Cranberry Apricot Traybake – easy cake squares
For a quicker & simpler fruit cake, without raisins, currants or sultanas, try my cranberry apricot traybake! Let me show you how.
Cranberry Apricot Traybake – easy cake squares
**Click to jump to section
What Is A Cranberry Apricot Traybake?
This cranberry apricot traybake, is simply a smaller version of my Cranberry Apricot Fruit Cake. Made of warming spices & dried cranberries and apricots, this cake is baked in a square tin & cut into cake squares.
With a very high proportion of dried fruits, these kinds of cakes are more dense than say a Victoria Sandwich Cake, or even a Madeira Cake. But they also will last weeks without spoiling.
This one is also alcohol free, and so saves you some money too.
Why Make These Cake Squares?
- Quick to make
- Easy enough for beginners
- No currants, sultanas, raisins or alcohol
- Lasts about 2 weeks*
- Quicker alternative to Christmas fruit cake
- No special equipment
- No decoration required, but you can if you want to
Ingredients & Alternatives
What Is This Fruit traybake Made Of?
- Unsalted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Spices
- Dried Cranberries
- Dried Apricots
- Orange Juice
- Flour
- Baking Powder
*see notes below
Sugar
Light brown sugar is used, but coconut sugar, or even a 50/50 split white and dark brown sugar could be used as an alternative.
Butter
Unless otherwise stated in a recipe, unsalted butter should always be used in sweet or savoury baking. Recipes are not developed or tested using salted butter, that has a higher water content than unsalted. This amount of water can also vary from brand to brand, so for best & consistent results, always use unsalted.
Make Your Own Butter with double/heavy/whipping cream that is about to expire. See my homemade buttermilk & butter recipe.
Eggs
UK recipes typically use medium sized eggs & the US equivalent is large sized. Also be sure to always have the eggs at room temperature before using.
Spices
This recipe uses ground cinnamon, ginger & for a change, (instead of UK Mixed Spice), I used liquid Pumpkin Spice extract. I always list US Pumpkin Spice as the nearest substitute for Mixed Spice, but now I had some from Food Flavours.
This is a UK company with concentrated liquid extracts (in so many flavours), & they kindly gifted me a promotional box of 3 bottles.
Highly recommend them – especially the pineapple extract in my Tropical Banana Bread recipe.
So if you don’t have any Pumpkin spice, just use Mxed Spice.
Cranberry & Apricots
Dried cranberries and apricots are used, and added at the beginning. Please note that I recommend that the apricots be whole at the this stage, as they have always plumped up and absorbed more juice and flavour when whole, rather than chopping first.
You can play about with the amount of these 2 dried fruits, as long as the total weight of the two combined is the same as listed in the ingredient list below.
Alternatively, you can make a more traditional boiled fruit cake and use some Mixed Fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas).
Orange Juice
Pure orange juice is used, but I have also used some mixed fruit juices too, that work just as well.
Flour
Plain (All Purpose) Flour is used, but I also list how to make with UK Self-raising too. (See Recipe Card for details).
Equipment
Full list of equipment & ingredient amounts needed are listed in the Recipe Card at the bottom of the page. For the cake, I used a 9″/23cm square tin. This time a Wiltshire rose gold tin to go with my pink branding!
You could also use a rectangular tin, but not bigger than a total of 18″ (46 cm) when you combine the length & width together. For example a 11 x 7″ (28x18cm rectangular tin).
Recipe Yield
One 9″/23cm square traybake is made, with a yield of 16 cake squares.
More Fruit Cakes
Love fruit cakes? Then why not try one of my round versions – Boiled Fruit Cake, with traditional currants, sultanas & raisins. Or a bigger version of this for the holidays – Cranberry Apricot Christmas Cake.
Want a more traditional, marzipan & iced British Christmas cake? Try our 100 Year Old Christmas Fruit Cake, or my Quicker British Christmas Cake recipe (as shown in the photo).
Prefer simple but tasty traybakes? Go to all my traybake recipes.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Start by adding the sugar, butter, spices, orange juice, dried apricots & cranberries to a cooking pot. (I used Foodie Flavours concentrated liquid extract in flavour Pumpkin spice – 15 drops. The alternative is powdered Pumpkin Spice or UK Mixed Spice.)
2. Heat on a low to medium heat, until the butter & sugar have melted/dissolved.
3. Reduce to a low heat setting & let simmer for 20 minutes. (Note the liquid in the mixture will reduce, become syrupy, sticking to the sides of the pan & the fruit will be plump & smell amazing.
