Posted on December 21 2017
A dense, moist, sweet and spicy fruit and nut loaf topped with zingy lemon drizzle icing and crunchy chopped walnuts. Perfect as a tea time treat, or delicious enjoyed with ice cream. This Walnut Fruit Loaf With Lemon Icing is an easy and fun alternative to traditional Christmas Fruit Cake!
Traditionally fruit cake is served at Christmas time, (it’s a British thing – so many of our Christmas traditions come from the Brits) and is topped with a thick layer of marzipan and a thicker layer of fondant icing.
AKA fruit bread or fruit cake, Walnut Fruit Loaf With Lemon Icing is my take on the perfect spiced fruit loaf / bread / cake recipe!
I’ve always been a fan of the almond-y taste of marzipan, but not so much a fan of the fondant icing…toooooo SWEET for me. Especially after bite number 2. I used to avoid Christmas cake like my life depended on it.
A few years ago I tried my hand at my own Christmas cake recipe, and it turned out so well that I’ve made it every year since, it’s less heavy and fruit-dense than the traditional fruit cake, and the fruit is boiled before it goes into the cake batter to make the cake extra moist – you might like it too —> How To Make The Perfect Christmas Cake.
You might also like -> Classic Berry Apricot Almond Tarts, my Rich Caramel Pecan Pear Pie, my Christmas Fruit Mince Pies with Light Pastry, my Baked Vanilla Cheesecake With Cherry Coulis, my Dairy & Sugar Free Almond Chocolate Truffles and my Zesty Orange Honey Layer Cake.
Needless to say this Walnut Fruit Loaf With Lemon Icing is a spin off from my Perfect Christmas Cake of years gone past, it’s very similar, but this year I decided to make it with walnuts, and bake it in a loaf tin, AND hold onto your hats! Drizzle tart and zingy LEMON ICING all over it, then top it with chopped walnuts to finish it off to picture perfect beautiful-ness.
Perhaps a controversial decision to add the lemon drizzle icing, believe me, I thought long and hard about it…Would it compliment the fruity, spicy flavours of the loaf? Is it just too out there for die hard fruit cake / loaf / bread lovers?
You know what? It tastes really good. Really REALLY GOOD. The lemon is unexpected, but the flavours compliment each other SO WELL, and with the addition of the walnuts in the cake and on top of the icing, it’s flavour perfection.
Truly fresh and delightful is what this Walnut Fruit Loaf With Lemon Icing is!
It is rather lovely to look at, no? A little rustic, a tad rough around the edges. It screams HOME BAKED, and that’s what makes this fruit loaf so loveable.
How to make fruit loaf / bread / cake at home, from scratch:
- The cake fruit mix is boiled with the butter and sugar until plump
- This mixture is combined with the flour, spices, chopped walnuts and egg
- The mixture is divided between two loaf tins and baked for just 30 minutes, then allowed to cool in the loaf tins before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely
- Top with lemon drizzle icing, decorate with chopped walnuts and serve to hungry fruit cake loving people (i.e. everyone, once they taste this walnut fruit loaf!)
This fruit loaf lasts for weeks in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool climate, in a warmer climate I would suggest storing it in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen in an airtight container and defrosted when needed.
Please try this delicious and simple to make Walnut Fruit Loaf With Lemon Icing this Christmas! You and your family will love it to bits.
Moist, easy to make fruit and nut loaf recipe with a twist! This Walnut Fruit Loaf With Lemon Icing is the best combination of flavours, enjoy a slice with tea or coffee!
- FOR THE FRUIT LOAF:
- 1 kg fruit cake mix
- 750 ml water
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 eggs , beaten
- 4 cups cake flour
- FOR THE LEMON ICING:
- 2 cups icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup walnuts , chopped, to decorate
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TO MAKE THE FRUIT LOAF:
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Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F), and grease two regular size loaf tins.
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Place the water in a large saucepan with the sugar and butter and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the butter has melted then add the fruit cake mix and boil for 15 minutes until the fruit has plumped up. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
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While the fruit is cooling, chop up half the walnuts into small pieces and set aside for later.
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Once the fruit mixture has cooled, stir in the bicarb of soda, spices, chopped nuts and eggs. Sieve the flour and stir it into the fruit mixture with a wooden spoon.
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Divide the mixture evenly between the two loaf tins and make sure it is level, the best way to do this is with your hands.
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Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the loaves bounce back when you touch them and a toothpick comes out clean.
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Allow the loaves to cool to the touch before carefully turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
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TO MAKE THE LEMON ICING:
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Sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl, then squeeze in enough fresh lemon juice (1 - 2 tbsp) to make a thick icing. Stir until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled loaves and top with chopped walnuts.
This fruit loaf freezes brilliantly so you can make it ahead of time. You should be able to keep these loaves at room temperature for about a week or so. If the weather is very hot I would suggest keeping the loaves in the fridge.
