Pineapple Upside Down Pumpkin Gingerbread

I think that one of the more difficult things in creating your own recipe is balancing the flavors.  I have posted and have seen other bloggers post comments regarding "subtle flavor" or that a certain flavor takes over the whole dessert which is not what is intended.  I think the worst I have seen is a recipe review stating "and after that dessert we all went to bed with upset stomachs".  It was not a blogger recipe but an actual comment regarding a recipe in a published cookbook.

This cake recipe, in reading the name itself, makes you think there is too much going on here. However, I give kudos to the collaboration of Gold Medal Flour and the Hawaiian Pineapple company in creating this recipe.  It came out back in the 1960's and proves that both knew a thing or two about balance of flavor.

This recipe is spot on when it comes to texture as well as flavor. As you can see by the above picture, this cake was moist and tender.  The cake brings all those wonderful winter flavors together, pumpkin, gingerbread and cinnamon.  Great as a stand alone, but even better with the pineapple caramel topping with an occasional bite of fresh pineapple on top.

This one does not require a lot of time or effort.  The biggest effort was only cutting out the circles of pineapple and most of the time used was in the baking of the cake.  The size of this cake is not real big.  Perhaps you and one of your loved ones should take some time out from all the holiday stress.  Time to crank up the fireplace, put on some Christmas music and kick back with a warm a cup of hot tea or coffee and a slice of this cake. Ahhh, I just feel better thinking about it...

Pineapple Upside-Down Pumpkin Gingerbread
adapted from Bon Appetit/ Oct 2008

Ingredients/Topping
1 ripe pineapple/ peeled
2/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp light or mild molasses
2 tbs frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter
Nonstick pan spray

Ingredients/Cake
1/2 cup light molasses
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

Start by cutting 1/3 inch round from the pineapple and core it.  Then stand the pineapple on end and cut 1/3 inch thick lengthwise slices, avoiding the core.  Take a small biscuit cutter (I used a 1 inch) and cut the slices into circles. 15-20 circles will be enough.  Place the slices in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.  Reserve the rest of the pineapple in the fridge for another use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch square or round cake pan with non-stick spray.

The topping will be prepared first. Place a saucepan on medium high heat and fill with butter, sugar and pineapple juice concentrate.  Stir and let butter melt and sugar dissolve until smooth.  Then stop stirring and let mixture boil for about 1-2 minutes. It should have the consistency of warm caramel. Remove and pour into prepared pan and swirl a little, to make sure it is even on the bottom.

Place the pineapple slices on top of the caramel mixture in a decorative design, making sure there is no overlap. For the cake, sift together the ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Set the filled cake pan as well as the bowl with sifted ingredients aside.

In another bowl, beat butter until smooth.  Pour in the sugar and beat on medium speed until all is incorporated.  Add one egg and beat for 30 seconds.  Repeat with the additional egg.  Continue to beat mixture and pour in molasses and spoon in the pumpkin.  Remove beater blades and if using a stand mixer, remove bowl from stand when all is blended together. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the batter until no dry streaks remain.  Lastly, pour the boiling water into the batter and mix until blended.

Empty batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface, so it is even.  Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  Bake time is approximately 50 minutes. Remove cake pan from oven and place over cooling rack.  Cake should cool in pan for about 45 minutes. Then invert pan over platter or cake board.  Let rest in place for 5 minutes, then remove pan. 

For serving, cake can be warm or room temperature.  Also, if you prefer, you can add a dollup of whipped cream on the side with each slice.

Tips and Notes:
1. Fresh pineapple on top does beat canned, for cutting the canned is way too mushy.  As noted above, you will have some left over.  I did not have an issue since fresh fruit is always eaten in this house.

2. Be aware that the cake bakes up very dark, so do not think it is burnt.  The above noted baking time was perfect for my oven 
                                        **LAST YEAR: Czech Nut Bars*

Pineapple Polenta Cake

I have made a few recipes with pineapple.  However, I have always used canned and as we all know, fresh cut pineapple is more flavorful and juicy. So, after seeing fresh pineapple at the grocers, I could not resist buying some.