4. Drain the liquid over a sieve & reserve for later.
5. You can lightly chop (mostly) the apricots, or process a little. *During recipe testing, I found the apricots took on more liquid and flavour when whole, rather than chop at the very beginning before cooking.
6. Place the drained cranberries & apricots in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Decant 3 tbsp of the syrup into a small bowl for a glaze, & leave the rest of the reserved syrup to the side.
7. Now add the apricots, cranberries, eggs & half of the syrup to a mixing bowl.
8. Place a sieve over the bowl & sieve in the flour, & baking powder.
9. Mix briefly by hand before using an electric mixer, mixing only until combined. Very gradually add some of the reserved syrup until no dry patches remain. *Note, the batter will be very thick (see Photo 3 & the video) & you might not use all the syrup.
10. Pre-heat the oven to: 170°c/150°c Fan Oven/325°f/Gas Mark 3.
**Note I used a large, open-front air fryer, on both the air fryer & oven mode (with no need to pre-heat).
11. Meanwhile, prepare the 9″/23cm square cake tin, by greasing and paper lining.
Place baking paper under the cake tin and cut the paper into a thick cross-shape that will fit the bottom and up the sides of the tin. (See Photo 4, the video, or my lining cake tins lesson for a step-by-step on this).
Grease the tin with lining paste (cake goop), cake release spray, or some Frylight cooking spray, before adding the paper on top.
Smooth in position and trim edges if required, or you can hold in place with some metal bull-dog clips.
12. Carefully spoon the thick cake batter into the prepared cake tin.
13. Level and smooth the top as best you can, before tapping the cake tin on the counter/worktop a few times, before popping in the pre-heated oven.
14. Bake in the centre of the oven for a total of 50-60 minutes. However, after about 25-30 minutes, the top of the cake should be golden but not fully cooked through. So cover the top with foil & continue baking for 20 – 30 minutes. The cake is ready, once a wooden cocktail stick comes out clean of crumbs (internal temperature will be about 90.5 – 96°c (195-205°f).).
15. Leave to cool while in the tin, over a cooling rack, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile brush on some of the reserved smaller amount of syrup, onto the top of the cake for a nice shine.
16. Then lift the cake out by using the paper, & leaving to cool completely, directly on the cooling rack.
17. Once cooled, brush on more of the reserved syrup, & slice into 16 cake squares. (**Note, you can allow the cake to completely cool, before wrapping in cling film/plastic wrap, and leaving out at room temperature overnight. It will actually be ok for several days like this).
18. Serve the cranberry apricot traybake slice with a favourite hot beverage, or enjoy with some whipped cream or ice-cream.
19. Store left-over cake in a metal cake or cookie tin, at room temperature & the cake will be fine for up to 1 week. Want it to last longer, but without freezing? Simply well wrap in cling film/plastic wrap and then inside a cake tin or air-tight container, at room temperature and the cake will be good for at least 2 weeks.
Making A Christmas Cake Traybake
While there is no need to decorate this fruit traybake, you can use as a base cake for simple Christmas cake squares/slices, by decorating the top.
Typically British Christmas cakes are topped with marzipan (almond paste), and then either a layer of fondant or Royal icing on top, with some sort of decoration. For a shallow traybake like this however, you can just layer on the top of the cake & not down the sides.
For tips on how to add these layers, as well as decoration ideas, see my Fondant Penguin Cake Topper. (*In the photo above is my Christmas rooftop idea I had one year, decorated on top of the 100 Year Old Traditional British Christmas Cake Recipe, that I baked in a wider & deeper square tin).
Recipe Card
Simple Cranberry Apricot Traybake
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Wooden spoon
- Saucepan
- Hand/stand mixer (optional)
- Baking/parchment paper
- 9"/23cm Square cake tin (or rectangular tin, see notes below*)
- Medium to large sized mixing bowl
- Sieve
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 200 grams Butter (unsalted & cubed,7 oz, ¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
- 200 grams Light Brown Sugar (7 oz, 1 cups)
- 340 grams Dried Cranberries (12⅓ OZ, 2¾ Cups*)
- 150 grams Dried Apricots (5⅓ oz, 1¼ cup*)
- 240 ml Orange Juice (8 fl oz, 1 cup, or other pure fruit juice*)
- 3 Eggs (Medium to large, or US Large to Extra Large)
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ginger (rounded ¼ tsp)
- 15 drops Foodie Flavours Pumpkin Spice (Ground Pumpkin Spice or UK Mixed Spice alternative – 1 tsp*)
- 397 grams Plain Flour (14 oz, 3 rounded cups All Purpose Flour)
- 1¾ tbsp Baking Powder (or 5 level tsp)
* denotes – see notes below
Instructions
Cook/Hydrate The Fruit
- Add 200 grams Butter, 200 grams Light Brown Sugar, 340 grams Dried Cranberries, 150 grams Dried Apricots, 240 ml Orange Juice, 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, ¼ tsp Ginger & 15 drops Foodie Flavours Pumpkin Spice to a cooking pot. (Check out Food Flavours, or see alternative in notes).
