Nuts about Nut and Fruit Cake

August 14, 2012

The following cake is traditionally eaten on Tu Bishvat, a modern Jewish holiday with very ancient roots known as the “new year for trees” (usually in February). But don’t wait…this cake is delicious any time of year with lots and lots of dried fruits and nuts and just a little bit of dough to hold it together. The choice of fruit is all yours, the more the merrier. Just remember to combine different colors to make the cake more attractive. This dense, juicy, not overly sweet cake will keep for a long time.

7 tbsp. or 2 oz. (60 g.) flour
7 tbsp. or 2 oz. (60 g.) sugar
3 eggs
7 oz. (200 g.) assorted dried fruits (prunes, apricots, raisins, figs, papaya, cranberries)
7 oz (200 g.) assorted nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds)
1/2 tsp. (2.5 g.) cinnamon
1/4 tsp. (1.25 g.) nutmeg
Small pinch of ground cloves

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Mix flour, sugar, eggs and spices. Chop larger dried fruits coarsely. Add them with the rest of the fruits and the nuts to the dough and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a greased loaf pan and bake for 1-1/2 hours, until the cake is deep golden brown. Cool completely and slice very thin with a bread knife but only what you plan to serve. Unsliced cake keeps better. Makes one loaf.

Source: Recipe from The Book of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur

Photo Credit: The Book of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur