How Long To Soak Fruit for Christmas Cake-Our Christmas Tradition

How long should fruit be soaked for Christmas cake? The Christmas season is here, and with it, all the traditions that spell out its preparation.

From putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it, to brightening up the house with an array of colorful lights, filling up stockings and laying out gifts, baking gingerbread cookies, and singing carols…bliss!

My favorite pre-Christmas traditions these days are looking out for Christmas Deals, and I get awesome unbelievable deals on Amazon here.

However, some of my fondest moments of the season must have been baking an old- fashioned Christmas cake with my Grandma.

The fun part was baking a cake, soaking the fruit for Christmas cake for the family while at the same time baking a few extra ones to share with others so as to put a much-needed smile on someone’s face.

I remember the joy while young, visiting families or attending Christmas Fairs where we got to sample numerous slices of the soft, rich, moist, fruity, heavenly goodness of Christmas cakes.

There really is no Christmas without Christmas cake! Here we will learn how long to soak fruit for Christmas cake.

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And so, Grandma and I were determined that we would not only make Christmas cakes that were just as good, but even better.

With so many of us preparing for the season, it is inevitable that in most of the conversations right now, you will not miss out on “…have you made your cake yet?” “…and how many are you making?”

Traditionally, one of the key ingredients in Christmas cakes has been dried fruits- a variety of them.

These would be soaked in an alcoholic beverage of choices, such as rum, brandy, sherry, vodka (who knew), or wine for a couple of months, even up to a year. This process is called ripening, and we know that fruit cakes taste way better with age!

Find the best cake mixers which I use here.

The cakes would then be baked a couple of weeks ahead of Christmas, after which, the cakes would be ‘fed’ with the same alcohol that had been used in soaking the dried fruits. Now you understand why these cakes are so rich and full of goodness?

When baking more than one cake, I use the Kitchenaid stand mixer which I got from Amazon here and it works so well and is very easy to use. I just love it!

‘Feeding’ the cakes entails poking tiny holes on the tops with a small skewer or cocktail stick (toothpick), and brushing these tops, or spooning them over with a few teaspoons the alcohol.

Done just once a week, or up to three times a week for a maximum of four weeks, this process of feeding the cakes guarantees that your cakes develop a richer taste with the passage of time.

Liquor based fruit cakes can be wrapped and stored in a cool place, several months before serving, and this gives them a fuller, richer taste.

If you opt to prepare non-liquor based cakes, which use fruit juices instead, these can be stored in the freezer for just as long, or in the refrigerator for a short period of time. If you opt to freeze them, you will have to give them time to ripen before they go into storage.

Times have changed, however, and largely because of the many obligations we have, there isn’t much time to prepare Christmas fruit cakes traditionally.

How Long To Soak The Fruits

Months In Advance

How long should you soak fruit for Christmas cake? If you have the time- and do remember, one way you can prepare your cakes is to soak the dried fruits some months in advance allowing them to ripen, and then bake it just a week before Christmas.

You would feed the cake only once, then wrap it in a kitchen towel or muslin cloth soaked in, or brushed with the alcohol, and wrap it all in foil. You would then place the cake in an airtight tin in a dark, cool place.

I normally use these airtight cake storage tins which work very well.

Though this cake would taste just as good as the traditionally prepared one because the fruits have been soaked for a long while, it would not be as moist and soft.

The numerous feeding of the cake is what makes the difference, and ensures your cake is not dry and crumbly.

Six Weeks In Advance

Alternatively, if you forget to soak your dried fruits way in advance, or are short on time, you have the option of preparing your cake at least six weeks in advance.

You would soak the dried fruits overnight, and once prepared, feed your cake with alcohol, once a week.

You would wrap the cake in a kitchen towel that is soaked in the alcohol, then wrap these in cling wrap and cover in 2 layers of foil. Keep the cake in an airtight tin and store it in a cool dark place.

With this method, brush the kitchen towel and cling wrap every time you feed the cake, with more alcohol.

However, when Christmas cake fruit soaking, be careful not to go overboard when you feed them, as this can cause them to become soggy, or too moist at best. Surely, we don’t want a perfectly good Christmas treat ruined.

What Now?

