Pistachio Fruit Cake
I love including a homemade, edible component in my holiday gifts. I think it’s such a sweet gesture, full of warmth and care. In the past years, I’ve gifted homemade granola, apple butter, chocolate bark, and rosemary almonds. This year, it’s this pistachio fruit cake. It’s easy to make, lasts forever, and a slice of it looks so nice wrapped up in parchment paper and tied with a ribbon. The cake can be enjoyed as a dessert, snack, or as a sweet, counterbalancing part of a cheese plate.
This cake is free of any added sugar, since the stewed, dried fruit provide all the sweetness naturally. It’s spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and the addition of the brilliant green pistachios makes the cross section look stunning. Hope you enjoy this little gift idea :)
Pistachio Fruit Cake
makes one 10-inch cake
4 cups mixed dried fruit, like dates (must include), figs, prunes, apricots, raisins, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice, hot (see note)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 cup shelled raw or roasted, unsalted pistachios, plus more for decorating
Preheat oven to 300° F (150° C).
Put 1 1/2 cups of the mixed dried fruit in a large, heat-proof bowl. Pour the hot cranberry juice over the fruit, cover, and let soak for 15 minutes. Put the remaining 2 1/2 cups of the dried fruit in a medium saucepan and set aside.
Drain the soaked fruit into a strainer, over the saucepan with the remaining dried fruit, pouring the soaking juice into the saucepan. Do not wash the bowl. Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil over high heat, adjust the heat to a simmer and cook until most of the juice is absorbed, about 8-12 minutes.
Transfer the cooked fruit to a food processor, add the cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract, process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to the large bowl that you used for soaking, add the almond flour, and mix to combine. Stir in the soaked fruit and pistachios, making sure to mix thoroughly.
Line a 10" cake pan with parchment paper and press the fruit-nut mixture into the pan, evening it out with a spoon. Decorate the top with more pistachios. Bake for 1 hour, until firm. Let the cake cool completely before slicing. For the cleanest cuts, refrigerate the cake overnight before slicing. Store the fruit cake refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or longer.
Note
Other fruit juice, like orange juice, apple juice, or grape juice can be used in place of the cranberry juice.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
You can absolutely treat this recipe as a template and make it your own so many different ways. Try adding other spices, a different fruit juice, other nuts/seeds, chocolate chips, candied ginger, etc.