Meet “Cake Aux Fruits Confits” – a French-style fruit cake that brings all the festive vibes, without overwhelming sweetness or booziness – unlike its American or British counterparts. It features lightly rum-soaked candied fruits, plump raisins and chunks of tender marzipan in a buttery, airy crumb. This lighter take on the classic fruit cake might just win you over if you weren’t a fan before. Get ready to savor the joy of every bite!
Just like its British and American counterparts, the French-Style Fruit Cake, known as “Cake aux Fruits Confits,” is immensely popular in France, in particular during the Holiday season. This should perhaps come as no surprise, as France is the world’s largest producer of candied fruit – which are required for this recipe.
The South of France is especially renowned for making candied fruit, with the city of Apt, in Provence, being known as the world capital of candied fruit. Candied fruits and “cake aux fruits confits” are available at virtually any grocery store in France and is incredibly popular on market stands come Christmas season.
So, what is a French-Style Fruit Cake exactly?
I know fruit cakes in general can be somewhat polarizing, due to their dense texture and intense flavor. Some people love the sweet taste and rich “chewy” texture, while others may find it too heavy or overwhelming. And if you are the latter, the French-style fruit cake just might be for you!
In comparison with the British or American versions, the French Fruit Cake is far less sweet and boozy.
Its crumb is a bit denser than a classic cake, yet it is far lighter and less sweet that the typical Fruit cake you may know. I would say the taste and texture is halfway between a cake and a bread. It lets the texture and taste of the fruits to shine more, which complement nicely with the tender chunks of marzipan to boot.
Likewise, the French fruit cake is far less boozy than the typical British or American fruit cake. Raisins and candied are soaked in a splash of rum before getting incorporated in the batter, but I assure you the alcohol taste is very subtle.
The French fruit cake isn’t typically flavored with spices. It allows the flavor of the candied fruits to shine. Lastly, a French fruit cake isn’t meant to be aged, soaked in alcohol, nor glazed.
Ingredients you’ll need for this French-style Fruit Cake
A French-style Fruit Cake is a light and delicious snack cake to serve over the Holidays with some tea, hot chocolate, or mulled wine. I really think this is a great recipe for anyone overwhelmed by dense and intensely flavored fruit cakes.
Here is the list of ingredients you need to make it.
1. Mixed candied fruits. You can grab a box of pre-made candied fruit mix (usually labeled as “for baking”) which is easy to find. Or you can make your own mix if you prefer, by chopping different candied fruits of your liking – cherry, orange peel, lemon peel, pineapple, melon, etc. Adding a small amount of candied ginger is very nice too.
2. Mixed raisins. You can opt for dark or golden raisins, or a mix of the two.
3. Rum. You can use regular, dark, or spiced rum to soak the candied fruits and raisins overnight – although I do prefer using dark rum for this recipe. The final rum taste in the cake is subtle, it does not need to be a fancy rum.
4. Butter. Choose unsalted butter. It must be at room temperature, so you can easily mix it with the sugar. So, I recommend you take the butter out of the fridge at least 1-2 hours prior.
5. Sugar. White sugar works best.
6. Vanilla extract. A little splash of vanilla extract amplifies the flavors.
7. Eggs. Choose 3 large eggs, which must be at room temperature. So just as with the butter, I recommend you take them out of the fridge at least 1 hour prior.
8. Flour, baking powder and salt. All-purpose flour.
9. Sliced almonds. Blanched or unblanched shaved almonds add a lovely subtle crunch.
10. Marzipan. This is my favorite ingredient in this recipe and perhaps why I love this fruit cake so much! Little chunks of tender marzipan yield a nice chew and delicious almond taste. White or yellow marzipan works well for this recipe. Dice it in small pea-size cubes before folding it into the batter, right before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will this fruit cake last?
A French-style fruit cake isn’t supposed to be aged like British Fruit Cakes, nor it is cloaked under syrup to help keep it longer.
This cake keeps well wrapped for up to 1 week. It can keep for up to 3 months in the freezer (in an airtight container or freezer bag). Make sure the cake is completely cooled before freezing it. Thaw it in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Can I make this fruitcake without alcohol?
While the flavor of this fruit cake may vary slightly, yes you can make it without alcohol. Instead of rum, you can soak the candied fruits in orange juice or apple juice.
Can I omit the Marzipan?
Yes, you can omit it if you don’t like Marzipan – although do note it will alter the taste and texture of the cake. You can replace the marzipan cubes with chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) or even bittersweet chocolate chips.
Audrey’s tips:
- The candied fruits and raisins need to soak overnight in rum, so make sure to plan ahead.
- This recipes workds perfectly in a 8.5-9in x 4.5in loaf pan.
I hope you’ll love this French-Style Fruit Cake recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.
More French cake recipes to try:
- Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake (Reine de Saba)
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Classic French Apple Cake
- Chestnut Cream Cake (Gateau Ardechois)
- French Walnut Coffee Cake (Gateau Grenoblois)
- Classic French Spiced Bread (Pain d’Epices)
- Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
36 comments
Lovely recipe. I made this multiple times this season. Will continue to make it henceforth.
So happy to hear that, Irene. Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to review this delicious fruit cake.
Delicious light fruitcake. The cubes of marzipan make it special. Faithfully followed the recipe and the cake came out of the loaf pan looking exactly as the photos.
This makes me so happy, Beckie. So glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you leaving a review. It really is a delicious cake!
YOU ARE THE BEST WEBSITE RECIPES ON THE INTERNET THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE DELICIOUSNESS
Much appreciated, Chef!
Dear Audrey
Love this recipe. I have made two so far – one to share at home, one to give away, and another one yet to bake. So delicious, easy to make, and a new tradition for me compared to the big and dar Christmas cakes I usually make. Merci bien/thank you.
