Festive Holiday Fruitcake Bark Food

FESTIVE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom and sides of 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan with flour no-stick cooking spray.
• COMBINE water, oil and eggs in large bowl. Beat well. Add quick bread mix, pecans, raisins, cherries and pineapple. Stir with spoon until combined. Pour into prepared pan.
• BAKE 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool 1 hour longer or until completely cooled.
• WRAP tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate at least 8 hours. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in freezer for up to 3 months.
• Just before serving: HEAT jelly or syrup in microwave 10 seconds or until melted and smooth. Brush over fruitcake. Garnish with additional cherries and pecans, if desired.

FESTIVE HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE BARK

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine candied fruit and brandy. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours, stirring occasionally., Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with waxed paper. Reserve 2 tablespoons candied fruit and 2 tablespoons walnuts for topping. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Stir in marshmallows, cookie pieces and remaining fruit and walnuts., Spread into prepared pan (pan will not be full). Sprinkle with reserved fruit and walnuts; press into candy coating. Let stand until set. Break or cut bark into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

HOLIDAY FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• For the candied peels:
• For this recipe, the peels include not only the colored parts of the skin but the pith as well. Cut wedges through the skin of the citrus fruits, pull the skin off the fruit, and dice it into pieces about 3/8 inch thick-you will have about 2¼ cups of diced peel. (The flesh of the fruit can be used for juice or in salads.) You may also collect and use the peels left over from squeezing oranges or grapefruits in the morning.
• Put the diced fruit peel in a saucepan with 6 cups of cold water, bring to a boil, and cook over high heat for about 1 minute, then drain in a colander. Wash the pieces for a few seconds under cold tap water. Rinse the saucepan with cold water, return the diced fruit peel to the pan, and add another 6 cups of water. Repeat the boiling, draining, and washing procedure, and wash the saucepan again. This blanching process removes the bitterness from the peel. Finally, return the diced peel to the saucepan with the sugar and 1½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until reduced to a very syrupy liquid.
• Add the dried apricots, dried pears, dried peaches, and raisins to the candied peels and syrup. Mix in the rum, Armagnac, or cognac. At this point, the mixture can be placed in a jar and kept, refrigerated, almost indefinitely.
• To make the cake:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the soft butter and sugar for 1 minute in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a flat beater. Add the eggs, and beat for 30 seconds. Add the orange juice, salt, and flour, and beat for 10 to 20 seconds, just enough to incorporate. Using a spatula, fold in the candied and dried fruits.
• Cut a strip of parchment paper long enough to fit the length of a 6-to-8-cup loaf pan and extend 1½ inches beyond it at either end. (This makes it easy to unmold the cake after baking.) Butter the paper and the mold, bottom and sides, and position the paper in the mold, buttered side up, pressing to make it adhere to the bottom and sides at either end. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Place the loaf pan on a cookie sheet, and bake in the 350-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and cook for another 60 to 70 minutes, until completely set inside.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack. When cool, unmold, wrap in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil, and keep either frozen or in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a couple of weeks.
• To serve:
• Cut into ½-inch slices, and serve. This cake is a nice accompaniment to cream custard but can be served alone or with fresh fruit and nuts.

FESTIVE FRUITCAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease four 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans, and then line with brown paper or foil. Grease again.
• In a large container stir raisins, currants, candied fruit mix, candied cherries, maraschino cherries, dates, and 1 cup flour together until all the fruit is well coated with flour.
• Measure 2 1/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium bowl. Stir to mix.
• In a very large bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Beat in egg yolks three at a time. Stir in pineapple with juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with fruit juice in 2 parts to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in walnuts.
• In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into batter, and stir in fruit gently. Divide batter among pans. Smooth.
• Bake for about 3 hours until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean.

FESTIVE HOLIDAY BARK

Steps:

• Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
• Place candy coating in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Stir, and microwave at 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth.
• Place pretzels and candy coated chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Pour melted coating over and stir until well coated. Spread onto waxed paper lined baking sheet. Let stand until firm or place in refrigerator to set up faster. Store in a container at room temperature.

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.