Chocolate Fruit Cake for Christmas

Ingredients

• 75 g hazelnuts
• 75 g almond kernels
• 1 Organic lemon
• 1 Organic Orange
• 80 g dried apricots
• 80 g dried figs
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp gingerbread spice
• 70 g honey
• 150 g wheat flour type 1050
• 30 g cocoa powder
• 100 g dark chocolate shavings
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 2 tsp apricot jam
• 100 g roasted almond flakes

Instructions

1. 1.

   Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven at 190°C (fan 170°C; gas: level 2–3) for 5–10 minutes. Then rub off the skins with a clean cloth. Boil almonds in water, strain into a sieve and cool. Squeeze the kernels from their skins.

2. 2.

   Wash lemon and orange hot, dry, grate the zest and squeeze the juice. Cut apricots into not too small pieces. Halve or quarter figs. Mix lemon and orange zest, apricots and figs with 25 ml each of lemon and orange fruit juice and let stand.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile whisk eggs with cinnamon, gingerbread spice and honey over a hot water bath until frothy. Fold in flour, cocoa, chocolate shavings, baking powder, hazelnuts and almonds. Drain the softened fruits well, add them to the batter and mix thoroughly.

4. 4.

   Pour the dough into a flat springform lined with parchment paper and smooth the surface. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C (fan 130°C; gas: level 1–2) for about 35–45 minutes. Then transfer onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment, flip the cake over.

5. 5.

   Stir apricot jam with 1 tbsp boiling water until smooth, brush the edges of the cake and sprinkle roasted almond flakes on top, then let cool. Decorate as desired for Christmas.