Family Favorites...Bite Sized Fruit Cakes

  I am really not a fan of fruit cake, but these looked like they might be worth trying. The Taste of Home Holiday Recipe Card Collection featured these as a bite sized fruit cake. The recipe is for 10 dozen of the bite size cakes. I am going to give you the whole recipe, but unless you are baking for a crowd I would size this down.

  The taste is great, but the next batch I will not bake for as long. Also we felt the glaze could easily be left off. 
  I want to add here that they were so much better after they sat in an air tight container for a week. Most fruit cakes improve with age.

  I must confess I didn’t use the fruit mixture listed in the recipe as I had fruit cake fruit mixture from King Arthur Flour I wanted to use. No citron, etc in it and it has apricots which we all are fond of. I also could not find Brazil Nuts so used walnuts along with the pecans.

  I made some bite size and made two small loaf pans and 2 mini loaf pans. They are all good. The pans were certainly easier to deal with and that is what I will do the next batch. Feel free to use the fruit and nuts of your choice. 

  I was concerned there was not enough batter for the amount of fruit and nuts, but there was when they baked. You could not tell that though when you were filling the pans. I guess all you really need is enough to hold the goodies together.

Bite Sized Fruitcakes

½ cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

16 ounces chopped dates

¾ pound chopped candied pineapple

¾ pound candied cherries, halved

1 cup golden raisins

1 pound Brazil nuts, coarsely chopped

1 pound pecans, coarsely chopped

Glaze

1 egg beaten

½ cup evaporated milk

¼ cup water

  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Combine the flour and baking soda and add alternately to the creamed mixture with sour cream. Stir in the nuts and fruit. (it will look like just nuts and fruit and little to no batter).

Fill paper lined miniature muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 300° for 35 minutes. For glaze, combine all ingredients, brush over fruitcakes. Bake 10 minutes longer.

  If not using the glaze bake about 40 to 45 minutes all together. *

YIELD: about 10 dozen

 * I would cut back on the baking time if you are going to use the glaze, 35 to 40 minutes all together would be fine.