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?
Emily says
I just popped my first attempt at this recipe out of the oven. It’s so delicious! Sweet enough to be a dessert, but not too sweet – my boyfriend said he could eat a sandwich on it.
I used ghee instead of coconut oil and added a sprinkle of allspice to the dry ingredients. I also tossed in about 1/4 cup of currants for good measure. My dried fruit looked really dry, esp. the dates, so I soaked it in brandy for about an hour before mixing everything together. In the end, it doesn’t taste too boozy, it’s more of a subtle woody flavor.
I like the idea above of using apricots. Next time, I’ll do that.
Now, I’m going to treat it to my favorite fruit cake prep: toast it and slather it with ghee. Yum!
Sharon M. says
I have been wanting to make a fruitcake like my Grandma’s (which is similar to this one) but it had gluten as well as 2 cups of sugar even with all the fruit. I added 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp cloves and another Tbsp of coconut palm sugar to flavor it like Gma’s and it turned out deliciously! I will definitely make this again. I like that it didn’t have to bake nearly as long as Gma’s although it did require 40 minutes even in stoneware. Thanks Elana!!
Jennifer wood says
So good! I substituted some chopped dried apricots for the raisins which added a flavor reminiscent of that candied fruit in traditional fruitcake. Thank you!
Athena says
Absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. I did have a bit of a snafu as I melted the coconut oil and then when I added it to the eggs, which were just out of the refrigerator it solidified but I worked all of the ingredients together with my hands and it came out fine. Will definitely make these again. Probably will try doubling the recipe since I have four mini loaf pans and will for sure bring eggs to room temperature. Thank you Elana for all the wonderful recipes you post.
Belinda Aspinall says
Made the fruit cake, WOW it is great. will be delivering a few loafs tomorrow. just perfect not to sweet but sweet enough, thank you!!!!!!
Lenee says
I have these mini loaves in the oven now. They smell delicious!!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Eva says
This was really delicious. I upped the amount of dates to take the place of the raisins, and used grapeseed oil instead of coconut oil. Very moist and very flavorful!
Becca Gater says
I just made this and I burned my mouth because I couldn’t wait to try it! I wanted to mention a few changes I made in case anyone is interested. I made them mostly because I wasn’t thinking when I prepped. I only have coconut oil that is solid so I had to melt it first. I used agave instead of coconut palm sugar, mostly because I couldn’t get it locally. I used golden raisins just for the change of color. And I used only orange zest because I forgot to get a lemon when I was at the store. I also thought that I had bought about 20 mini loaf pans but when I went to put the batter in the pans I could only find 3 left. So I filled them and then greased a 6 count muffin pan and filled those too. I baked them all together. The muffins were done about 5 mins before the mini loaves. They are all golden on top and delicious on the inside. I can’t wait to give the loaves to my son’s teacher. I am also going to write out Elana’s recipe and include the link to the recipe in case she wants to make more over the winter break.
Thanks again Elana. You have once again come to the rescue!
Tonya says
Made this last night. Delicious. :) I used dried apples instead of dates and lime zest instead of lemon (because that’s what I had). I did end up using 1/3 cup maple syrup instead of the coconut palm sugar, I used more because I wanted it to be sweeter. :) It is the first fruitcake I’ve ever made and it is great. My 5 year old daughter and I had it for breakfast and she said it was the best cake she’s ever had. :)
Alfalfa says
Dear Elana,
I love your blog and enjoy many of your wonderful recipes regularly. I already made this cake tonight and it’s fantastic! The recipe is perfect. I feel much more relaxed knowing I will have this cake to get me through the holidays at my in-laws and keep me on a healthy track. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all you do. I greatly appreciate the time and effort you spend developing these recipes. My health and well-being truly benefit from them.