Irrelevant Facts – Fresh Fruit Cake

Nobody asked, but here are some totally irrelevant, although real, facts:

• Just the other day I’ve opened a fortune cookie from the Chinese restaurant with no fortune inside. That made me a little disturbed.
• I wanted to be a supermarket cashier when I grew up.
• I’ve watched “The Sound of Music” more than a hundred times.
• I’ve tasted armadillo meat once.
• If I had a superpower, it would be complete control of time.
• If I could choose a second superpower, it’d be invisibility.
• My 2 year-old says please and thank you.
• I absolutely can’t stand when people bring a guitar to a party. Unless it’s Eric Clapton.
• Sometimes I get too lazy to use the electric mixer when making a cake and do it by hand, but always regret it when my arm starts to hurt.

Fresh Fruit Cake (from here)

I’ve made this cake a few times now, using different kinds of fruit – it’s always great, with berries, apples or even kiwis. The recipe suggests you mix the batter by hand, but you can do it with an electric mixer too.

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups diced fruit (I used blueberries, strawberries and blackberries, frozen)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the grated lemon zest. Add the eggs, and vanilla, stirring each to combine. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8″ pan. Top with the fruit. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture on top of the fruit. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned.