Olive Oil Fruit Cake
A deliciously dense, yet light and fragrant festive fruit cake, made with a helping of heart healthy extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients
- 4 cups dried fruit cake mix / sultanas / currants / cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup water
- 1.5 cups castor sugar
- 200 ml SA Olive extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 cup mixed nuts, unsalted, plain or roasted
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place dried fruit, orange juice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit start to rehydrate and plump up.
- Turn off the heat and remove. Stir in sugar until it has dissolved. Stir in olive oil, lemon zest and nuts and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Heat oven to 180C and line a 23 x 23 cm tin with baking paper.
- Place soaked fruit (with all the liquid!) in a large bowl and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
- Fold in flour, baking powder and salt.
- Spoon batter into prepared tin and level out.
- Bake for 1 to 1ΒΌ hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs. Watch carefully after the 1 hour mark to make sure the top isn't over browning and cover with a piece of tin foil if it is. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.