So, to join in in the current chatter, have you soaked your dried fruits yet? If yes, yippee! If not, don’t be worried. Even if you have just about two weeks to ripen your dried fruits, this is just the right time.

First, gather your choice of dried fruits, which would be best if their tastes are complementary.

You may use raisins (of course!), sultanas, dates, dried cranberries, prunes, dried apricots, and even dried prunes. If your fruits are not small in size, chop them up to bite-sized pieces similar to the size of the raisins, to give you a perfectly textured cake.

What alcohol do you soak fruit in for Christmas cake? Place your combination of fruits in a dry glass jar, and soak them by pouring over your favorite liquor, be it rum (yum), brandy or wine- your choice gets to dictate.

Cover all the fruits with the alcohol, seal the jar with an airtight lid, store them in a dark place and allow them to soak for the two weeks so that they absorb the alcohol.

During this period, give the fruits and alcohol a good stir or mix, every alternate day.

You will notice that that the alcohol level will have gone down, as they will have begun absorbing it.

You may be tempted to add some more, but there is no need. Keep on the occasional stirring or mixing to ensure the fruits that remain uncovered do not dry up.

Prepare your cakes, and allow them to cool, completely. Once cooled, feed your cake with the alcohol remaining from the soaked fruits, and wrap it in a kitchen towel soaked in the same.

Wrap it up in cling wrap and foil, and store away. If you wish, you can feed it and re-soak the kitchen towels a couple more times before Christmas, to add to the richness.

I prefer this method because the entire cake will mature well and the fruits absorb the alcohol more, despite the shorter period of ripening.

If you will be preparing an alcohol-free Christmas cake, soak your choice of dried fruits overnight in freshly squeezed orange juice with orange zest and brown sugar.

Alternatively, you can cook the fruits by mixing the orange juice and zest, stir well, and heat these up in a pan. Add the brown sugar and allow to dissolve, then add the fruits (and nuts), spices, and mix well.

Allow them to boil then simmer, until the fruits become plump, without allowing all the liquid to be absorbed. Let this mixture cool then add to your cake batter.

Remember, this cake does not keep as long as the alcohol-based one, and it can be refrigerated for about a week, or frozen a month before.

You will need to defrost the cake before serving though.

Tips

Only use a sterilized glass jar to soak your fruits in. Alcohol tends to react with plastic, steel or aluminum jars.
You can use any dried fruits of your choice, to enhance the taste, such as pineapple, orange, mango, apricots, candied orange peels, candied ginger- the options are endless.
If you will use nuts in your recipe, these do not require soaking, unless you want soggy nuts instead of crunchy ones. Roughly chopped walnuts, cashews, and almonds are a good addition to your Christmas cake, whether individually or a mix of all of them.
If you opt to use spice when soaking your dried fruits, go easy. Spices lose their spank when soaked, so use more of them in the cake batter.
Dried fruits add to the taste and texture of your Christmas cake. Plums pack exceptional moistness and juiciness, while dried grapes like raisins, currants, and sultanas give texture to your cakes. Dried figs give crunch to the cakes, and a honey-like flavor and mild sweetness to the fruit cake, and glacé cherries add color and texture.
For a sweet and tart flavor, dried Cranberries do the trick, dried apricots add moisture with a musky flavor and faint tartness. For spice and heat and a warm wonderful Christmas fragrance, use candied ginger, and roughly chopped dates for a chewy texture.

Also See: My favorite Dinnerware set for Christmas

There, you have it. It is not too late to get with the Christmas cake program, and you have plenty of time to soak your dried fruits and bake a deliciously, rich, fruity, and flavorful treat.

Check Out Amazing Recipes Here.

How to soak fruits for black cake

Ingredients

1 pound dried prunes
1 pound raisins
Maraschino cherries
Preferred red wine
Rum (optional)

Method

Add some of the fruits into a processor
Add 1 cup of wine to the fruit assortment then blend to a consistency of your choice.
Spew the blended mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining fruit mixture in the food processor then continue blending.
Add another cup of red wine to the mixture in the bowl, and 50 ml of rum, then continue mixing the contents in the bowl thoroughly.
Pour the entire mixture into an airtight glass container.
Store the combination safely anywhere from one week to a year.

