Originally posted by bar_bar in the inexpensive xmas gift thread
Fruitcake Candles
What you need: Large mixing bowl. Measuring cup. Mixing spoon. Electric beater. Empty, clean juice (or other) cans, 12 ounce size (about 2 7/8" diameter, and 4 3/4" tall; if desired, make smaller cakes by using 6-oz. cans, about 2" diameter, 3 7/8" tall). Wire rack. Icing spreader or knife. Small bowls for frosting (one for each color). Pastry bag. Pastry tube tips for thick, thin, wavy lines, leaves, large and small rosettes (or desired decorating tips). Waxed paper.
Materials: Fruitcake dough and icing recipe (below). Shortening and flour for preparing cans. One can of ready made white frosting. Vegetable food coloring, toothpicks, silver dragees (sugar coated candies).
What to do:
Recipe:
1-1 lb. 2 1/2 oz. package spice cake mix; 1-8 oz. can Hunt's tomato sauce; 2 eggs; 1 cup chopped pecans; 1/2 cup chopped dates; 1/2 cup candied cherry halves; 1 cup mixed candied fruit.
Combine dry cake mix, Hunt's tomato sauce, and eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat for two minutes at medium speed. Stir in nuts and fruits, blending well.
Grease well and flour juice cans. Pour batter into cans, filling about 2/3 full. Bake at 300° F. for 1 hour (if using smaller cans, bake batter at same temperature for 3/4 of an hour).
Cool cakes in cans for 20 minutes, then carefully turn out on wire rack to cool completely.
To make icing, combine two egg whites with 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar and gradually add confectioners' sugar until all is absorbed (if you desire stiffer icing, user more sugar) and add dash of salt. With spreader, cover sides and top of cake candles smoothly. Let icing set until firm before decorating with frosting to avoid running of colors.
To decorate iced cakes, place some of the ready made frosting in each of the small bowls (use one bowl for each color). Add vegetable food coloring, a drop at a time, until you get the desired shade. You can mix and experiment with colors on waxed paper first. Put frosting in pastry bag; select and put on top. We suggest you experiment with designs first on waxed paper. Plan design, then decorate cake as desired. To make roughened texture frosting, put dabs of frosting onsides of cake, then roughen up with toothpick.
To make flame at top of cake, we suggest you practice first, cover toothpick with yellow or orange frosting, using large rosette tip. Insert tip of toothpick into top center of cake, place tip all the way down on toothpick, press on tube and lift and swirl tip in one swift movement.
Cakes may be placed on candle holders for unusual effect or may be placed on small plates at each individual place setting. You may also arrange them all on one platter as a centerpiece.
