California Fruit Cake

I call this fruitcake for people who don’t like fruitcake. I make quite a few batches at Christmas time and everybody likes it. It’s not “my” recipe. I got it from someone who got it from Sunset, I think, but there was a story about it in The New York Times, and if you Google it you will come to this recipe, or one very similar.

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Combine:

¾ cup sifted flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp soda

¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

Add:

¾ cup brown sugar

Mix well. (I use a wire whisk to mix.)

Add and stir to coat with the dry mixture:

2 cups dates (can use the extruded kind — they aren’t as sticky to work with)

1 ½ cups dried apricots

3 cups walnut halves (or halves and pieces)

Beat together:

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Add to the rest and mix till blended.

Grease loaf pan(s) and line with waxed paper or baking parchment. Bake 1 ½ hours at 300°.

Actually, I’ve never made it in a loaf pan. I’ve used multiple other shapes, mostly smaller. You will need to monitor the cooking and the time will depend on the pan you use and how much control you have over the oven temperature. The little foil pans, as well as the circular one used in the photo above, take about an hour. I usually quadruple the recipe because just one is not enough, especially if you give some away at Christmas.