Soaking the fruits for a long time brings out that deeply needed taste in the black cake. However, if you cannot manage to soak the fruits for a long time, you can still use them.

How to soak fruits for Jamaican Christmas cake

The best Jamaican cake comes from a fruit that has been soaked for almost one year. In case you want the cake done immediately, fruit safely kept in an airtight container for one month will work incredibly.

Although you can store the fruits separately, traditionally, you need to soak all the fruit in one jar.

Ingredients

A large glass airtight jar
1 pound of raisins
1 pound of cherries
Spiced dark rum or white rum
Red wine or Caribbean cherry brandy
1 pound of prunes
Maraschino cherries
Mixed peel
Currents

Method

Soak all the fruits in the big jar when whole. For better consistency, you will take them out after a month and blend the combination.
Inside the assorted fruits pour in about four cups of red wine.
Pour in two cups of white rum as compared to the four cups of red wine. Ensure the rum and wine fully covers the top of the fruit.
Remember the bottle or jar you use must be airtight. Store the mixture in a dark cabinet from one month to a year. The longer they soak, the better it tastes.

In case you do not like the flavor of mixed peels, you can skip using them. However, mixed peels give the Jamaican cake more authenticity.

Does vermouth go bad? Click to learn.

Can you soak Christmas cake fruit in port?

Using port on your Christmas fruitcake is good since it is a great addition.

Soaking Christmas fruitcake in port brings out a lovely twist with lusciousness in your dessert. Also, to have that deep boozy feel, soak your fruits two weeks ahead if possible.

Ingredients for soaking fruit

2 ½ cups of port
250 grams dried cherries
350 grams raisins
350 grams sultanas

Cake ingredients

1 teaspoon baking powder
Blanched almonds and pecans for decoration
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon mixed spice
2 cups of sifted plain flour
4 eggs
20 ml vanilla essence
1 cup of dark brown sugar
300 grams of butter
1 orange, juice and zest
80 ml treacle
20 ml port for brushing

Method

Put the dried cherries, raisins, and sultanas in a large bowl with a lid. Add in port, mix well, and then allow it to sit for 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius then grease your baking tin.
Mix orange juice, treacle, and zest stir well, and then add to the fruit mixture.
Add vanilla essence and sugar to butter then mix well until sugar dissolves. Add in one egg at a time and mix well with each addition.
Add the fruit and mix the combination thoroughly. Later add spices, baking powder, and flour. Continue stirring the mixture until they combine well.
Pour the cake batter into the baking tin. Ensure to use a smooth surface to spread out the butter evenly. Decorate the top with blanched almonds and pecans.
Pop the cake in the middle rack of the oven and allow it to bake for three hours. Put in a skewer, and if it comes out dry, the cake is ready. Remove from the oven and brush it with some port. Allow the cake to cool.
After it cools, put in an airtight container.

What can I use instead of alcohol in a fruit cake?

Instead of using brandy, you can opt to use grape juice. In case you plan to make a fruit cake that’s light in color, you can use apple and orange juice.

If you decide not to use any alcohol at all, soak all the assorted fruits in a glass bowl for 24 hours. Allow the fruits to be plump upwards to get the desired test.

Use black tea while it’s still hot, and for the decorations, you may use two bags of Darjeeling or Asam tea. Using this method adds more flavor to your dried fruits.

You can also use honey as it is bacteria resistant as long as it’s not been tampered with. Don’t dilute the honey as it may make the cake soggy.

Lastly, consider making syrup, using sugar, which will glaze and moisten the cake.

Can Sherry Wine go bad? Click here to learn

How long to soak the fruit in alcohol

If you want to make the cake rich, you should soak the fruit in alcohol for a minimum of three months.

You may opt to use your fruit of preference, such as raisin, walnuts, and dates. Traditionally, bakers would use a lot of dried fruits and sweetened orange peels.

The longer you soak the fruits, the deeper the taste of your cake. If you can manage to soak your nuts until the end of the year, you will enjoy the most delicious cake.

When opting for a non-alcoholic method, use grape or orange juice for soaking the fruits and refrigerate. Use after a week.