3 Ingredient Traditional Christmas Fruit Cake

Modified: Dec 12, 2024 · Published: Dec 12, 2024 by Lucy Mathieson · This post may contain affiliate links · 619 Comments

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Introducing the famous 3 Ingredient Christmas Cake (fruit cake) made from mixed fruit, iced coffee and self-raising flour!

An award-winning, traditional Christmas cake recipe that is so easy to prepare and makes a delicious treat over the holiday season.

A piece of Christmas fruit cake on a plate, with the rest of the cake b=in the background

What You Need
Equipment Required
Step By Step Instructions
What Is Mixed Dried Fruit?
Iced Coffee Substitutes
Adding Alcohol To Christmas Fruit Cake
Storing & Serving Fruit Cake
Baking Fruit Cake
FAQs

Everybody loves 3 ingredient recipes, right!? And this 3 Ingredient Christmas Cake is the best Christmas cake recipe!

It was originally a CWA (Country Women's Association) recipe that's become famous thanks to its simplicity-no fuss, just three ingredients!

If you're looking for a rich fruit cake (that's also a super moist cake!), then you've come to the right place. Let's get into the holiday spirit and start baking...

Looking for more sweet and simple Christmas recipes?

Try my Christmas Cookies, Classic Chocolate Rocky Road, and White Christmas Slice, this recipe is fun and delicious for both kids and adults during the holidays!

A fruit cake with a gold ribbon around it on a copper wire tray.

What You Need

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method!

If you don't believe that you can make the most AMAZING, easy Christmas cake recipe using just 3 ingredients, try this, and I promise you'll change your mind! All you need is:

Mixed dried fruit, iced coffee and self-raising flour on a bench - the 3 ingredients for a fruit cake.

mixed dried fruit (see below for details)
iced coffee (or a liquid substitute - see below for substitutions)
self-raising flour - or make your own self raising flour using plain (all-purpose flour), baking powder and salt

Equipment Required

To make this easy Christmas fruit cake, you will need:

large mixing bowl
spoon
23cm (9-inch) round cake tin with the sides of the tin lined with greaseproof paper
oven

Step By Step Instructions

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

Step 1 - Prepare The Fruit

This cake requires the fruit to be soaked overnight, so it cannot be prepared at the last minute!

But the depth of flavour and the moistness of the cake is SO worth the extra soaking time.

Start prepping this three-ingredient Christmas cake mixture one day before baking. Mix the dried fruit and iced coffee (or liquid substitute) in a large bowl or container and refrigerate overnight.

This allows the dried fruit to soak up the liquid and become plump... which then results in a beautiful and moist fruit cake when baked.

An overhead shot of a bowl of mixed dried fruit and iced coffee.

Step 2 - Mix The Flour and Fruit

On the day of baking, mix through the self-raising flour and pour the cake batter into the prepared tin.

An overhead shot of a bowl with self-raising flour being added to soaked dried fruit.

Step 3 - Bake The Cake

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cake feels firm in the middle and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

An overhead shot of an uncooked fruit cake in a baking tin.

What Is Mixed Dried Fruit?

Mixed dried fruit can be bought pre-packaged from the dried fruit/nuts section of any major supermarket.

I like to use the Sunbeam Mixed Fruit, which contains sultanas (a type of grape), currants, raisins, orange zest, lemon zest, and glace cherries.

However, you can use absolutely any brand of mixed dried fruit you like.

If you grew up eating (and disliking) traditional fruit cake with candied fruits (which is common in the States), using dried fruits will make all the difference! Instead of tasting processed or dry, this fruit cake is moist and full of real fruit flavour.

Iced Coffee Substitutes

For this recipe, I like to use store-bought creamy iced coffee that is slightly sweetened. You can use many different brands of iced coffee.

Please note that for the best results, I recommend using creamy iced coffee (not black iced coffee).

Or substitute the iced coffee for:

orange juice, apple juice or pineapple juice
black tea
coffee
chocolate milk

Iced coffee being poured into a bowl of dried mixed fruit.

Adding Alcohol To Christmas Fruit Cake

If you'd like to add alcohol to your fruit cake recipe, here are the types that work best:

brandy
whisky
sherry
dark rum
orange-flavoured liqueur
Baileys Irish cream (make your own!)
Kahlua Coffee Liquer
port

Simply substitute 100ml of your chosen liquid (e.g., iced coffee or juice) with 100ml of your chosen alcohol.

