Easy Fruitcake Bars Food

FESTIVE FRUITCAKE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. In large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, butter, orange peel, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and egg with spoon.
• In medium bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, the cherries, dates and pecans; stir into brown sugar mixture. Spread in pan.
• Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat all Orange Glaze ingredients over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly. Drizzle cooled bars with glaze. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 3 rows.

FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, dredge candied fruit and raisins in 1 cup flour.
• In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in bourbon and milk. Mix in remaining flour and spices. Stir in fruit and nuts. Refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on wire racks.

FRUITCAKE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and walnuts; mix well. Spread evenly into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with pineapple, cherries and dates; press lightly into dough. , Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

EASY FRUIT & NUT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, leaving ends of foil hanging over sides of pan; spray with cooking spray.
• Beat cake mix, COOL WHIP and egg in large bowl with mixer until blended. (Batter will be thick.) Stir in nuts and cranberries.
• Spread onto bottom of prepared pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool completely.
• Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over dessert. Use foil overhang to remove dessert from pan; slice into bars.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE BARS

Steps:

• Beat eggs with a mixer until they are golden yellow and doubled in volume - 2 or 3 minutes.
• Add in 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and vanilla.
• Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Take 2 tablespoons of flour mixture and stir in with candied fruit, nuts and currants, to keep fruit from clumping in the batter.
• Add the rest of the flour mix to the eggs and sugar.
• Fold fruit and nuts into batter.
• Spoon batter into a well greased 11" by 7" pan.
• Some years I use parchment paper instead.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Mix together rum and second cup of powdered sugar to make a glaze.
• Spread the icing onto the bars about 5 minutes after they've come out of the oven.
• Let bars cool and cut into bars.

EASY FRUITCAKE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and orange zest until blended. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture until well combined. Stir in walnuts and the reserved fruit mixture., Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

QUICK AND EASY FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the over to 350F (180C). Butter an 8x8 baking dish.
• In a big bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar just until it all comes together, about 30 seconds, no more.
• Add the flour (and baking powder if using) and wisk together just until the flour disappears and there are no more lumps, about 45 seconds, no more. The batter will be quite thick and there won't be a lot of it.
• Spread the fruit over the bottom of the dish and spread the batter over. It will barely cover the fruit and it'll look like it's not enough, but it will be great. Alternatively you can mix the fruit with the batter.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes depending on your oven. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean when the cake is ready.

FRUITCAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; butter paper, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt; set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat brandy until simmering. Remove from heat, and stir in fruit; cool to room temperature. Toss brandied fruit with 1 cup flour mixture; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in vanilla. With mixer on low, add remaining flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in fruit mixture; transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan for 1 hour. Using paper overhang, lift out of pan; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (still on paper). Invert fruitcake, and peel off paper; flip upright, and cut into 24 diamonds with a serrated knife. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

WORLD'S BEST FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• The Day Before Baking: Combine the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl. Add the dark rum, cover, and allow the mixture to soak at room temperature for a minimum of 12 hours, or ideally 24 hours prior to preparing the fruit cake batter.
• Prepare the Fruitcake: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) with a rack in the center position. Set aside two 8x4-inch All Clad Pro-Release Bakeware Loaf Pans. If using these pans, you do not need to line or grease the pans prior to adding the batter. Equipment Note: This fruitcake can also be prepared using 9x5-inch loaf pans. If using other types of pans, lightly grease and line with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and light brown sugar together over medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating just until each egg is incorporated. The mixture will look slightly broken, that's ok.
• Over low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just absorbed. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the lemon zest, orange zest, fresh orange juice, grated apple, slivered almonds, diced candied ginger, soaked dried fruit mixture (along with any liquid if it hasn't already been absorbed), and chocoate (if using). Stir mixture with a large spatula, scraping the edges and bottom of the bowl several times, until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. It is a very thick, fruit heavy mixture.
• Transfer and divide the batter evenly among the loaf pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth the batter into an even layer. Set the loaf pans on the center rack, several inches apart from one another. Bake - rotating the pans halfway - for 75 to 90 minutes or until the batter is set and the tops are golden brown. The edges of the cake may also start to pull away slightly from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely before removing from the pans.
• Storing and Aging: Once the cake has cooled, carefully remove the cakes from the loaf pans and set upright. Soak two large pieces of cheesecloth in medium sherry or triple sec (*they should be lightly damp, not soaking wet when you wrap the cakes, so you may need to squeeze out any excess liquor). Wrap each cake tightly. Cover loafs with wax paper and foil before transferring to a large Ziploc bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 to 8 weeks (it can often last even longer). You can serve this cake right after it has cooled, but the flavors improve greatly with time (I recommend several days or up to a week, at minimum). Unwrap and re-soak the cheesecloth once a week.
• For Garnishing: If desired, you can top the fruitcake with a light apricot glaze and whole pecans before serving. Note: I don't recommend glazing the cake if you wish to continue to wrap and age the fruitcake. To Prepare the Glaze: Combine the apricot preserves and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a light simmer, stirring until the glaze is shiny and thin. If it is too thin for glazing, reduce to desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, add a teaspoon of water. Brush the tops of the fruitcakes with apricot glaze and garnish with whole pecans.
• Serving Notes: Slice fruit cake with a serrated knife. Serve on its own or spread with a small amount of salted butter.

SPICED FRUITCAKE WITH BRANDY RECIPE

Steps:

• The next day, heat the oven to 250 F. Place the uncovered pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake for a total of 3 1/2 to 4 hours.