Vegan Fruit Loaf Cake

Traditional Vegan Fruit Loaf Cake

Traditional vegan fruit loaf is an old-fashioned fruit cake or tea-bread style bake.

It is super easy to prepare and is just like the old-fashioned fruit loaf that our ancestors would have baked.

Surprisingly fruit cake has been dated back to the middle ages!

Vegan fruit loaf cake is a super-moist beautifully spiced teatime treat that will easily become one of your go-to-staple recipes.

I always bake this cake whenever I have visitors!

I have made this fruit loaf cake so many times over the years and it has received so many compliments.

The dried fruit is stewed before baking. This is a traditional method that achieves such a yummy, moist and deeply flavoured fruit cake. Its so worth the extra effort!

Vegan Fruit Loaf Cake

Serves 12 slices.

Tastes even better days after baking!

If possible wrap in parchment paper and then kitchen foil after baking and cooling. Then enjoy a slice a day or so after. Its so worth the wait!

Alternatively enjoy a slice warm an hour after baking! If you can’t wait. Its still amazingly tasty!

Vegan Fruit Loaf Cake

Jacq

A slice of this fruit loaf is the perfect accompaniment to tea, coffee or a cold glass of plant-based milk. Super rich but light. fruity, sweet and deliciously spiced with a tasty crusty top.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Resting time for the stewed fruit 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr 45 mins

Course Dessert, Snack, Supper

Cuisine British

Servings 12 portions

Calories 287 kcal

Equipment

• 1 kg loaf pan or 2 smaller 1 pound loaf pans. If you don't have a loaf pan then a cake/or square pan around 8 inches should do.
• Saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 225 grams self-raising flour, about 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp (one cup equals 250ml). 7.9 oz.
• 225 grams soft brown sugar about 1 3/4 cups. 7.9 oz.
• 160 ml plant-based milk 1/2cup plus 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp. (one cup equals 250ml)
• 450 grams dried fruit about 3 1/2 cups. Just under 16oz. Use any combination of dried fruit: mixed dried fruit, currants, sultanas, raisins, dates, cherries, figs, prunes, pineapple, papaya, mango, apple, apricots, etc.
• 130 grams apple sauce about 1/2 cup. 4.5 oz. To easily make your own apple sauce chop into small pieces 3 eating apples and stew in a tbsp or 2 of water till soft. Mush up with a potato masher or fork.
• 100 grams plant-based margarine about 3/4 cup. 3.5 oz. I use Vitalite margarine
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice or Pumpkin spice powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

 

• Place the dried fruit, margarine, sugar and milk in a saucepan.

  Over a medium heat bring to the boil, stirring frequently.
• Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the saucepan on the cooker for another 5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 150 Fan/170 Celsius/ Gas mark 3/ or 300 Fahrenheit.

  Prepare your loaf pan or baking tin by lightly greasing and lining with baking paper.
• Take your saucepan of the heat and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

  Mix though the apple sauce.
• Scoop the stewed fruit mix into a bowl.

  Add the flour and spices.

  Mix.
  
• Spoon the cake mix into your loaf pan.

  Level down the surface with the back of a spoon.
  
• Place on the bottom or lower middle shelf of your oven, never near the top, and bake for 50-60 minutes. However, It could take another 10-20 minutes, depending on your oven.

  Check after about 50 minutes to see how its going.

  Cake will be ready when it is golden brown and a skewer or knife poked through into the loaf, comes out clean.
  
• Cool in the loaf tin for at least 30 minutes.

  Gently tip the cake out and peal the baking paper off.

  Leave to cool on a wire rack.

  Once cooled cut into 12 slices, or less depending on thickness!
  

Notes

Please note:

Even though I have provided cup measurements, as baking is precise, I do highly recommend that the ingredients are weighed out using a kitchen scale. Especially using the gram measurement as that's how the recipe was developed.

 

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Keyword cake, classic, Comfort food, fruit loaf, old-fashioned, Plant-based, spiced, traditional, Vegan

The following nutritional analysis is not a strict calculation and is intended for guidance only. Ingredients vary and this can affect the data.

Recipe Notes

• Vegan fruit loaf cake will stay fresh wrapped in parchment paper and kitchen foil, or in a tin, for at least 7 days. Maybe more!
• Enjoy a slice warmed through on a hot-plate or on a baking tray in the oven for a few minutes. Its super tasty warm!
• Spread a slice of fruit loaf cake with your favourite spread. Such as jam, peanut butter, plant-based margarine, etc.
• To save time, I usually prepare the stewed fruit while I am preparing lunch and then let it cool till later in the day when I am ready to bake the loaf.
• A sticky glaze can be added to the loaf. Use a tbsp or 2 of jam/preserve and a teaspoon or 2 of water. Using a little spoon or a fork whip these two together. Using a pastry brush spread out over the loaf. Ginger preserve/jam makes for an especially tasty glaze.
• Alternatively, make up some water icing to pour over. Use about 4 tbsp of sifted icing sugar and add tiny drops of water until you mix up the right consistency to drizzle over the loaf. For lemon or lime drizzle just add freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice in place of the water. If you don’t have a lemon juicer you can easily use a tablespoon to dig into the fruit, turning it around until all the juice has been extracted.
• For a ginger spiced loaf cake sub out the cloves and nutmeg and add a tsp of ginger.

Looking for a vegan plant-based fat and oil-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free fruit loaf cake?

Try this amazing easy Free-from fruit cake!