Dried Fruit Cake Bars

'Tis the season for fruitcake! Here's a superb tweak on the traditional recipe: Use dried local fruits and cut the cake into bite-sized bars.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup mixed dried fruits
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup chopped nuts (we used walnuts and cashews)

1  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside. 

2  Sift together flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and baking powder. Divide in half.

3  Dredge dried fruits in half of the flour mixture.

4  In a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add honey, then stir in remaining flour mixture. Fold in dried fruits and nuts.

5  Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool before slicing into bars.


Baking tips:
•  We used dried mangoes, coconut, bananas, and pineapples in this recipe.

•  To give as gifts, first wrap bars in aluminum foil then in colored cellophane or go here: How to package baked goods

For a step-by-step tutorial, go here: How to make Len's dried fruit cake bars

Photography by Patrick Martires | Recipe by Len Santos of Feed 5000  | Styling by Elaine P. Lim