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Spiced Tamarillo and Nut Cake

Spiced Tamarillo and Nut Cake is a traditional Argentinian recipe (originating in Patagonia) for a classic and rather unusual cake that uses tamarillos, nuts and raisins as the main cake flavourings. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Argentinian version of: Spiced Tamarillo and Nut Cake.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

45 minutes

Total Time:

65 minutes

Serves:

10

Rating:

Tags : Baking RecipesCake RecipesArgentina Recipes

The tamarillo is the wonder food of the moment. This is the fruit of Solanum betaceum a small shrub in the solonaceae (deadly nightshade) family (related to capsicums, potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines). The shrubs are very fruitful and bear fruit in clusters. A single tree in a pot can, over the three month fruiting period, produce more fruit than a single family can consume, so making preserves from the excess fruit is essential. They originate in South America, but with care and if brought indoors in the winter they will survive and bear fruit even in Northern climes. They are grown commercially in New Zealand and Portugal.

This is a rather interesting cake originating in Patagonia which combines Welsh and Spanish baking methods.

Ingredients:

225g dried tamarillos, chopped
230ml boiling water
460g self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
330g white sugar
3 eggs
350ml of a light oil (grape-seed oil or olive oil infused with lemon are good)
1 tsp each of powdered cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger
225g of walnuts finely chopped
225g of seedless raisins
grated rind of 1 orange

Method:

Pour the boiling water over the chopped dried tamarillos, add the raisins and orange rind to this and set aside to stand. Next prepare the liquid ingredients by mixing the eggs and oil to a large bowl and beating them all together well. Add the tamarillos, raisins and their seeping water to this and again mix together well. In another bowl mix together the flour, the spices and the sugar. Gently tip this into the bowl containing the liquid ingredients a little at a time, ensuring that each time the flour is properly folded into the oil and water mixture.

Finally add the nuts and fold in. If the mixture is too stiff at this point you can add a little milk to slacken it up (however, this recipe is an excellent cake for someone whose lactose intolerant if you're serving it for someone like this add more oil rather than milk). Bake in an oven pre-heated to 150°C (300°F/Gas Mark 2) for about 45 minutes.