Name: Mum's easy boiled fruit cake recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1 cup sugar; 1 cup water; 3 cup mixed dried fruit stems trimmed washed; 250.00 ml Self Raising Flour; 1 cup plain flour; 1 tsp nutmeg; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 200 g butter; 2 egg beaten

by notsobendywendy Last updated on 03/20/2025

For a quick fruit-filled cake, this one ticks all the boxes for flavour, ease and taste. Enjoy a slice, spread with butter, for the ultimate afternoon tea delight.

How to make Mum's boiled fruit cake: key tips

As this fruit cake is ‘boiled’ there is no fussing around soaking fruit to prepare it for the mix. Everything, apart from the egg and flour, is boiled on the stovetop to plump up the dried fruit pieces and meld the flavours. Be sure to let this mixture cool down for at least 5-10 minutes before you stir in the egg and flour, so that these won’t ‘cook’ before you want them to!

I like to double line my cake pan when I’m making a fruit cake. This type of cake is really dense and double-lining the pan with baking paper can protect the base and side of the cake from burning. Your cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Key ingredients in Mum's boiled fruit cake recipe

Mixed dried fruit is the main ingredient of this fruit cake, of course, but there are different types you can buy. Choose whichever type you prefer, with or without glacé cherries, peel or no peel, added or no added sugar. It’s your cake, you can choose what you want in it!

A warm spice, such as nutmeg, adds a little depth to the fruit cake and enhances the overall flavour.

You might also like to try this 3-ingredient fruit cake and a moreish pumpkin fruit cake.

This recipe was originally submitted by notsobendywendy, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cup mixed dried fruit stems trimmed washed
1 cup Woolworths Self Raising Flour
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200 g butter
2 egg beaten

Method

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 200C.
Step 2

Place sugar, water, fruit, nutmeg, soda and butter into a large saucepan over low heat and stir until boiling. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Step 3

Add beaten eggs. Sift the flours and add to the mix and stir well with a wooden spoon.
Step 4

Put ingredients in a greased and lined 20 cm round cake tin.
Step 5

Bake for 1-1¼ hours or until skewer comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

How can I save dry fruit cake?

We’ve all done it. The cake has spent a little too much time in the oven and is a bit drier than desired. You can still make it delicious. Make a simple syrup made by boiling equal parts sugar and water (add a splash of brandy or cognac, too, if you like!). Poke several holes over the hot cake using a skewer, then brush the outside of the cake with the syrup and let it soak in. Serving a slice spread with butter or maple syrup also works a treat.

Can I freeze Mum's boiled fruit cake?

Fruit cakes freeze well and are great to make ahead of time and keep on stand-by. Wrap the cake in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil (to prevent freezer burn). Then, place it an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.