Tasty fig, orange and pistachio cake

Fruit cake is one of the best morning or afternoon tea snacks and a guaranteed family favourite going back generations – and this delicious recipe offers a unique twist to the classic treat. With a perfectly balanced mix of dried fruits, nuts and citrusy orange, it’s a mouth-watering cake to serve up on any occasion.

The longer you soak the fruits, the more intense the flavour becomes so if you’re looking for a heavily orange-infused sweet snack, don’t be afraid to leave the mixture for longer than the recipe suggests. Serve this up with a generous slathering of butter and a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (160g) mixed dried fruit
• 1 cup (190g) coarsely chopped dried figs
• 1 cup (150g) coarsely chopped Turkish apricots
• 3/4 cup (105g) chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup (60ml) Cointreau or orange-flavoured liqueur, plus extra, to drizzle
• 1/4 cup (85g) orange marmalade, plus extra, to brush
• 250g butter, softened
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

1. Add mixed fruit, fig, apricot, pistachio, liqueur and marmalade to large bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside to soak for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease four 6cm x 13cm mini loaf pans. Line with baking paper, leaving 5cm overhang on each side.
3. With electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and orange rind in bowl until just combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Sift combined flour and ground cinnamon into mixture. Add fruit mixture. Stir until well combined. Divide among prepared pans. Smooth over top with back of a spoon.
4. Bake, swapping cakes halfway through cooking, for 1 hour or until skewer inserted in centres comes out clean. Brush hot cakes with extra marmalade. Drizzle with extra liqueur. Set aside in the pans to cool completely. Serve.