Fruitcake Bars

This fruitcake is going to ruin my holiday season.  Seriously.  I was flipping through Canadian Living the other day and came across this recipe for Fruitcake Bars. Now I realize that fruitcake is one of those things that is controversial.  I’ve never been a big fan of fruitcake especially from only really having the kind that you get from the supermarket.  Gross.  My uncle makes Jamaican Black Cake over the holidays but that’s another story.  I realized that fruitcakes could be delicious when I tried a Monastery Fruitcake from Berryville, Virginia. It was delicious and fresh and the dried fruit wasn’t freaky!

This year I wanted to order a fruitcake from them for the holidays but never got around to it (next year, I swear!) but still have been craving some yummy fruitcake.  I considered finding a local purveyor but didn’t want to think about the whole endeavour that long.  When I saw the Canadian Living recipe the whole thing seemed very feasible.  What made me very happy was that the recipe didn’t call for raisins.  Raisins freak me out.  It called for dried pears.  Dried pears!  Who knew that dried pears belonged in fruitcake?  The recipe had me at hello.

I headed out to my local bulk store and stocked up on various dried and candied fruits, went to the LCBO and bought some rum and went to work.  I ended up making a 9″ x 9″ cake instead of a 13″ x 9″ cake – so I made about 3/4 of the recipe instead of the full one.  That was fine.  I also forgot to buy icing sugar at the bulk store and then my local Metro was sold out of icing sugar (crazy!) so I decided to forgo doing an icing rather than trek around my neighbourhood in search of icing sugar.  Not a problem. And Brazil nuts don’t do it for me so I went for pecans.

Now I say that this cake is ruining my holiday season because I made the cake on Saturday evening.  It is now Monday evening and there is only a 2-inch square of cake left.  There are only two of us eating this cake.  I kid you not.  This cake is so delicious that it has been inhaled.  I’m contemplating making another one for New Year’s… I’m not quite done with quenching my thirst for fruitcake!  This cake is so moist, just boozy enough with the rum and the fruit to cake ratio is perfect.

I’m loving it.

Rating: ***** (out of 5)

Fruitcake Bars

1 cup (250 mL) candied mixed peel
3/4 cup (175 mL) each coarsely chopped dried apricots and  dried pears
3/4 cup (175 mL) coarsely chopped candied pineapple
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup (50 mL) amber rum or brandy
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp (4 mL) mace (or 1/4 tsp/1 mL ground nutmeg)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cinnamon and allspice
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
Pinch baking soda
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) liquid honey
3 eggs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
3/4 cup (175 mL) coarsely chopped Brazil nuts
Rum butter Icing:
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter
2 cups (500 mL) icing sugar
4 tsp (20 mL) amber rum

Preparation:
In large bowl, combine mixed peel, apricots, pears, pineapple, ginger and rum; toss well. Cover and let stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

In small bowl, whisk together flour, mace, cinnamon, allspice, salt and baking soda. In separate bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and honey until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time; beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until incorporated. Add fruit mixture and Brazil nuts; stir to combine. Scrape into 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan lined with double layer of parchment paper.

Set shallow pan on bottom rack of 300°F (150°C) oven; pour in enough hot water to come halfway up sides. Bake bars on centre rack until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Let cool in pan on rack; remove from pan and remove paper.

Rum Butter Icing: In bowl, beat together butter, icing sugar and rum until smooth; spread over bars. Trim edges. Cut crosswise into 6 bars. Cut each into 12 slices.
Additional Information

* Tip: To soak dried fruit quickly, toss with rum in microwaveable bowl. Then cover and microwave on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Let cool, covered, until at room temperature, about 1 hour.

(From Canadian Living, December 2008)