Fruit and Nut Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs
• 300 gr soft butter (unsalted!)
• 12 heaping tablespoons of white flour (approx 150 gr)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (unsweetened, not instant hot chocolate)
• 200 gr pecan or walnut halves (not rancid! unsalted!) – Might take
  more.
• 200 gr mixed dried fruits: apricots, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, cranberry, mango strips, figs, raisins, etc. (all unsalted! No trail-mix!) – Might take more. I don’t use the figs & raisins actually, too sweet. That’s why I substituted apricots and cranberries.
• lemon and orange zest (grate the skin from a lemon and an orange)
• drop of vanilla syrup
• drop of rum essence (optional)
• a little icing sugar
• PAM or a little butter to grease the cake pan, and sprinkle of flour

Utensils:

• 1 electric hand mixer
• 2 mixing bowls: 1 smaller (for egg whites), one larger (for everything
  else)
• 1 strong wooden or plastic mixing spoon
• 1 non-stick cake pan (the kind that makes a donut shaped cake)
• 1 long toothpick or wooden souvlaki stick

Procedure:

• Separate egg yolks and whites carefully into the 2 different mixing bowls. Don’t let any yolk get into the whites!
• In the smaller mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, add ½ cup
  of sugar, using the mixer.
• In the larger bowl, mix the butter with the yolks and the other ½ cup
  of sugar and a drop of vanilla (+ a drop of rum essence), using the mixer, until smooth. (This splashes, careful).
• In the larger bowl, add the beaten egg whites (from the smaller bowl) and the
  flour gradually to the yolks and butter mixture, using the mixer on slow.
• Add the fruits and nuts  and citrus zest, mix well with the wooden spoon (or with the mixer on slow). It should be very chunky. If using the mixer, even on slow, it will splash everywhere!
• Pour half of the mixture into the greased and floured cake pan.
• Add cocoa powder to the remaining half of the mixture, and mix well with
  the mixer.
• Pour this chocolatey layer into the cake pan, over the first layer. Don’t mix, the baking will take care of this.

Baking:

• Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
• Bake for about 50-60 min until raised, cracked and not sticky when tested
  with a long toothpick. Depending on the oven, it may take a bit longer.
• Take out of the oven with oven mitts and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Overturn on platter and turn over again.
• Sprinkle a bit of icing sugar (just for decoration).

Calories: 224 per  49g serving  (based on 20 thin slices)

Yes, good cakes worth eating are rich 😉

Cost of ingredients (priced from Metro in December 2017):  $19.50