Layered Neopolitan Squares Food

NEAPOLITAN BARS

Steps:

• Line a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Divide dough in thirds. Tint one portion green and one portion red; leave the remaining portion white. Add chocolate chips to green portion, cherries to red portion and coconut and rum extract to white portion. Spread one portion into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are golden brown., Immediately invert onto a wire rack and remove waxed paper. Place another wire rack on top and turn over. Cool completely. Repeat with remaining portions, preparing pan each time., Place pink layer on a large piece of plastic wrap, about 30 in. long. Spread with cherry preserves. Top with white layer and spread with apricot preserves. Top with green layer. Bring plastic over layers. Slide onto a baking sheet and set a cutting board on top to compress layers. Refrigerate overnight., With a sharp knife, trim 1/4 in. from each edge. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

EASY NEAPOLITAN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-x-5-inch or a 8.5-x-4.5-x-2.5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the cake mix, egg whites, oil and 1 cup water in a bowl using an electric mixer, mixing until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among 3 bowls. Leave the first bowl plain. To the second bowl, add the cocoa powder and mix well. To the third bowl, add the freeze-dried strawberries and food coloring to achieve your desired color.
• Using an ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops of chocolate mix into the loaf pan in different areas. Follow with 2 scoops of strawberry mix and 2 scoops of vanilla. Repeat until all the batter is used and the cake has a marbled appearance. Place in the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
• While the cake bakes, make the ganache. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a low heat until just simmering. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, then pour the cream over the chips and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack (not inverted) and let cool.
• Pour the ganache over the cake, letting any excess drip down the sides.

NEAPOLITAN HOLIDAY COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 3 quarter-sheet pans (or three 13-by-9-by-2-inch jelly roll pans) with cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray as well.
• Place the almond paste in the bowl of a stand mixer. Break it up into small pieces with a fork. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and add the butter and sugar to the bowl. Beat the mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg yolks, and beat until incorporated. Turn the mixer off and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
• Clean the mixer bowl thoroughly and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until thoroughly blended.
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a medium bowl, then transfer another 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a second medium bowl. Add the red food coloring to one of the bowls and stir until the batter is tinted throughout. Add the green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until the batter is tinted throughout. Scrape each of the three batters into one of the prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the pans halfway through, until the edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
• To assemble, place the green layer on a large cutting board or a large inverted baking sheet lined with wax paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the top. Place the yellow layer on top and spread with the apricot preserves. If there are large chunks of apricots, remove and chop them up to make them more spreadable. Top with the red layer. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy cutting board on top to weight it down. Refrigerate overnight.
• Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and melt in the microwave on low power about 2 minutes. Spread the chocolate on top of the cooled cake and let dry slightly. Trim the rim of the cake with a serrated knife to make clean edges. Cut the cake crosswise into twelve 1-inch-wide strips, then cut lengthwise into 1 1/4-inch strips. The cookies will keep, covered, up to 1 week.

GLUTEN-FREE NEAPOLITAN SQUARES

Steps:

• For first layer, combine all ingredients and press into greased 9"x9" pan.
• Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 10 minutes.
• For second layer, combine coconut with milk and spread over bottom layer.
• Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20 minutes and allow to cool.
• For third layer, beat all ingredients together, adding more juice if necessary.
• Spread over cooled bars and store at least one day in an airtight container before cutting.
• Enjoy!