Orange Date Nut Diamonds Food

ORANGE DATE-NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat a low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in dates, pecans and 2 tablespoons orange rind. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake at 350F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comed out clean.
• Bring orange juice, remaining sugar and remaining rind to a boil in a saucepan; cool 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Gently, run a knife around edge of the cake; punch holes in the cake with a wooden pick. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

ORANGE DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, then grease a 15"x10" baking pan.
• In a saucepan, combine dates, brown sugar, water & butter, then bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer 5 minutes or until dates are softened, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat & stir in chocolate chips.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk & orange juice.
• In another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda & salt, then ALTERNATELY add this dry mixture AND the orange juice mixture to the date mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in the walnuts, then pour into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven & let cool on a wire rack.
• For the glaze, in a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter & orange zest, then stir in milk a little at a time until glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over the cooled base before cutting.into bars.

ORANGE GLAZED DATE NUT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl combine all ingredients for bars. Mix well.
• Pour into greased and floured 13x9" pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Cool.
• In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth.
• Pour evenly oven date bread.
• Cut into bars.

OLD FASHIONED DATE NUT BARS

Steps:

• Combine filling ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer a few minutes till thickened. Set aside and let cool.
• For the base, sift together dry ingredients.
• Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, and dry ingredients and walnuts. Add lemon juice and zest to moisten.
• Spread on a cookie sheet and up the sides.
• Spread cooled filling over crust.
• Combine filling ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle on top and bake at 375 F for 35-40 minute.
• Original recipe calls for the bars to be baked on a cookie sheet pan. We like them thicker, so I put them in a 9 X 13 cake pan.
• Cool and cut unto bars.
• To serve sprinkle liberally with 10X sugar.

ORANGE DATE NUT BRAN MUFFINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Grease one 12-cup muffin tin.
• In a large bowl, combine bran cereal, water and oil, stirring until bran softens.
• In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, orange juice, molasses, honey, orange zest, and egg until blended.
• In a small bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt.
• Add buttermilk mixture to bran, stirring to combine.
• Add flour mixture, dates and walnuts to bran mixture, stirring just until flour is moistened.
• Spoon into muffin cups, and bake until top springs back when lightly pressed, about 18 minutes.
• Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

ORANGE DATE NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar.
• Add eggs.
• Sift flour and soda together.
• Add 2 cups of the sifted flour and soda alternately with the buttermilk.
• Add dates, nuts, and grated rind.
• Grease and flour a tube pan or angel food cake pan.
• Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.
• While cake is baking, grate the rind of another orange and add to orange juice and sugar.
• When cake is done, pour half of the sauce mixture gradually over the cake as soon as it is removed from oven.
• The cake will absorb this mixture.
• Wait about 15 minutes and invert the pan on a cake plate.
• Pour remaining mixture on top and sides.
• This cake is better when served cold.
• In fact, don't even try to slice while still warm.
• The cake will stay fresh for one to two weeks in the fridge.

DATE CRANBERRY ORANGE BARS

Steps:

• Beat margarine and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy.
• Stir in 1 cup of flour.
• Press onto bottom of a 8" square pan.
• Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes until edges are golden brown.
• Beat eggs well.
• Stir in remaining sugar, flour, dates, cranberries and juice.
• Pour over crust.
• Bake 20 minutes more or until lightly browned.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• Cut into bars.

ORANGE DATE-NUT DIAMONDS

Steps:

• Combine sugar, orange juice concentrate and water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves; bring to rolling boil. Pour syrup into small bow. Refrigerate uncovered until cold and thickened, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom of 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine 1/2 cup cake meal, potato starch and cinnamon in small bowl; whisk to blend. Combine dates and remaining 1 tablespoon cake meal in medium bowl. Toss to coat and separate pieces. Mix chocolate and nuts into dates.
• Beat margarine and 1 cup orange syrup in large bowl until blended. Add egg yolks 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange peel, then dry ingredients; stir in date mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites and salt in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold large spoonful of whites into batter to lighten. Fold in remaining whites in 3 additions.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
• Using small sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from oranges. Working over bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Chill until ready to serve.
• Brush some of remaining orange syrup over cake. Cut cake lengthwise into 4 equal strips. Cut each strip into 3 diamonds (reserving remaining cake for nibbling). Place cake on platter. Mix enough of remaining orange syrup into oranges to sweeten to taste. Serve cake with fruit.