Did she just say “Fruitcake”? Yes, I said fruitcake. You may be wondering why I am doing a recipe for fruitcake. It’s after the holidays, and the most reviled cake on the planet, isn’t it? Go the the United Kingdom and it is served all over and is even wedding cake. I think you are remembering the neon colored monstrosity that you only give to people you don’t like. I don’t like those either. Have you ever had a homemade fruitcake? Now those are wonderful. A tender spice cake with candied fruit. I am starting with a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for Fruitcake Bars I used to make fruitcakes for my dad and my father-in-law. Those cakes took two weeks to make. The cake part was fast, but you soak these in liquor that you baste on the outside periodically. When I made them for others, I checked to see if they really wanted it and weren’t just trying to be nice. I had made some fruitcake for someone and they didn’t like it. The proceeded to throw it out and told me so. I got a bit peeved. Note: don’t tell someone you threw out a creation that took a long time to make. I don’t get offended easily, but that offended me. Anyway, I hope you give this a try and learn what great fruitcake is supposed to taste like.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped the AP flour with almond and coconut flours to lower the carbs.
• I replaced the butter with unsweetened applesauce to lower the sugar.
• I decreased the amount of nuts to lower the calories
• I replaced the candied cherries and pineapple with dried apricots and dried cranberries to lower the sugar.
• I replaced the brown sugar with its sweetener equivalent.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Lower Carb Fruitcake Bars

Makes 36 Bars

• 4 cups brown sugar substitute
• 1 ⅓ cups unsweetened applesauce
• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup rum or brandy
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cups coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 cup golden raisins, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl mix the brown sugar and applesauce until well combined.
2. Meanwhile, line a 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges. Grease foil. In a medium bowl stir together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir eggs, rum, and vanilla into brown sugar mixture. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in remaining ingredients until combined. Spread in prepared pan.
3. Bake 45 minutes or until evenly browned and set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using foil, lift out uncut bars. Cut into bars. Refrigerate up to 3 days.