• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

  • Home
  • Polish Recipes
    • Polish Breads
    • Polish Soups
    • Polish Mains & Sides
    • Polish Desserts
    • Polish Pantry
    • Polish Beverages & Liqueurs
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Beverage
    • Salad Dressing
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • Stew
    • Main
    • Vegetables
    • Dessert
  • About
  • Expat Life
    • Art
    • Concerts
    • Crime
    • Current Events
    • Daily life
    • Dining Out
    • Euro 2012
    • Events
    • Holidays
    • Museums
    • People
    • Pets
    • Sightseeing
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • New? Start Here
  • Store
  • Polish Cookbook

Polish Fruitcake with Tea (Keks z herbatą)

December 30, 2019 by Lois Britton 7 Comments

It’s December 30th as I write this – the sixth day of Christmas. I offer this Polish Fruitcake with Tea recipe for your pre or post-Christmas Day baking. Maybe your appreciative friends and family have run through the goodies you prepared before Wigilia (Christmas Eve).

This is quick and easy, so you can whip up a loaf to offer something sweet to guests who might drop by bringing you good wishes for the new year. It’s tasty but not overly extravagant like my gingerbread cake filled with jam and marzipan and covered in chocolate ganache.

Tea is not a constant in all keks recipes, but it’s found in some. I like the hint of color and flavor that it adds.

Polish fruitcake with tea on a holiday napklin in front of a christmas tree

Polish fruitcake compared to other fruitcakes

People like to joke about the American or English version of fruitcake. The joke is that no one eats it; they just keep regifting a fruitcake. Polish fruitcake is not heavy, dense, molasses laden, or soaked in booze for months. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. 😉

Polish fruitcakes are not as spicy and their USA/UK counterparts. I’ve added a bit of cinnamon as an optional ingredient, but many recipes totally omit the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove that you might find in other fruitcakes.

The fruit is different too. While some candied peel might be used, it’s predominately dried fruit, the sort you might find in your favorite granola. I used dried apricots, dried cranberries, raisins, and dried pineapple.

Christmas Holiday

I hope you’ve had a wonderful time leading up to Christmas and in the days after with family, preparing wonderful dishes in the kitchen, making memories.

Lucky me, the rector (priest in charge of an Episcopal church) has closed the church office where I work until Epiphany! I have so many things I’d like to do on the blog and around the house during this time. I’ll have to prioritize to make sure somethings get done. Otherwise, I’ll spend the next week in my head. thinking about all the things I need/want to do instead of actually doing some of them. Can you relate?

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you

I’m am wishing you and yours all the best in the coming year.

Smacznego i szczęśliwego nowego roku!

Lois

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Polish Fruitcake with Tea (Keks z herbatą)

  • Author: polishhousewife
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

A Polish fruitcake – it’s lighter and fresher than your typical fruitcake and a Christmas classic!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound mixed dried fruit, about 2 1/2 cups
  • 1 1/3 cup hot black tea
  • 2 tablespoons marmalade
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
  • 3 2/3 cups flour
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • powdered sugar, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Add the dried fruit to a large bowl and cover with the hot tea. Set aside for 20 minutes.
  3. Stir in the marmalade, egg, brown sugar, cinnamon if you’re using it, flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan and add the batter to the pan. Bake for about an hour or until the internal temp is 205-209°. If the top is getting brown before the cake is done, you can loosely tent with foil to keep it from getting too dark.
  5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove from the pan and place on a cooking rack.
  6. Sift powdered sugar over the cooled fruitcake before serving.

Notes

As an alternative to powdered sugar for finishing, you might want to make a powdered sugar glaze to cover the top, then sprinkle with finely diced candied orange peel.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PolishHousewife on Instagram and hashtag it #polishhousewife

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

Share this...
  • email
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Breads, Christmas, Fruit, Holidays, Polish, Polish Breads, Polish Desserts, Winter

Previous Post: « Babka with Chocolate and Hazelnut
Next Post: Polish Potato Soup (Zupa Ziemniaczana) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue McQuade

    December 31, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    Happy, Healthy New Year filled with Blessings!

    Reply
  2. Chris mi Matelski

    January 19, 2020 at 9:10 am

    silly question what is black teaand do I have to use it or can I substitute it with regular lipton tea?
    also you said you use marmalade I take it it’s orange or can I use which ever I feel like.
    can’t wait to make this.
    thank you and have a good week. and you don’t have to answer today it’s sunday enjoy it.

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      January 20, 2020 at 10:45 am

      Hi Chris,

      Yes, you can use Lipton tea. I think you could use any jam you like. I hope you’ll enjoy the cake or fruit bread.

      Reply
  3. Callie R Fisher

    December 6, 2020 at 11:40 am

    Flour – all purpose?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      December 9, 2020 at 8:58 am

      yes

      Reply
  4. Ruth Ciocan

    December 22, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    I’m making the recipe right now but have one question: Do I include the hot tea liquid into the batter or just the mixed fruit?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      December 23, 2020 at 7:06 am

      The tea is part of the batter. Everything is added to the bowl with the tea and the fruit.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Use the code POLISH15 for a 15% discount!

Welcome – Witam!

Hi, I'm Lois; welcome to Polish Housewife! Here you'll find my culinary and cultural adventures in Poland and in the USA.
Zapraszamy! Click here…

Polish recipes sent to your inbox!

* = required field

Looking for something special?

The Polish Housewife Cookbook – order your autographed copy here!

Footer

  • Privacy Policy
my photos on tastespotting
Living in Poland
my foodgawker gallery
Poland Blogs

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework