In Nature’s Candy, award-winning cookbook author Camilla Wynne welcomes you into the magical world of candying fruit—the classic tradition of imbuing fruit with sugar to preserve it as a glistening confection—and tempts curious bakers to work with this fascinating ingredient in a choose your own adventure–style masterclass. Will you candy the whole fruit (cherries, anyone?) or just pieces (hello, orange peel!)? And which of Camilla’s classic and contemporary baking recipes will you select to let it shine? Will it be the Stollen Pound Cake or maybe the Ginger Cashew Caramel Corn? Or perhaps the Banana Split Blondies?

As Camilla’s previous cookbook, Jam Bake, was for baking with jam, Nature’s Candy is a game-changing cookbook for baking with candied fruit, thanks to its:

• Foundational Candying Methods: With nine streamlined techniques to candy your fruit—and a handy chart to guide you on which candied methods are best for each type of fruit—you will create artisanal, jewel-like confections in no time.

• Decadent Recipes for Bakers of All Levels: Level up your baking and confection-making by using candied fruit (and its syrup) in accessible recipes for cakes, cookies, pies, and even more fruity desserts. Enjoy Red Currant Cupcakes, Fruitcake Cookies, Candied Fig & Walnut Baklava, and many more.

• Helpful Tips, Simplifications & More: Thanks to Camilla’s FAQ section, tips, and substitutions, candying fruit is now as easy as baking cookies. And if you don’t feel like candying, don’t let that stop you baking—just follow Camilla’s helpful advice on using store-bought candied fruit instead.

With its inspired photography and design, this one-of-a-kind cookbook on how to make and put candied fruit to good use—plus the fascinating history and science behind it—will turn any baker into a candied fruit expert.

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Stollen Pound Cake

I love stollen, the rich German Christmas bread full of candied fruit, especially the version with a thick vein of marzipan running through the center. But I’ll be honest with you—when I’m feeling lazy, I’m not always up for a yeasted dough, what with its kneading and rising and shaping. Thus, I created this very easy-to-make pound cake, with all the flavors of stollen (except for yeasty) and complete with a marzipan tunnel, and it’s pretty impressive in its own right! This is particularly true if you bring it to the table on a beautiful cake stand garnished with candied cranberries and crystallized rosemary. As far as mixed fruit goes, use whatever you like, but I usually go for some mix of citrus, cherries, and quince. Note: You will want to start this the night before.

Serves 16

185 g (¾ cup) mixed diced candied fruits (pages 56–57)

120 g (¾ cup) golden raisins

60 g (½ cup) slivered almonds

125 mL (½ cup) dark rum

420 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour

2 tsp Mixed Spice (See below)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

300 g (1½ cups) sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Zest of 1 lemon

230 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp almond extract

250 g (1 cup) sour cream

230 g (8 oz) marzipan

77 g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter, melted

63–125 g (½–1 cup) icing sugar, for dusting

Optional Garnishes

Candied cranberries (page 39)

Crystallized fresh bay leaves (page 49)

Crystallized rosemary (page 49)

 

The night before you make the cake, in a medium bowl, combine the candied fruits, raisins, almonds, and rum. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan well with butter and dust with flour.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, mixed spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the sugar and use your fingertips to rub in the orange and lemon zest. Add the room-temperature butter and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the almond extract.

With the mixer running on low speed, add one- third of the flour mixture and then half of the sour cream. Alternate until all the flour and sour cream are incorporated. Add the candied fruit mixture (including any liquid at the bottom of the bowl) and mix until incorporated.

Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan. Roll the marzipan into an even rope and form it into a circle that will fit in the center. Place the marzipan circle in the center of the batter and cover with the remaining batter.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before unmolding.

Using a pastry brush, paint the top and sides of the cake with the melted butter, then sift half of the icing sugar over top. There’s no easy way to get full coverage, as with a traditional stollen—you have to use your hands to pat the icing sugar on the sides. Keep patting until the icing sugar sticks and is dusted to your liking, so use as much as you need, but reserve some for sifting. Let cool completely, then sift the remaining icing sugar over top. Decorate with candied cranberries, crystallized bay leaves, or crystallized rosemary, if desired.

The cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for at least 5 days.

 

Mixed Spice

It’s been over a decade now since I came up with this blend, which is perfect for bringing winter warmth and holiday spirit to anything it touches.

Makes 60 mL (¼ cup)

2 tsp whole cloves

6 allspice berries

1 star anise

3 green cardamom pods (husks discarded)

3 blades of mace (optional)

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon

1½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Use a spice grinder (mine doubles as my coffee grinder!) to finely grind the cloves, allspice, star anise, cardamom seeds, and mace, if using. Transfer to a small jar and mix in the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

The spice will keep in a tightly sealed jar at room temperature for at least 6 months.

Excerpted from Nature’s Candy by Camilla Wynne. Copyright © 2024 Camilla Wynne. Photographs by Mickaël A. Bandassak. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.