Fruit cake, renowned for its succulent taste and zesty flavours, often poses a challenge to bakers aiming to avoid a dry outcome.

Adding extra liquid seems like the obvious solution for a succulent bake, but one celebrity chef claims the answer lies elsewhere in your kitchen.

Tristan Welch suggests using nutrient-dense peelings from raw vegetables to plump up the moisture content in your homemade fruit cakes.

These peels inject colour, flavour, and additional moisture into the mix, making them perfect for baking and reducing food waste – a boon for your wallet and the environment.

Peelings, often viewed as a waste or compost product, are brimming with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide many benefits when consumed.

Culinary star Tristan took to TikTok to reveal his delicious recipe. In a video on his profile (@chef_tristan_welch), the chef said: "The secret to this fruit cake is vegetable peelings. Using veggie peelings will keep your cake beautifully moist and is a great way to avoid wasting food!"

Tristan suggested using carrot, parsnip, apple, pear, and broccoli stalk peelings with a natural sweetness in the cake.

Other worthy additions include finely sliced cabbage and even Brussels sprouts. However, the chef cautioned against using potato peels in this recipe.

As for the quantities, the best approach is to save up your leftover peelings and freeze them until you have 260g worth.

The fruit cake is incredibly straightforward and can be done in five steps. Start by blending the sugar, eggs, coconut oil, and veggie peelings in a food processor.

Then add spices, bicarbonate of soda, self-raising flour and orange zest and continue to blend.

Gently fold the walnuts and dried fruit and pour into a lined loaf tin before baking at 170C for 35-40 minutes.

Tristan advised: "Test [the sponge] with a skewer and, if it comes out dry, you know it's cooked and ready to go! I love to leave this cake for a day and then have a slice toasted and spread with hot butter - it's absolutely gorgeous."