I am still perusing through Johnny Iuzzini's cookbook and I came across a recipe for pineapple-polenta cakes.  I do like the standard cake base for pineapple upside-down cake, but this recipe was a delicious step outside the box. The texture of the polenta cake made a great foundation for the juicy chunks of pineapple and was a smart choice for making individual cakes.

The best bite in this cake is when you get all three components: juicy pineapple, sweet polenta and a caramel topping.  I made sure that my pineapple pieces were nice and thick, so it would be evident in every bite.  Also, to really get the most out of this dessert, serve it warm.

This recipe requires four 3 1/4 inch or ten 2 1/4 inch rings.

Pineapple Polenta Cake
adapted from Dessert Fourplay

Ingredients/Fruit Layer
1/2 ripe pineapple
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs water
pinch of salt

Ingredients/Cake
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flour
4 tbs or 1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 egg
2 large egg yolks
7 tbs sugar

Prepare the ring molds by covering the bottom with foil and wrapping up around the outside edges, so you have a little cake pan.  Place foil side down on baking sheet.  Set aside.

For the fruit layer, cut 1/2 pineapple into quarters vertically.  Then take each quarter and cut into 8 pieces and place in bowl.

Take a saucepan fill with sugar and water.  Place over high heat.  Let the sugar melt and cook until it starts to turn color.  Remove and swirl the pan so the sugar will brown even and place back on burner.  Continue with this process until the sugar mixture is a dark amber.  Remove from heat and fill one mold with about 1 1/2 tbs of sugar mixture for large and 2 tsp for small.  Lift and tilt mold so that all the sugar mixture evenly coats the bottom foil from edge to edge. Repeat the process so that all of the molds are bottom lined with the sugar mixture.

For the small molds, place one piece of pineapple on top of the sugar layer.  For the larger, use two pieces of pineapple. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

To make the cake batter, cream together the sugar and butter with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Mixture should be fluffy.  Scrape down sides and add one egg.  Beat for 30 seconds and scrape down sides.  Add one egg yolk and beat for another 30 seconds.  Then add the last egg yolk and beat until well blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Pour into the wet batter and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until no dry streaks remain.  Take a small zip loc back and snip the corner.  Fill bag with batter and pipe between and over pineapple pieces in mold.  Then for larger molds add two more pieces of pineapple and smaller add one.  Then cover this layer with the batter as well.

Then pipe another layer of batter, smoothing out tops, molds should be 3/4 full.  Place in oven and bake for 8 minutes for the small cakes and 10 for the large.  Make sure the pan is rotated at the halfway point.  The cakes are done when a tester comes out clean.   Let cool for about 1 minute.

Remove from oven and run a knife around the inner edge of the mold.  Ivert mold onto serving plate and remove the foil and then remove the ring mold.  Then serve.

Tips and Notes
1. I used such big chunks of  pineapple that I needed an additional 1/2 recipe of the batter to fill mold and cover pineapple chunks.
2. Do not lift ring off of cake without taking off the foil, it will cause you to pull caramel as well as pineapple pieces off the cake.
3. I used a fork to help when peeling off the foil to make sure the topping came off the foil
4. Due to using more batter in my molds, the cakes took about 20 minutes to bake for 3 1/4 inch molds.
5. I made sure that the pineapple pieces were not stacked one on top of each other.  My first layer had two pieces placed vertically and the second had two pieces placed horizontally.
                            **LAST YEAR: Sunshine Grove Cookies**

Banana Split Cake

This is a recipe that I have been hanging onto for quite some time.  The main reason that I have been hesitant to make it is because I feared that there may be too many things packed into this cake.  However, I did move forward and I am glad I did.

The cake has chopped strawberries, bananas, walnuts, pineapple and chocolate chips.  Based on that, it does have all the makings of a banana split, but in a cake form.

It turned out really moist.  Outside of the texture, the taste was pretty amazing.  The tidbits of pineapple still gave off some juice in the bite.  This made me wish I had not have cut up the strawberries so small. The different fruits, chocolate chips and nuts are scattered in the cake, so you do get different flavors in each bite instead of a big blend of everything-that is if your bite is not real huge!

I did not ice this cake with the chocolate glaze, but I have included it in the recipe below.

