During the holidays I’m always looking for yummy treats to eat that won’t leave me with a high-carb hangover. This paleo dessert recipe for a moist, gluten free fruitcake fits the bill. Sweetened with one tablespoon of coconut sugar, along with dates, raisins and dried cherries, my Paleo version of this classic treat is great with a cup of tea, Dandelion Root Coffee, or makes a beautifully simple gift to give to friends and neighbors during the holidays.
According to Wikipedia, fruitcake is:
A cake made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and (optionally) soaked in spirits. A cake that simply has fruit in it as an ingredient can also be colloquially called a fruitcake. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are often served in celebration of weddings and Christmas.
Along with visions of wacky people, the word “fruitcake” can also conjure thoughts of dry, icky cake. I think you’ll be pleased to find that this easy Paleo recipe is rich and moist –a Christmas Cake recipe that is versatile enough to use all year round.
Paleo Fruitcake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dates (remove pits) and chopped
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup dried cherries
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
- Stir in dried fruit and nuts
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, coconut sugar, vanilla and citrus zest
- Stir wet ingredients into dry
- Scoop batter into 2 greased mini loaf pans
- Bake fruitcakes at 350°F for 20-30 minutes
- Cool and serve
I think this might be my first Paleo cake recipe. I could be wrong though. What Paleo grain-free, dairy-free desserts will you be serving this holiday season?
Andrea says
I made this last night, and it was incredible! My only issues was I found at 30 minutes it still wasn’t cooked in the centre. 40 minutes seemed to be the magic number for me (I baked one loaf at a time to experiment with this). Anyone else find they had to bake for longer?
IntoWellness says
I have tried yesterday night and it came out really well. We had this along with chai in the breakfast and it was super tasty. I did have to bake for 40mins and also I put 1.5 tbsp sugar (xylitol) as I did not have COCONUT PALM SUGAR. I can see this making more often, hopefully not eating half a loaf in one sitting ;-)
Cheoy Lee says
Yes, I did. I found that 35 minutes worked best for me, actually.
Dee Randall says
30 minutes was perfect for my cake.
DamselflyDiary says
OMG, I made this bread last night and it is so good! Even my gluten-eating hubby gobbled it up and now it is almost gone! I used dried cranberries instead of the cherries, omitted the zest (I am not a zest fan and I didn’t have any at home to use anyway) and substituted organic cane sugar for the coconut palm sugar. I will be making this one again!
Chloe Boggs says
Wow, great can’t wait to try them out! With the ingredients and instructions being posted its much more easier! I’m really going to try your recipe! Thnanks for sharing this!
Carrie Thienes, BS, MA, NTP says
I have been wanting fruitcake for YEARS but never could bother with it. This looks amazing. We just got 50# of almonds, and I was able to successfully make flour out of some of them, so I am certainly going to bake this with my kids! Thanks so much!
Happy Holidays
Carrie
ash says
I just made this in cupcake form! It is so great! I’ve really needed a good grain-free holiday treat. Thanks!
Joe says
Unfortunately, this is not a “Paelo” recipe. It is gluten-free, but definitely not Paleo. True Paleo diets don’t include this type of fruit or much fruit at all…or sugar. They simply didn’t have these ingredients during the Paleolithic era. However, great gluten-free recipe!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
This looks rather delightful to have with a cup of tea!
Sandra says
Thank you for sharing, I tried making it without the dried rasins and dates and its really good. My kids love it as well so I’ll definitely be making it again.
Kim says
I made this recipe today and it was DEE-licious! I had to sub dried cranberries for the dried cherries and honey for the coconut palm sugar, but it still was amazing. My hubby says it’s second only to his mother’s fruitcake. Believe me, that’s high praise! Her fruitcake is wonderful.
Thanks for this recipe!
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