White Chocolate Roasted Pecans Candied Orange Peel Cake Food

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE FRUITCAKE WITH PECANS

Steps:

• For cake:
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Generously butter and flour 12-cup angel food cake pan. Combine toasted pecans, chopped dried figs, prunes, dates, orange juice concentrate, Grand Marnier and grated orange peel in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Sift flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Combine brown sugar and 6 ounces chocolate in processor and chop into small pieces.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl to blend. Add chocolate mixture and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in prune butter. Stir in 1/4 of dry ingredients. Mix in fruit mixture and remaining dry ingredients in 3 additions each.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted near center with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour 55 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Turn pan over onto rack; let stand 5 minutes. Lift off pan; cool cake completely. Wrap cake in plastic and store at room temperature 2 days.
• For Glaze:
• Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate; stir until melted and smooth. Whisk in orange juice concentrate.
• Place cake on rack. Spread some of chocolate glaze thickly over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Spread remaining chocolate glaze over cake, covering completely. Sprinkle with chopped candied fruit peel, if desired. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes to set glaze. (Fruitcake can be prepared 3 weeks ahead. Wrap cake in plastic and refrigerate.)

CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Place pecans in a shallow baking pan in a 250° oven for 10 minutes or until warmed. Grease a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside. , Grease the sides of a large heavy saucepan with remaining butter; add sugar, water, salt and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Cover; cook 2 minutes to dissolve any sugar crystals that may form on the sides of pan., Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 236° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat; add vanilla. Stir in warm pecans until evenly coated. , Spread onto prepared baking pan. Bake at 250° for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Spread on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet to cool.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Making the Candied Orange Peel
• Wash the oranges and remove the peel with a sharp vegetable peeler, avoiding any white pith. Put the orange peel in a saucepan with 4 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 5 Minutes. Drain. Repeat this process one more time.
• Put 1 cup of the sugar and 1 2/3 cups water in a clean saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the blanched orange peel to the boiling syrup, immediately remove from the heat, cover the pan, and set aside overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, drain the peel, reserving the syrup. Add 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar to the reserved syrup, bring to a boil, and return the peel to the syrup. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside overnight at room temperature. Repeat this process three more times, over three nights, adding 1/3 cup sugar each time. Once the peel is candied, let drain at room temperature for 1 day, then cut into thin slivers. (The peel can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month.)
• Dipping
• Temper the dark chocolate . Using a fork, dip each strip of candied orange peel in the chocolate, then lay it on an acetate sheet. Refrigerate the chocolate-dipped strips for 10 Minutes before detaching from the sheet. (Store in a cool place away from moisture for up to 1 month.)

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, cut the orange part of the peel from the stem end of the orange down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch-wide strips. Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water.
• Stir the sugar and 1/2 cup of fresh water in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the orange peels and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to a sheet of parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour.
• Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the chocolate in a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Dip 1 1/2-inches of each candied orange peel into the chocolate then place them on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 15 minutes.

WHITE CHOCOLATE, ROASTED PECANS & CANDIED ORANGE PEEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease and flour a bundt pan.
• In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
• In a medium sized bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt, and orange rind together and set aside.
• Now in a small bowl add the sour cream and orange juice together.
• Add the flour and juice mixtures to the egg butter mixture, alternating and starting and ending with the flour mixture, until well blended.
• Add the white chocolate, candied orange peel and roasted pecans to the cake batter.
• Pour into pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until tested done.
• Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, remove and cool on wire rack while you make the glaze.
• Melt chocolate & orange juice in microwave on medium heat for 2 minutes.
• Sir until all chocolate is melted.
• Add the icing sugar and orange rind mix until smooth.
• Drizzle over cake.

CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl.
• Whisk egg white and water together in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in the egg white mixture. Mix sugar mixture into pecan mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread coated pecans onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned, 1 hour.

ORANGE-SUGARED PECANS

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water and orange juice concentrate. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in pecans and orange zest. , Beat until mixture thickens and loses its gloss, about 2 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper to set. Store in an airtight container.