Extra virgin olive oil fruit cake

Qingster Photography

Olive Oil gives not only gives this fruit cake an incredible tenderness and moistness (no more dry horrid fruit cake!) but it also lends a gorgeous fruity herbaceous flavour that lifts a “plain old fruit cake” to a new level of deliciousness.

Recipe created by Alice Arndell www.aliceinbakingland.com for Olivo www.olivo.co.nz as part of the 2014 Martinborough Olive Harvest Festival. Makes one 23 x 23 cm cake.

Image is courtesy of Qingster Photography.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups	Currants
1 ½ cups	Sultanas
1 cup	Cranberries, dried
1 cup	Orange juice
1 cup	Water
1 ½ cups	Caster sugar
200 ml	Extra virgin olive oil, use Olivo oil
1	Lemon, freshly zested
1 cup	Mixed nuts, toasted, e.g. walnuts, pecans, almonds, Bazil nuts
3	Eggs
2 tsp	Vanilla extract
3 cups	Plain flour (Main)
3 tsp	Baking powder
½ tsp	Salt
1 to decorate	Blanched almonds

Directions

1. Place dried fruit, orange juice and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and stir sugar until it has dissolved. Stir in olive oil, lemon zest and nuts and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Heat oven to 170C and line a 23 x 23 cm tin with baking paper.
4. Place soaked fruit in a large bowl and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
5. Fold in flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Spoon batter into prepared tin and level out. Gently press blanched almonds into the top in a decorative pattern.
7. Bake for 1 to 1¼ 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. Store in an airtight container for up to three weeks.