This Keto Fruitcake tastes like an old-fashioned holiday! Moist and dense, this low carb cake is studded with cranberries, nuts, and spices for an epic Christmas dessert.
I did it and I am not sorry. I am absolutely delighted to bring you a recipe for Keto Fruitcake. Because this classic holiday cake was something we always had on Christmas, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it low carb for years.
Fruitcake is one of those very British desserts that people either love or detest. It wasn’t my favorite when I was little but my dad loved it so it was always part of our dessert tray. And it grew on me as I got older.
I love de-carbing old-fashioned holiday desserts. I’ve got recipes for Keto Sticky Toffee Pudding and Keto Buche de Noel. And my Keto Mincemeat Shortbread Bars are so tender and sweet. So it was clearly time to tackled holiday fruitcake!
Why you will love this recipe
It was the sugar free mincemeat recipe that inspired me to make this cake. Because the first step for any fruitcake is to soak dried fruit and nuts in rum or brandy. And my mincemeat recipe has all the same flavors, ready to go.
The trick, however, was to get the same dense, ultra-moist texture of the classic cake. To that end, I opted for a mix of almond and coconut flours, and I skipped the protein powder because I didn’t want the cake to rise much.
I also used brown sugar substitute, a touch of molasses, and plenty of spices to get the right flavor profile. And another splash of dark rum in the cake itself.
This keto fruit cake is quite easy to make and the results are fabulous. Super moist and rich, it will bring back memories of Christmas past. And it’s absolutely divine with a drizzle of my sugar-free caramel sauce!
Ingredients you need
- Sugar-free mincemeat: You want to prepare a batch of my sugar-free mincemeat head of time. You can even make it several days in advance.
- Butter: I usually use salted butter, but unsalted works just fine.
- Sweetener: I recommend a brown sugar substitute for the best flavor.
- Molasses: This is optional, but I add it for color and flavor. It will only add about half a gram of carbs per serving.
- Eggs: Bring them to room temperature first before mixing the batter.
- Almond flour: As always, a good finely ground almond flour gives your baked goods the best texture.
- Coconut flour: This helps give the cake batter the right density.
- Xanthan gum: Because the cake lacks protein powder, a little xanthan gum helps bind it more and keep it from being crumbly.
- Brandy or dark rum: You can use water if you need to, but it does diminish the fruitcake flavor.
- Pantry staples: Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
Step by step directions
1. Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sweetener and molasses, if using, until well combined. Beat in the eggs.
2. Add the dry ingredients: All at once, add the almond flour, coconut flour, spices, baking soda, and salt and beat until well combined. Add the brandy or rum and beat in.
3. Add the fruit and nuts: Stir the mincemeat by hand until well distributed.
4. Bake the cake: Spread the batter a greased 8-inch round cake pan lined with parchment paper and grease the paper. Bake at 300F for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is browned and just firm to the touch.
5. Let cool: Remove and let cool completely, then run a sharp knife around the pan to loosen and flip out onto a patter or cake stand.
Tips for success
If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making the mincemeat, you can simply soak some sugar-free dried cranberries and chopped walnuts or pecans in rum or brandy. I would do about a cup of each. I also recommend adding a little orange zest or orange extract to bring out more flavor. You may also want to add some sweetener.
You can actually purchase unsweetened dried cranberries that don’t contain any sweetener at all. They aren’t very good on their own but work perfectly in a recipe like this.
If you want to go seriously old-school, you can brush the cake with more alcohol and wrap it up tightly and store it in the fridge for a few days.
Sweetener Options
This recipe calls for brown sugar replacement, since classic fruitcake uses brown sugar. I like to make my own but you can use a store-bought one as well. If you choose one that has allulose in it, keep a close eye on the cake. It may brown on the outside more quickly.
You can also just use a granular sweetener and rely on the little bit of molasses for more of a brown sugar flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Fruitcake usually uses a dark spirit like dark rum or brandy. I like rum for the classic flavor and because it’s easier to find. You can also use bourbon or cognac. In a pinch, light rum will work as well.
Keto fruitcake can be stored on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. It can also be frozen for several months.
This keto fruitcake recipe has 6.6g of carbs and 3.1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.5g net carbs per slice.
More keto holiday recipes
Keto Fruitcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, well softened
- 2/3 cup (133.33 g) brown sugar replacement, (See Tips for Success)
- 2 tsp molasses, (optional)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (196 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (40 g) coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) brandy or dark rum, (or water)
- 1 recipe sugar-free mincemeat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF and grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sweetener and molasses, if using, until well combined. Beat in the eggs.
- All at once, add the almond flour, coconut flour, spices, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt and beat until well combined. Add the brandy or rum and beat in.
- Stir the mincemeat by hand until well distributed.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is browned and just firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely, then run a sharp knife around the pan to loosen and flip out onto a patter or cake stand.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I found my mom’s (actually my grammas) fruitcake recipe..
1 can Bordens Eagle Brand milk (sweetened condensed milk)
8 oz coconut ground fine
1/2 jar of mixed fruit,
4 oz maraschino cherries,
1 1/2 c whole nuts (1/2 walnuts 1/2 almonds skins removed.
Mix with hands and pour into loaf pan lined with wax paper.
Bake @ 300* about 1 1/2 hour or until brown on top.
Remove from pan and wrap in waxed paper.
Store in refrigerator
This was in the 1960’s.
She used to decorate the top with halved maraschino cherries and halved almonds in a pretty pattern
I would add dried cranberries (your recipe), dried blueberries, dried strawberries, dried raspberries (all sugar free) and almonds for decoration.
My mom made fruitcake for many years. It was not a ‘regular’ batter, but I’ll need to find it to see exactly what she used. (I’m thinking maybe almond flour or meal) She did put whole almonds, and the dried, candied fruit in it. (Subbed here with the dried cranberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries..all sugar free) It was not really moist, and it crumbled, but the flavor was great…I’ll have to find the recipe and share because, except for the candied dried fruit, I think it may have been almost keto!
Hello!
Do you think this is structurally sound enough to use a bundt or pan loaf with a pattern?
Thank you! Josephine
It depends on how intricate the pan is. Some have so many nooks and crannies, it’s hard to get the cake out without loosing some of it.
Oh yes. Another great recipe. All other fruitcakes I have made do not come close to this one. I halved the recipe as only had small amount of mincemeat left over from Christmas. Flavours so so fab. The texture of mine was more sponge like than dense but who cares it is delicious. Thank you again Carolyn
You have read my mind. I have been craving Fruitcake and was hoping (actually praying) that you would be making one! Thank You Sooo much!!!
I love fruitcake, too! My question is about the Swerve Brown in the mincemeat recipe.
The new Swerve Brown already has allulose in it. Can the 1/4 cup allulose listed in the mincemeat recipe be eliminated and still have the right consistency just using the new Swerve Brown alone? Can’t wait to try this!!
If you want your mincemeat to have a gooey quality, you need to still add allulose. The new Swerve Brown does not contain very much.