You’re so very welcome! Perhaps you can eat a few extra slices this Christmas, if the Tofurkey doesn’t live up to expectations 🙂
I appreciate the review!
Hello, wondering if almond paste might be an acceptable sub for marzipan. I happen to have extra but surely do not want to compromise the recipe. If I must sub, am I better off just using more nuts or chips as you suggest.? Meantime I will look for marzipan in supermarket.
Good question, Den, and here’s my advice… If the almond paste is dense/thick enough to slice, I would use it. If not, I would likely stick to using more nuts and chips. Hope this helps!
Whisking sugar and butter until ‘frothy’ is a new one to me. Perhaps your kitchen is a lot warmer than mine
Ha, sometimes I need to find a word and roll with it. I know it sounds strange but when you whip butter and sugar together long enough there becomes this “frothy” like look to it. Obviously not like a milk froth, but… Frothy 🙂
I did only achieve ‘fluffy’ but the result is delicious. Made marzipan and added orange peel and craisins for the second batch. Yummy. Toasted!
Fluffy… Maybe that’s the word I’m looking for 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the recipe, and impressed with you making your own marzipan. That must have been just delicious. Compliments to the chef! 🙂
Delicious! I just made two small loaves. I grated the marzipan with a large coarse grater and it really distributed it beautifully. Chopped candied ginger, soaked cranberries in Gran Marnier. Added orange zest.
The cake base is good for many options. Thank you!
Grand marnier is an excellent choice for soaking the cranberries. That must have been a flavor bomb!
Audrey, I saw where you mentioned a bostock In your recipe for King’s Galette. Do you have a recipe?
Hello, Sue. I don’t at this time have a recipe, but it’s definitely something I can add to my list of things to look into 🙂
Have you tried it before? What’d you think?
One of the nicest fruit loaves I’ve ever tasted — made it for Christmas and I shall make it again today (March 2nd) as I need a treat!!
Wonderful, Terry! Sounds like you knocked it out of the park. And absolutely, this cake is great any time… Not just the holidays. 🙂
This French fruitcake is a show stopper, I have made it already 5 times. I heat the dry fruit a little bit with cognac and a little water, before putting it in the fridge.
Sounds like this is definitely a keeper for you, Bernardine 🙂 So happy to hear how much you enjoy it and my husband (a cognac lover) would love that heat and soak method with the fruits! Definitely need to try that myself!
More “advice” than a comment, but can you bake this in a typical old French glazed 27 x 14 x 10 cm loaf dish?
I’m certain it can be done, but a definite adjustment in time would be required. The pan I use is shorter in length and width, so your cake will definitely be less tall and more spread. I would absolutely start checking the loaf after about 30min, as opposed to 45min. Perhaps even after 25min to be really safe (or at least having a look to see where it’s at in baking). Hope this helps!
Going to try the fruit cake. Just had some in Paris and loved it. This looks like it!
They’re all slightly different, but should be around the realm of what you remember, I think. They’re definitely a different bite than the ones I was used to eating in North America, although similar in obvious ways. Hope you’ll enjoy it, and would love to know what you think!
Sorry, I accidentally left the following comment on the Gateux Basque recipe page. Please delete! The candied fruit I can find online appears very typical for the type found in American fruitcakes, which I really dislike. Do you think that using sweetened dried fruits would work, such as dried cherries, dried apricots, etc?
Hard to say without seeing the fruits and knowing their texture, Fran. I would want to say yes, assuming they’re dried but still “gummy” a bit, but I fear that they may be too dry. Do you happen to have a health food store near you? If so, I suggest checking them out to see if they have candied fruits available. Often time their quality is much higher and additives much lower, because they use actual fruits and not heavily processed “candy”. If not, then I’d roll the dice with sweetened dried fruits diced into cubes.
Thank you. Both the dried cherries and dried apricots I have access to are more gummy than dry, thankfully. And of course we have regular and golden raisins at the grocery store. While we do have two health food stores in my town, I live where it is very rural, and the city very small, so they have little selection of anything besides dietary supplements. I can try Vitacost, online, but I believe they have only dried fruits. I’ll try the dried fruits and will post a review. Crossing my fingers!
I think you’ll be ok with what you have on hand, Fran! Good luck and hope you’ll enjoy it 🙂
Audrey,
I just made this last night and I love the taste, however, it took much longer thatn 45 minutes in my oven (convection) for the tester to come out dry. By then, the exterior was quite dark – not burned, but not the light color in your photos. Any ideas?
The only thing I can think of, Paul, is that I do not use the convection function in my oven for this fruitcake. I bake at a static 350. I know that in some ovens the fan cannot be turned off, in which case, I would lower the temperature by 25F. The cake could take 5-10min longer, always a possibility, but you should avoid the darkened exterior with the temperature change.
Audrey, I did make this cake a second time and I noticed right away that the batter was much less wet than my first attempt,so I went ahead and baked it accorfing to your original recipe. It came out beautifully. I idid have to tent it with foil for the last ten minutes, because my convection oven just browns things too fast. I will definitely be making this again!
Great to hear, Paul! So glad it turned out, and good job keeping an eye on the browning. That’s the one negative to a convection oven, for baking they can make things a touch tricky – but tenting it was the perfect call! Enjoy!
I have made the cake many times and we keep loving it! Very easy to make and super delicious! I gave it as a Xmas gift to few friends and then I had to share ur recipe too 🙂 ❤️
Merci, Monika! Another fruit cake fan is a win in my book! So thoughful of you to share homebaked goods for the holidays, I have no doubt it was very appreciated! Gifts from the heart are the best! 🙂