Tu bi’Shvat Cake
Adapted from The Book of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur Tu bi’Shvat is a celebration of an abundance of fruit, so feel free to celebrate in your own special way by using any kind of dried fruits that you might have in abundance. I used apricots, dried sour cherries and prunes, but anything that strikes your fancy would be suitable. This curious cake is dense and chewy, not light and airy, so it makes a good accompaniment with coffee as a mid-afternoon snack, when your energy is wavering. The original recipe says exactly it keeps for “a long time.”
- 7 tablespoons (60g) flour
- 7 tablespoons (60g) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch of ground cloves
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) dried fruits; any combination, such as sour cherries, cranberries, raisins (whole) or figs, prunes, apricots, peaches (diced)
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) nuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC.) Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) loaf pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt in a large bowl.
- Stir in the dried fruits and nuts.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 90 minutes. Let cool, then remove cake from pan.
Notes
Serving: Use a sharp knife to cut in very thin slices. The cake will keep for at least a week, wrapped, at room temperature.