Fruitcake Bread

My holiday baking stretched out a bit during this season. I baked this recipe on New Year's Eve. Some prep occurred several days prior. I made three cups of Earl grey tea and simmered the candied fruit for two hours. I also set out ½ cup of butter to soften it at room temperature. Everything in this recipe was stirred by hand.

Ingredients

Fruit cake mix, 12 ounces

Earl grey tea, 3 teabags

Water, 1 quart

Flour, 2 cups

Baking powder, 2 tsp

Butter, ½ cup

Eggs, 2

Sugar, 1 cup

Vanilla, 1 tsp

Oil spray, to coat a bread pan

Pecan halves, one dozen

Preparation

Make a quart of Earl grey tea. Remove the tea bags. Add the fruitcake mix and simmer for two hours. This can be made ahead of time. Drain the fruit cake mix. If not using right away, store, covered in the refrigerator. In a large mixing bowl, put in the soft, room-temperature butter; beat in the eggs and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix again. In a separate medium bowl, add the flour and baking powder. Use a wire whisk to mix. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. When all combined well, add in the fruitcake mix. Spray a bread pan with a cooking oil. Add the bread mix into the bread pan. Even out the top. Add the pecan halves to the top of the bread mix. Press in slightly. Bake at 350 F for one hour. Wait 10 minutes before removing from the bread pan. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated bread knife to cut slices.

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