- Cook on a low to medium heat, until melted/dissolved. Reduce to low & simmer for 20 minutes, till fruits are plump & liquid is syrupy.
- Remove & strain off the liquid & reserve for later. Roughly chop the apricots, (or process all the fruit very lightly), before placing in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Prepare The Batter
- Pre-heat oven 170°c/150°c Fan Oven/325°f/Gas Mark 3. Reserve 3 tbsp of the syrup into a small bowl for a glaze.
- Add the cooled down fruit to a large mixing bowl, along with half of the syrup, before adding in 3 Eggs. Next, sieve over 397 grams Plain Flour & 1¾ tbsp Baking Powder. Mix briefly by hand before moving onto using an electric mixer. Gradually add in more syrup & mix just until combined, with no more dry patches. **Note, the batter will be extra thick & chunky, so you might not need all the syrup.
Prepare Cake Tin
- Well grease & paper line a 9"/23cm square cake tin. Cut the paper to fit the bottom & up the sides of the tin, by cutting a thick cross-shape. (See my lining cake tins lesson for more details & a video). Hold the paper in place with Frylight cooking/baking spray, cake release spray, or homemade lining paste/Cake Goop. Trim excess or hold down the edges with metal bulldog clips.
Bake The Cake
- Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin, smoothing & levelling as best as possible. Tap a few times on the counter/worktop before placing in the centre of the oven to bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
- **After 25-30 minutes, cover the top of the cake with foil & continue baking for another 25-30 minutes. Will be fully baked when a cocktail stick comes out clean of crumbs & internal temperature will be 90.5 – 96°c (195-205°f).
- Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack & brush on some of the reserved syrup as a shiny glaze. Then leave to cool for 30 minutes.
- Lift out the cake using the paper & leave on the rack to cool completely. You can brush on more syrup glaze now too if you wish, or later. **Can be left overnight, once fully cooled & wrapped in cling film/plastic wrap, & left out at room temperature.
Serving & Storing
- Slice the traybake cake into 16 squares & serve with a favourite hot drink or tipple! Great on its own or with some whipped cream or ice-cream.
- Store the fruit cake in a metal cake or cookie tin, for at least 1 week. Want it to last longer? Well wrap in cling film/plastic wrap, then in a tin & will be good for at least 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
Apricots – you can chop lightly before cooking. However, they plump up better when whole at the cooking stage.
Orange Juice – puree fruit juice, or other flavour if you like.
Eggs – US large to extra large size, at room temperature.
Spices – Foodie Flavour Pumpkin Spice concentrated liquid extract used. But 1 tsp US ground Pumpkin Spice or UK Mixed Spice work too.
Flour – Plain (All Purpose) flour used with baking powder. But UK Self-raising also works, just remember to omit the baking powder.
Recipe Yield -16 slices/cake squares
Alternative Sizes Tin – see my article on How To Reduce A Recipe, or How To Increase A Recipe, with calculations.
More sweet & savoury Christmas Bakes
More Cake recipes or Penguin fondant tutorial
Baking ingredient measurement conversion table.
Quicker Christmas Fruit Cake recipe (above)
Nutritional Information – I am not a qualified nutritionist and all values are estimates. Values based on using all ingredients as listed above, where 1 serving is one cake square, from a yield of 16 slices. Cut smaller or larger cakes and these values will change. Note, that if not all of the syrup is used in the batter, the nutritional values will be lower. All values calculated via MyFitnessPal.com.
Subscribe For More Recipes
Want more great recipes, tips, baking information and newsletters? Then please consider subscribing by adding your email address below. Be sure to check for a confirmation email & respond back, so you can follow me & receive your free emails. Your personal information will not be shared with a third party.
Join My Facebook Group
Why not also join my – Facebook group Easy Online Baking Lessons, dedicated to this baking lessons website, as well as providing one-on-one support with myself & my team? Be sure to answer all security questions when requesting to join.
Follow me on social media:
Happy Learning & Baking!
Caro x
Cranberry Apricot Traybake – (Cake Squares)
Search For Something You Fancy!
Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons
