I’m so excited to share the recipe for this Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Cake! It’s SUPER moist, slightly boozy, beautifully fragrant and naturally sweetened!
Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Cake
Fruit cake has not always been my absolute favourite, but since making this version I’ve become a little addicted! I made a few adjustments to the more traditional fruit cake that I grew up eating:
- it makes a huge difference if you actively choose your favourite dried fruit (more on that later)
- completely omitting the added sugar is not a problem if you find traditional fruit cake too sweet
- adding ground almonds makes for a seriously moist yet light sponge.
This fruit cake is honestly undetectably vegan and gluten-free and has an almost melt-in-your-mouth texture reminiscent of stollen. Unlike a lot of other gluten-free cakes, this one definitely doesn’t dry out quickly, as the fruit keeps it moist for a long time and the flavour actually seems to improve when eaten the day after being baked. This makes it really convenient for gifting or making in advance when entertaining guests.
How to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Cake
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place chopped dried fruits, walnuts and spices in a bowl and add sherry/brandy until covered.
Tip: Leave to soak in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a
glass mixing bowl, using a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.
Transfer mixture into mini loaf tins (or alternatively use a
18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin or a one-pound loaf tin lined with greased baking paper).Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean (cooking time will need to be adjusted to around 30 minutes if baking as one cake).
How long does this Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Cake keep for?
This cake keeps covered in the fridge for a few days.
Substitutions you can make to this recipe:
- you can use any type of dried fruit: I used a mixture of dates, cranberries, figs, prunes and apricots, but you can also use raisins, sultanas, sour cherries, mango, papaya or pineapple
- you can substitute the alcohol with orange juice or apple juice
- you can substitute the chopped walnuts with pecan nuts
- you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil
- you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc
- you can substitute the ground almonds with ground walnuts
- for a nut-free version: substitute the ground walnuts with ground sunflower seeds
- you can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
More fruity vegan desserts:
- Cherry Bakewell Cake
- Blueberry Pie
- Apple Cake
- Fig Upside Down Cake
- Chocolate Orange Cake
- Raspberry Dark Chocolate Blondies
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) dried fruit, finely chopped (I used a mixture of dates, dried cranberries, dried figs, prunes and dried apricots, but you can use whatever dried fruit mix you like)
- 1 tablespoon unwaxed orange zest (or sub 1 teaspoon orange extract)
- 50 g (1/2 cup) walnuts , finely chopped (or sub pecan nuts)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice (or sub a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves)
- Generous amount brandy or sherry (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary - or sub apple or orange juice)
- 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
To decorate (optional):
- Flaked almonds
Instructions
- Place the dried fruit, orange zest, walnuts, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice in a bowl and add a generous amount of brandy or sherry, until everything is roughly covered
- Keep covered in the fridge for around 24 hours, to allow the flavours to develop
- Before making the cake, preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Add the dried fruit mixture (along with any residual brandy), adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Transfer mixture into mini loaf tins (or alternatively use a greased 7inch/18cm springform baking tin lined with baking paper, or a one-pound loaf tin)
- Scatter over flaked almonds before baking, if desired
- Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean (cooking time will need to be adjusted to around 30 minutes if baking as one cake)
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days
Notes
almond flourDisclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Katia
I tried this a couple of versions of this and found that the cake would crumble apart. Gluten-free and vegan is a little tricky because it tends to be crumbly and not moist and chewy. I was able to get around this by using agar agar. It worked great and became moist and chewy.
Rhian Williams
Thank you for your feedback!