Did you ever think you could make cream of wheat do this?? Crazy beautiful, absolutely delicious, vegetarian, and simple. Air Fryer Fruit Cake looks gorgeous and is moist and delicious.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fast. Compared to a traditional fruit cake, this is done in a flash. After the initial prep, it is done in only 30 minutes.
- Easy. Skip heating up your kitchen with this simple air fryer recipe.
- Vegetarian. A tasty, meat and egg free dessert option.
- Delicious. Packed with rich, fruity flavor.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried Fruit
- Farina or rava/sooji
- Whole Milk
- Sugar Or Other Sweetener Equivalent
- Ghee or Oil
- Sour cream
- Ground Cardamom
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
What Is Farina?
Easy hack 1: Cream of wheat is Farina.
Easy hack 2: Go to the Indian Grocery store and ask for Fine Sooji
There. Done.
But if you want to know more, Farina is milled soft wheat. It is NOT the same as semolina. Farina is made from wheat that is not durum wheat. Semolina is made from durum wheat.
It's also high in gluten, so obviously isn't designed for anyone with a gluten allergy or intolerance. If you need a gluten free cake recipe, or even if you don't, you should check out my Coconut Chocolate Cake recipe, it is seriously amazing.
Where's The Alcohol?
Traditional fruit cake recipes often use whiskey or dark rum to flavor the cake and keep it moist. However, this recipe uses farina and flavorsome fruit to pack that fruit cake punch. This is a great recipe for anyone that doesn't consume alcohol and is a family-friendly option if you're concerned about the alcohol baking out of desserts.
How To Make Fruit Cake
- Soak the dried fruit in hot water and set aside to plump up.
- Grease a heat-safe baking pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the farina, milk, sugar, ghee, sour cream, and cardamom.
- Set this aside to allow the farina to soften and absorb some of the liquid.
- Drain the dried fruit very well, and mix it with the batter.
- Add the baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
- Pour the cake mix into the greased pan and set the pan in the air fryer basket.
- Bake in your air fryer.
- Check for doneness. Remove the pan and let it rest for before removing the cake.
Tips And Tricks
Okay people, come listen and learn from my mistakes. I had to make this recipe three times before I got it right. Either that or you will have a cake that’s more like a brick than a cake which is exactly how my first two attempts turned out. Done right, however, you’ll have a moist, delicious little slice of heaven in each cake, with a crispy outside and a tender inside.
- It is extremely important to use fine farina. If what you have is large grains of Farina, use your blender with a milling blade, or a coffee grinder to mill the grains smaller.
- You really must let the batter soak for the specified 20 minutes. It needs that time to absorb all the moisturey goodness
- Other recipes out there call for a lot of yogurt. That didn't work for me. The sour yogurt taste came through too loudly. I tested my way into 1/4 cup of sour cream and that worked well.
- Don't skimp on the baking powder AND baking soda. I discovered the hard way that you need both.
How Long Does It Last?
So, this is a fruit cake, but it's not your traditional fruit cake. It can last for up to a week in the refrigerator, but it won't last YEARS like some of the shelf-stable fruit cakes you can buy at the grocery store during the holidays.
As much I love a dish that will last while I sneak bites, I'm happy to enjoy the same flavors without eating my weight in preservatives.
Want More Air Fryer Recipes?
- Air Fryer Zucchini
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- French Toast
- Keto Shrimp Scampi
- Air Fryer Mushrooms
- Fish Nuggets
If you love this Air Fryer Fruit Cake as much as we do, make sure you share the recipe with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can try it too!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150 g) Dried Fruit
- 2 cups (500 g) hot water
- 1 cup (173 g) fine farina or rava/sooji, or cream of wheat, milled fine
- 1 cup (244 ml) Whole Milk
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar Or Other Sweetener Equivalent
- 1/4 cup (54.5 g) Ghee or Oil
- 1/4 cup (57.5 g) sour cream , or plain yogurt
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Ground Cardamom
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Baking Soda
Instructions
- Soak the dried fruit in hot water and set aside to plump up.
- Grease an 8 inch heat-safe baking pan and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl whisk together the farina, milk, sugar, ghee, sour cream, and cardamom.
- Set this aside for 20 minutes to allow the farina to soften and absorb some of the liquid.
- Drain the dried fruit very well, and mix it with the batter.
- Add the baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
- Pour the cake mix into the greased pan and set the pan in the air fryer basket.
- Set your air fryer to 330F for 25 minutes.
- At the end of the cook time, insert a toothpick to check for doneness. When the toothpick emerges clean, remove the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes before unmolding the cake.
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Nutrition
And don't forget to check out my air fryer cookbooks! Every day easy air fryer, and Air Fryer Revolution.
MSN
I'm planning on making these as cupcakes for Christmas treats tomorrow. We've enjoyed it as a cake as suggested in the recipe, and used the airfryer. This time it would have to be in a standard cupcake pan, which would go in the oven. I'm wondering if I could get any tips on temperature and timing to get them right. In general, oven temperatures should be 25°F higher, and time 25% more than the airfryer's. But given that these will be cupcakes (standard size) - I'm not fully sure ! And, unfortunately, there's not much time for trial and error as we're going to be whipping out dozens of these to share tomorrow ! Any help will be VERY appreciated.
URVASHI PITRE
Oh wow I’ve never tried these as cupcakes. I’d try 15 minutes to start and see how it goes from there.
MSN
Thank You SO MUCH, Urvashi. Your input boosts my confidence. So, 15 minutes (to begin with) at 355°F (oven vs airfryer) ! Yay. Thanks again 🙂
Manisha Singh
I just wanted to share that I made this recipe exactly as is, and baked in a muffin pan in the oven: 355°F for 20 minutes. They were perfect ! The amount listed in the recipe is perfect for 12 standard size cupcakes. After the first trial, I quadrupled the recipe and baked 48 each time, and did this several times over - perfect every.single.time !
We shared these as festive treats with colleagues, in kids' school, with our community helpers - and EVERYONE loved them. They are delicious, and I guess a change from the cookies and regular treats was very welcome too.
Thank You, Urvashi - for another great recipe.
URVASHI PITRE
Oh I love hearing this! Thank you!
Shari
I made this and it tasted great! However, the bottom was wet and underdone. I have a GoWise 3.7 air fryer. The toothpick wasn't clean after 25 minutes so I had it in for another 10 while checking it every few minutes. It looked dark and done on the edges so I took it out. I veganized it and used almond milk, vegan butter and vegan yogurt, which should all be equal substitutes. I didn't take it out of the air fryer pan after 10 minutes of cooling since I was transporting it. Could that have anything to do with it? I was asked to make it again for a party next weekend so any suggestions you have would be appreciated. Thanks!
URVASHI PITRE
The cake is a bit moist when done but it shouldn’t be underdone. I suggest reducing the temperature by 20-30f and cooking for longer. I’m wondering if it’s something to do with the temperature settings differing across various air fryers.