Alice Medrich's Fruit & Nut Loaf

Happy New Year!!!

I know you are all on diets now after the holidays and the detox has begun, so you may want to look away, though this cake isn't that bad for you. ;)

I bake every other day regardless of the diet season.
I need cake. Always and forever.

This is sort of a fruit cake, sort of a fruit and nut bar, maybe a bread? (not really).

David Liebovitz made it, Lottie & Doof and every other food blogger I follow on instagram made this loaf during the holidays.

There is no butter or oil, only dried fruits and nuts, so there is some healthy factor here.

You can make this with gluten free flour, but don't ask me how, because that is not my department (but I have seen it done successfully).

The recipe is from Alice Medrich's wonderful baking book Pure Dessert.

You can use any dried fruits you like.....I am not an apricot fan, but most people are. I used dates, prunes, dried figs and orange peel.

This is lovely sliced thin with afternoon coffee. My kind of treat.

Alice Medrich's Fruit & Nut Loaf:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I mixed light and dark brown sugar)
1 cup dried apricots (preferably California), halved
2 cups quartered moist dates or other favorite dried fruits (figs and prunes), roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped candied orange peel (my addition)
1 1/2 cups walnut halves
1 1/2 cups pecans
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add in the nuts (you don't have to chop the nuts, you can keep then whole) with the dried fruit. Mix together to incorporate with your hands.

Whisk the eggs with the vanilla in a separate bowl and pour over the fruit and nut mixture. Again, mix well to incorporate.

Pour into a greased (I used PAM spray) loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes at 300F.
Let fully cool before running a knife around the edge and removing from pan.

Slice into thin slices.
This keeps for 2 weeks wrapped tightly in foil.

Loved.