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Fruitcake Recipe for Athletes

Store-bought fruitcake gets a bad rap for its mystery neon bits, clawing sweetness and bizarre texture. Homemade fruitcake, on the other hand, can be an amazing, nutrient-dense food to eat during a long hike or bike ride.

This simple, 200-calorie-per-serving holiday loaf skips the rum and neon candied things, and calls for your favorite dried fruits and nuts—or trail mix. Quick tip: Soak the trail mix overnight in a large bowl of orange juice in the fridge.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cane sugar
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 cup flour (gluten-free baking mix also works well)
  • 2 cups trail mix, soaked and excess juice strained out
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon orange marmalade

More: 4 Delicious Recovery Smoothies

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line the bottom of a 6- or 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vanilla and sugar. Then, one item at a time, whisk in the eggs, flour, soaked and strained trail mix, cinnamon and orange marmalade.

Pour the batter into the lined cake pan and bake on the center oven rack for approximately 90 minutes, until a knife poked into the center comes out clean.

Serves 8

More: Homemade No-Bake Protein Bars

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About the Author

Biju Thomas

Biju Thomas is a lifelong cyclist and self-taught chef based in Boulder, Colorado. With Dr. Allen Lim, he co-authored the popular FeedZone cookbooks, and co-founded SkratchLabs, a nutrition and hydration company. Follow Biju on Instagram and Twitter, and at www.SkratchLabs.com.
Biju Thomas is a lifelong cyclist and self-taught chef based in Boulder, Colorado. With Dr. Allen Lim, he co-authored the popular FeedZone cookbooks, and co-founded SkratchLabs, a nutrition and hydration company. Follow Biju on Instagram and Twitter, and at www.SkratchLabs.com.

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