy recipe! My Mum used to make a boiled fruit cake when I was little – and this is it! Smells and tastes just the same – only difference is I didn’t get to lick the bowl – my Son did. Recipe has been favourited and tweeted. Yum – and thanks!
My daughter and I used this recipe for our Christmas cake,needless to say it went before Christmas! We made another one and managed to marzipan and ice it. We also made another recipe up and instead of putting it into a cake tin we put it in to paper cases and made small cakes which we then iced and marzipanned. These went down a treat and made it easier to ‘have a piece of Christmas cake’ as we didn’t feel guilty if we cut a large slice!! We will definitely used this recipe again and again
Have made this cake several times over and thought I would leave a comment this time. A wonderful recipe. Makes the most delicious fruit cake which is so so easy to make and yummy to eat. Enjoy!!!
Delicious!!! One of the easiest cakes I’ve made
It really is very tasty with a good texture!!
Just baked this cake today, very easy and everyone loved it x thank you
I made this easy fruit cake first to ‘test’….we ate the cake in one day. Today I made another one for Christmas…added more fruit like dried chopped apricots, apple, pears, dates etc poured a honey glaze over hot cake and decorated with mixed glaze-cherries. Thank’s for that super-easy, fast, festive and delicious recipe. Merlind Janse van Rensburg, Petrusburg South Africa (my daughter Ruthi is in Peterborough Uk,)
Brilliant cake I even added walnut to it thanks for sharing that Sharon : )
I made this cake in the summer and its the easiest most delicious fruit cake I’ve made in ages.
I added 1oz of walnuts to the mix to add a bit of bite. Have made 2 for Xmas already!!!
I’ve just made this for the second time this week, everyone loved it. Beautiful, thank you
Tried to give it 5 stars but only let me put one in!?!
This is a lovely fruit cake and very moist. I made it a few weeks ago and now I am making it for Christmas presents. I added cherries and when cooked added apricot jam to top and decorated with nuts and fruit. I shall put a ribbon around and present to my friends. Thank you
This really is the simplest fruit cake I have ever made. So good I made two. Don’t think they will be around for long. Definitely easy – superb.
Lovely cake I soaked the fruit in tea and didn’t drain the fruit, turned out really nice and moist.
Lovely. Easy to make,will make it again.
Sorry wanted to rate a five star not sure where I went wrong so here goes for a second attempt
Made this cake for the first time two days ago it won’t be the last, delicious, now going to try the banana cake
Thank you for the recipes
The easiest fruit cake. I baked for my mum who loves fruit cake. It turned out Really nice. My mum loves it and asked me to bake more often.
Delicious and so easy to make. I did soak my fruit in brandy and used butter instead of margarine, rather indulgent but truly wonderful.
I made this cake and cooked in 2 x 1lb tins and it cooked in around 1hr. I just covered the fruit in water and didn’t drain and it turned out lovely and moist. Next time I might add a little more fruit. Definitely worth trying as it’s such a quick and easy recipe. Thanks.
We wanted to try this recipe for ourselves so we did. The rating of the cake was 7 /10 from Malcolm ( Main taster ) and 9/10 from Janna (3rd Cook) and from Emma C (1st cook) was 8/10 and from the 2nd cook Emma H 10/10 so 34/40 All together !!! Thanks Sharon this recipe is great.
Baked your recipe for my daughter and she loved it, so good it was all gone in one day.Baking again tomorrow for my sister.
Thanks Sharon
not baked for many years, but decided to give it another go, . This was a great success and very easy and quick to make , loved it !
Excellent!!!! Passed it on to my sister who rarely bakes but she made this one because it is so easy and yummy. Thanks
Just made this cake, so easy, really moist, i used brandy and butter mmm lovely!!.
Hello- does anyone know how this cake freezes?
The rating score didn’t work properly on last comment. Would rate this cake 5 stars!!!
Easy to make, delicious to eat! Really moist. I added some cherries and topped mine with demerera sugar. Kept well in a cake tin, it had all gone within 2 days!
I love this cake, so easy to make and
keeps moist for ages if kept in an
airtight tin if you can refrain from eating
it before then
Excellent cake, enjoyed by all and so easy to make,
PS I was naughty and cooked the fruit in brandy .
Delicious, thank you!
Thanks for your comment – it means a lot to have feedback – glad you enjoyed it!
the cake was lovely but rather thin i would like to make one twice as thick can i double up on quantities
We’ve always made it in a 2lb loaf tin which works really well.
The cake was moist and very tasty. The kids have eaten it in
no time. Excellent. Thank you Sharon.
Cake was lovely and moist for a quick fruit cake
I made this cake for my Dad last week, as since my Mom passed away in 2010 he didn’t have the lovely homemade cakes she used to make.
He liked it so much, he has asked me to make him one a on a regular basis and also one for his cousin!
It is so easy to make and takes no time to knock up and tasted lovely.