Are you looking to elevate your baking game without hurting your bank balance? You are at the right place. Here are tips on incorporating fruits and nuts into your baked goods and taking them to a different level. Fruits and nuts add more to a cake than just visual appeal. They also add texture and flavour and are incredibly nutritious:
Choosing the suitable fruits for your cake
Some factors are essential to consider when selecting the right fruits. The flavour of the cake and the fruit should complement each other. The fruits should be added to your cake, not removed. Different fruits add different dimensions to the cake. Fresh fruits like berries, citruses, and pineapples add freshness and moisture to the cake, while dried fruits like raisins, apricots, etc., contribute sweetness and chewiness to the texture.
Avoid using fruits with high water content, like watermelons, as this causes your cake to become soggy. Instead, go for fruits that can hold their shape through baking, like chunks of pineapple in a pineapple cake. If you use berries in your cake, toss them in the flour before folding them into the batter. This prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom of the cake and dissolving in the cake batter, maintaining their chewy texture.
Dried fruits add a chewy texture and deepen the flavour of your cake. Chop your dried fruits into small pieces so that they are evenly distributed in the batter. Another tip is to soak your dried fruits in water before adding them to the cake batter. This prevents the fruits from soaking up the moisture from your cake.
Adding nuts to your cake
Nuts are a great way to add texture to your cake. Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts add crunch and an earthy flavour. Before incorporating them into your cake, it is best to toast the nuts to enhance the flavour. Depending on the effect, you can chop the nuts into smaller pieces or add big chunks.
You can incorporate nuts into your cake in various ways. You can either fold the nuts directly into the cake batter or sprinkle them on top of it before baking. This adds to the appearance of your cake. For cakes with rich flavours, like banana or chocolate cake, nuts complement these flavours and add balance.
You can also experiment by adding both fruits and nuts to your cake. Be mindful of the flavours of the fruit and nuts you plan to pair. If you want something unique, bananas, walnuts, apricots, and almonds are a classic pair. Â Adding fruits and nuts adds elements to your cake and elevates your baking experience.
