Last Minute Plum Cake (Christmas Fruit Cake)
on Dec 23, 2019, Updated Nov 15, 2024
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If you are looking for a last minute plum cake recipe two days before Christmas then this is it. The same intense taste, dry fruits and nuts in every bite and you don’t need to pre-soak the dried fruit either.
Every year I’ve wanted to make a plum cake and thought about soaking the fruits months in advance, but eventually forget. That’s me, but please tell me I am not the only one!
So this year I decided to not even try, and find another way instead. And that’s how this Last Minute Plum Cake happened to come about – and it’s SO awesome that believe no one will know this is not the real deal!
The best thing about this cake is that you don’t need to soak dry fruits and nuts months in advance, but still achieve the same flavor and intensity even if you start just a day before Christmas.
Looking for more Christmas desserts inspo? Check out my Non-Alcoholic Eggnog, Eggnog Tres Leches Cake, Vanilla Panna Cotta, and Fudgy Brownie Cookie recipes!
jump to section: last-minute plum cake
So What’s The Secret?
The trick here is fasten the process by simmering the dry fruits, nuts and peels in dark rum for 15-20 minutes, and then to let this mixture sit for two hours. That’s it! These steps soften the nuts and fruits and infuse them with flavor. The dark rum adds a nice caramel flavor that’s hard to beat.
Alcohol In Last Minute Plum Cake
Traditionally plum cakes were made by soaking dried fruits and nuts in homemade wine. But I prefer using good quality dark rum. The soaking process adds flavor, softens the nuts and plumps up the fruit. It also gives this Christmas fruit cake a slightly boozy taste, nothing overpowering, just a slight undertone.
Richa’s Top Tips
- Traditionally, Christmas fruit cakes were made by soaking them in homemade wine and you can do that also.
- We prefer ours with more nuts than fruits and peels, but you can use a combination that your family likes.
- It’s important to use good quality dried fruits and nuts as that’s where a majority of the flavor comes from. Always taste to make sure nothing has gone rancid or tastes bad.
Frequently Asked Questions
I used cashews, almonds, sultanas, raisins, chrisonji, prunes, and chopped orange peel. You can use whatever you have on hand.
Absolutely! Simply replace the rum (or red wine) with apple juice and follow the rest of the recipe as is.
Originally, plum cake or Christmas fruit cake recipes require that you soak your dried fruits and nuts for weeks or months in advance. This helps infuse lots of flavor and a heady boozy taste into the recipe.
However my recipe is for other last-minute-rs like me, and helps you achieve the same taste, but with only 2 hours of soaking.
This recipe makes a dark, moist plum cake that will last you a few weeks in the fridge so you can keep enjoying it well past Christmas.
Once you find out how quick and easy it is to make Christmas Fruit Cake this way, there is no going back!
If you make this recipe this year, leave me a comment below letting me know your thoughts. And as usual, I would love to pictures of your cozy Christmas celebrations enjoying this delicious cake. So don’t forget to send them over on my IG @my_foodstory.
Watch Last Minute Plum Cake (Christmas Fruit Cake) Recipe Video
Last Minute Plum Cake (Christmas Fruit Cake)
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 250 ml Dark rum, or 200 ml apple juice for a non alcoholic version
- 250 grams Chopped dried fruits and nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, raisins, sultanas, prunes, chironji, walnuts etc
- 50 grams Chopped candied orange peel, substitute with zest of 1 orange
- 160 grams All purpose flour
- 15 grams Cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 150 grams Dark brown sugar
- 175 grams Butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 tablespoon Almond extract , (optional)
- 4 Eggs
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add rum, dried fruits and nuts and orange peel. Bring this to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Take this off the heat and set this aside for 1-2 hours, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
- When you are ready to bake the cake, pre-heat oven to 160 C/ 320 F. Line the base and sides of an 8 inch springform cake tin with parchment paper, making sure that the sides of the parchment paper are higher than the cake tin. Watch the video above to see how I do this.
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Add dark brown sugar, butter, almond extract (if using) and eggs and whisk with an electric whisk till combined. Add the soaked dried fruits and nuts and fold with a spatula.
- Pour this batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for approximately 90 minutes. Start checking for doneness around the 80 minute mark. In some ovens, this cake can take up to 2 hours because it bakes long and slow. Use your judgement after the 80 minute mark, and check in 10-15 minute intervals.
- Once baked, let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes, after which you can take the cake out of the tin or release the sides of the springform tin and let the cake cool completely.
Notes
- Alcohol Substitute: You can substitute the dark rum with brandy and port wine, or if you want to omit the alcohol, substitute with 200 ml of apple juice for a non alcoholic plum cake
- Orange Peel: You can substitute the orange peel for the same amount of lemon peel, or even use 25g of each
- Almond Extract: This adds a really nice flavour but isn’t mandatory so you can skip this if you don’t have access to this
- Storage: This cake can be stored in the fridge for weeks or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
More Christmas Recipes
Side Dishes
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetarian Gravy with Mushrooms
Vegetarian Recipes
It looks amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hey Richa, Thank you so much for the last minute Christmas cake recipe. It was in time to surprise my folks ❤️So healthy too….. no caramel and still just perfect. Midnight of Christmas Eve was more the blessed, thanks to your work…God Bless !!!
So glad you and your family liked it Reena!
Loved the simple style. But found it extremely high in butter and it’s too delicate for me to even move from the pan with risk of falling apart. Am i missing anything?
Hey Priya, I’m sorry that this didn’t work for you. I have so many readers who have tried this recipe and left a comment on the blog with great results. did you make any changes to the ingredients or the quantity?
Just pulled them out of the oven!!!! I made them as a present for my hard to buy for mom…. They smell wonderful!!!
Tried this recipe last night and the cake turned out to be just perfect. The booziness of the rum in every bite absolutely disguises the fact that the fruits have been soaked just a few hours before. Thank you Richa for this recipe. It is perfect.
Haha, shortcuts to the rescue! We are glad the plum cake turned out well for you, Lovina!
Hi, the recipe looks good, but it’s inconsistent in measurements. some are gms, some tablespoons. it’ll be easier if it’s just one measure -either cups and tablespoons or gms and tablespoons.
can you use melted butter?
Hey Asmita, you may use butter at room temperature, not the melted butter.
Hello,
I tried this cake out last week and loved the taste! also the fact that i didnt need to pre-soak the fruit….but it turned out too dry and crumbly
Any suggetsions how to improve it? i want to make another batch soon!
thanks!
Hey Luella, I’m sorry that this didn’t work for you. I have so many readers who have tried this recipe and left a comment on the blog with great results. did you make any changes to the ingredients or the quantity?
The cake looks perfect and fabulous to bake for a special day. Yes, its definitely the best fruit cake. Lovely!!
Thank you so much, Ronak!
Richa, is your baking powder measure right – 1-1/2 tablespoons?
Yes I know that seems like a lot but thats the correct measure