Costa Rican Christmas Cake

From Stephanie A., Guanacaste, Costa Rica

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 cups of sugar (preferably brown sugar)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1 small tablespoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 small teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 cups of walnuts and almonds (finely chopped, crushed, or ground)
• 3 cups of candied fruit
• 1 and a half cups of rum
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• Lemon zest (from one or two lemons, depending on size)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180∘C (350∘F approximately).

1. Sift the flour, as well as the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Beat the sugar, the 6 eggs, the oil, and gradually the orange juice and lemon zest well. Start mixing this way: alternate between the juice and the candied fruit.
3. Once all the ingredients are properly combined, continue mixing, but with more care and gently fold in the rest of the fruit and nuts.
4. You can place the mixture into two cake molds, which are typically rectangular. You can grease them or line the bottom with parchment paper.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes. Always be attentive to ensure it is browning and not burning, as some ovens may be more powerful. Always keeping an eye on it to prevent the recipe from burning. A good method to check if the cake is ready is to insert a wooden skewer and see if it comes out clean.
6. When it's ready, take it out and moisten the cake with rum. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can moisten it with apple juice or non-alcoholic wine about two to three times to achieve a moist texture.

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