Final answer:
To make both a chocolate cake and a fruit cake, you need a total of 8 cups of flour, which is the sum of 5 cups for the chocolate cake and 3 cups for the fruit cake.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the total amount of flour needed for both a chocolate cake and a fruit cake, you simply add the amount of flour required for each cake. According to the given information, a chocolate cake requires 5 cups of flour and a fruit cake requires 3 cups of flour. Thus, the total amount of flour needed for both cakes is:
5 cups (for chocolate cake) + 3 cups (for fruit cake) = 8 cups of flour.
Therefore, you will need 8 cups of flour to make both cakes.