Storing & Serving Fruit Cake

This fruit cake can be stored in a cool place for up to one month. To store, simply wrap it in foil or place it in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serve at room temperature or warm it up and serve with a drizzle of cream or custard (brandy custard is delicious, too).

A piece of fruit cake with the whole cake in the background.

Baking Fruit Cake

Temperature

Cook our famous 3-Ingredient Christmas Cake at 160 degrees Celsius fan-forced (320 degrees Fahrenheit). If using a conventional oven (not fan-forced), increase the temperature to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

Time

We recommend cooking this cake for approximately 1 hour. However, as ovens vary, you might need to increase the cooking time by up to 30 minutes or even longer.

Testing If The Cake Is Cooked

The cake is cooked if the middle is firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.

What To Do If The Cake Is Browning Too Much

If your cake browns too quickly, simply place a sheet of foil loosely over the top and continue baking.

FAQs

Can this cake be made with gluten-free flour?

Yes - many of our readers have successfully made this using gluten-free self-raising flour.

Can I add extra spices?

Absolutely! Ground cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice are delicious in this recipe.
For added flavour, you may also like to add some extra lemon peel or orange peel.

Can I use this recipe to make smaller individual cakes?

Yes, you can! To make a smaller version or individual cakes, reduce the cooking time according to the size of your cake or muffin tins.

Can you taste the iced coffee in the cake?

Not at all!

Can I add nuts to this recipe?

Yes, you can! And blanched almonds on top of the cake give it a traditional look.

Can this recipe be made vegan?

Absolutely - we've had lots of readers who have successfully used soy-based flavoured milk in this recipe.

Can I cover this cake with traditional royal icing?

Yes, absolutely! Many of our readers have done so and found it to work perfectly! Alternatively, you could use a layer of marzipan.

Can Christmas cake be frozen?

Yes! Simply wrap the completely cooled whole cake in plastic wrap and then two layers of foil and freeze for up to three months.

A gold fork with a piece of Christmas cake on it on a plate.

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The Famous 3 Ingredient Christmas Cake

Introducing the famous 3 Ingredient Christmas Cake (fruit cake) made from mixed fruit, iced coffee and self-raising flour! Award winning, super easy and totally delicious!

5 from 303 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: Christmas

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 1

Chilling time: 1

Total Time: 1 1 5

Servings: pieces

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Lucy Mathieson

Ingredients

▢ 1 kg (6 cups) dried mixed fruit see recipe notes
▢ 600 ml (2 ½ cups) iced coffee see notes
▢ 300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour

Instructions

Place the mixed dried fruit into a very large bowl. Add the iced coffee (or liquid substitute) and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge overnight.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper and set aside.
Stir the self-raising flour through the fruit mixture and pour into the prepared tin.
Bake for approximately 1 hour (see notes) or until the cake feels firm in the middle and a skewer inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES

Mixed dried fruit - can be bought pre-packaged from the dried fruit/nuts section of any major supermarket. I like to use Sunbeam Mixed Fruit that contains sultanas, currants, raisins, orange peel, lemon peel and glace cherries.

Iced coffee - I like to use a store-bought iced coffee that is slightly sweetened for this recipe. There are many different brands of iced coffee that you can use such as Big M, Nippy's etc.

Iced coffee substitutes - if you prefer, you can substitute the iced coffee with: juice (orange, apple, pineapple etc), black tea, coffee or chocolate milk.

Adding alcohol - a splash of alcohol can be added to the mixture. These all work well: brandy, whisky, sherry, dark rum, orange-flavoured liqueur, Baileys Irish cream, Kahlua or port.

Preparation time - This recipe need to be started the day before baking as the dried fruit needs to soak in the liquid overnight.

Storing the cake - This cake can be stored for up to 1 month. To store, simply wrap in foil or place into an airtight container at room temperature.

Freezing - Simply wrap the completely cooled cake in a layer of plastic wrap and then two layers of foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Serving the cake - Serve at room temperature or warm it up and serve with a drizzle of cream or custard (brandy custard is delicious too).

Baking the cake - Cook at 160 degrees celsius fan-forced (320 degrees fahrenheit). If using a conventional oven (not fan forced) increase the temperature to 175 degrees celsius (350 degrees fahrenheit).

Cooking time - Cooking time can vary from 1 hour up to almost 2 hours depending on your oven. The cake is cooked if the middle is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

If the cake is browning too much - loosely place a sheet of foil over the top and continue cooking.

Nutrition

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