Gone are the days of fruitcake hate. These Vegan Fruitcake Scones are crispy on the outside with delicious moist and fluffy layers on the inside. A tasty modern-day take on a holiday classic.
We’d be the last people reaching for fruitcake at holiday dinners but that doesn’t mean the concept isn’t delicious. We took the concept and turned it into this modern day quick and easy take. You read that right, you can whip of these Vegan Fruitcake Scones in just 30 minutes. Whether you’re craving a sweet holiday treat or need a last minute dessert for your guests – this is the recipe that you need.
Made using just a handful of ingredients you can whip up this recipe in no time. All you need is a couple bowls, a pastry blender, a baking sheet, and a rubber spatula meaning dishes are minimal. Plus when using a store-bought glace mix this recipe is easier than most holiday baking.
Baking ahead of schedule? No worries, scones freeze well before they’re baked. Simply cut into wedges and store in an air-tight container in the fridge. When ready to bake, simply bake them as directed in this recipe. Fresh scones in just a matter of minutes – perfect for Christmas morning.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The perfect sweet morning treat.
- Pairs well with coffee or tea.
- Comes together in minutes!
- Bake from frozen for easy mornings.
Top tips for making Vegan Fruitcake Scones:
- Keep it cold. The key to flaky layers is cold vegan butter. This dough, like pie dough, should still have small chunks of butter throughout it. Those layers of butter are what will steam up and cause the perfectly flaky layers you cannot get enough of.
- Don’t over mix the dough. Scones should be tender and flaky, if you overwork the dough too much it will become chewy and not very enjoyable. For the perfect scones all you need to do is fold and mix until there is no more dry flour. Then fold into quarters ones last time to create yummy butter-y layers.
- Handle minimally. The warmth from your hands is enough to melt the butter. So while you need to handle this dough a little bit, be very careful not to handle it too much or you will lose all those delicious layers.
- Freeze before baking. For the best results and the least amount of butter lost in the baking process, we like the freeze our scones before we bake them. This keeps the butter from melting before it can create the layers creating a flakier, taller scone.
Ingredient Notes:
- All-Purpose Flour – We use No Name All-Purpose flour for nearly all of our recipes where we can. Note that different flours and brands may yield different results.
- Vegan Butter – We love using the Becel Plant Based Sticks in our baking and recommend you do the same if you have access. If not, please note that using a different brand may alter the results of your scones.
- Glace Mix – We use a regular store bought glace mix, but you could always make your own with a custom mix of dried fruit and nuts.
- Vegan Buttermilk – It’s a key ingredient in scones and to replace that in our vegan version all you need is soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Vegan buttermilk is an acidic ingredient so it reacts with the leavening agent allowing the scones to rise.
Recipe FAQ:
What is glace mix?
Glace mix is a store bought mixture of dried and candied fruit often including orange, cherries, and pineapple – but each mixture can vary. It’s used in traditional fruit cakes and can be bought at most Canadian grocery stories and some bulk food stores.
Can these scones be made ahead of time?
If you want to prepare these ahead of time, we recommend freezing them before you bake them. Then when you’re ready to enjoy them all you need to do is preheat the oven and bake straight from frozen. This is helpful for holiday prep or if you don’t need the full batch of scones.
What if I can’t find vegan butter?
You definitely won’t get the same result as we have without a good vegan butter but you can sill make yummy scones. We have made successful vegan scones with cold coconut oil before but it will definitely alter the flavour and texture.
Other vegan scone recipe you’ll love:
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Blueberry Scones
- Cinnamon Roll Scones
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Scones
- Lemon Raspberry Scones
How to make Vegan Fruitcake Scones:
Vegan Fruitcake Scones
Ingredients
- 175 g (1½ cups) glacé mix
- 240 mL (1 cup) soy milk
- 15 mL (1 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
- 7 g (1 tbsp) ground flaxseed
- 170 g (¾ cup) cold vegan butter, cubed
- 360 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 12 g (1 tbsp) baking powder
- 3 g (½ tsp) baking soda
- pinch kosher salt
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) maple syrup
- 6 g (1 tbsp) lemon zest
Instructions
- Combine soy milk, apple cider vinegar, and ground flaxseed in a bowl. Set in the fridge to rest until needed.
- Mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add cubed vegan butter, then cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender until the butter is pea sized. You still ant chunks of butter as that’s how you achieve flaky scones. You could also use two butter knives if you don’t have a pastry blender.
- Pour the soy milk mixture into flour/dry ingredients, along with maple syrup and vanilla extract. Fold with a baking spatula until all the flour is incorporated. Careful not to overmix as you can make the scones too tough.
- Add the glacé mixture to the scone dough and gently fold until evenly distributed. You may need to use your hands for this step, but be careful not to melt the butter with your body heat. If the dough is feeling warm or the butter seems to be melting, place in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a disk about 1/2” thick, then fold in half and in half again. Press into a disk about 1” thick and using a sharp knife slice into 8 wedges.
- Place the wedges onto a lined baking sheet and place int he freezer to rest.
- Preheat the oven to o 400°F.
- Once the oven has reached the desired temperature place the scones into the oven straight from the freezer. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once baked, allow scones to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- These are best enjoyed the day or up to 2 days later when stored in an air-tight container.
