Fruity Cake

This fruit-studded loaf cake takes a clever shortcut by starting with a boxed apple spice or oat bran muffin mix as the base. The mix handles the flour, leavening, and spice, so you can focus on loading it up with four kinds of dried fruit plus chopped nuts and fresh orange zest.

Dates, dried papaya, dried pears, and raisins give every slice a different chewy, sweet bite. Tossing the fruit and nuts with the dry mix before combining with the wet ingredients coats them in flour, which keeps them from sinking to the bottom during baking. That’s a trick worth remembering for any fruit-heavy batter.

Sesame oil in place of standard vegetable oil is an unusual choice that adds a subtle, nutty warmth. Combined with honey and vanilla, the batter smells incredible before it even hits the oven. The orange zest goes in last, and three tablespoons is generous, so you get that citrus punch in every bite.

Pro Tips

• Chop all the dried fruit to roughly the same size so it distributes evenly through the batter
• The egg is listed as optional. Including it gives a sturdier crumb; leaving it out makes a denser, more pudding-like texture
• Check doneness with a toothpick at 40 minutes. The fruit can make the center appear wet even when the cake is baked through
• Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before turning out. Warm fruit cake crumbles easily

Variations

• Soak the dried fruit in brandy or rum overnight for a boozy holiday fruitcake version
• Add dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots in place of the papaya
• Fold in crystallized ginger for a spicy-sweet twist