Also, before I move on, I wanted to thank a few blogger for some recent awards:

Kim at Treat and Trinkets
She was so sweet and gave me the Versatile Blogger, Kreativ and Sunshine award. If you read Kim's about me section in her blog, you can see this is a person of many hats.  However, I am glad she wears a food blogger hat because her talent in the kitchen is something to be shared.  Thanks to her posting, I have a wonderful recipe for French Toast cupcakes as well as Cookie Stuffed Pies!

Richa at Khatta Meetha
Richa passed the Happy Blogger award to me.  While her blog focuses on Indian cuisine, she does have some talent for a variety of things.  You will find vegetarian, non vegetarian recipes as well as recipes for the kids. Truly this myriad of recipes does offer something for everyone.  A few of my picks were crispy okra and coconut french toast. Also, her blog format does pull you in with the slide show and amazing pictures!

So venture out and pay these two girls a visit to their blog and say hello.  Thanks again Kim and Richa for the awards.

Banana Split Cake
adapted from Nestle

Ingredients/Cake
1 cup chopped bananas
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 1/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup mashed bananas
One 15.5 oz can of pineapple tidbits (I used 2 of the 8 oz cans)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Ingredients/Glaze
3 tbs butter
3 tbs light corn syrup
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Let eggs and butter set out for 30 minutes to get to room temperature. Generously grease the inside of a 12 cup bundt pan with melted butter, then dust with flour.

Take 1/4 cup of pineapple juice from can and place in a small bowl.  Drain and the rest of the juice from the pineapple can. You can discard or keep for another use. Add buttermilk to the 1/4 cup of juice and stir.  Then, in a separate bowl. sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set both bowls aside.

Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until soft and fluffy.  Add 1/4 cup of sugar and beat for 30 seconds.  Continue to add sugar in 1/4 cup measurements and beat after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally  Then beat in the eggs, mashed bananas and extract until evenly distributed.

Using a wooden spoon, fold in 1/3 of the sifted ingredients.  Add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and stir until liquid is absorbed.  Repeat the process of adding and stirring, ending with the last third of the flour mixture.

Fold in the chocolate chips and the 1/4 cup of walnuts.  Then fold in the remaining fruit (chopped strawberries, chopped banana and pineapple tidbits), making sure all is evenly distributed.  Spoon the batter into the pan, smoothing for an even top.

Place in oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until tester comes out clean. The visible top of the cake does not turn golden, however the part covered by the pan does.  Remove cake and let cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.  Then invert onto rack to completely cool before glazing.

To make the glaze, fill a saucepan with all the ingredients, except for the walnuts. Place saucepan over low heat and stir.  Once mixture is smooth and chips have melted, place a baking sheet lined with wax paper under the rack that is holding the cake.  Then drizzle glaze over the cake and top with remaining nuts.   Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
                      **LAST YEAR: Strawberry Kuchen**

Maui Pine Cream Pie

I recently went to a luncheon and started thinking about the different things that people brought.  Yes, we all should be happy that everyone brought something, but the buying a baked good from a grocery store always puzzles me.  I never see anyone bringing in McDonalds to pot lucks and to me both acts are equal to the same thing.  How do people arrive at McDonalds not being acceptable for the main course, but a grocery store cake is for the dessert? Different thoughts I guess.

The sad thing is that I heard someone state at how bad the store made cake tasted compared to the homemade.

Now, the question is if you do not bake or cook, what would be good to bring?  I would probably bring non food items such as plates, napkins or cups. They are always in need of those at pot lucks.

Anyway, onto the details on this recipe.  This is a pineapple cream pie with macadamia nuts.  The bottom is a cream cheese layer and the top is pineapple custard.  You cannot see the distinct layers, I think it is due to the colors of both layers being so close in hue.  The filling is a unique blend and the crust has lemon zest and finely chopped macadamia nuts which gave it a extra flavor.  The topping is whipped cream with sugar zest and macadamia nuts sprinkled on top.

I found this pie to be a tasty blend of textures as well as flavors.  One bite gives you the delicious smooth taste of pineapple and cream cheese, yet you do get a crunch from the macadamias and a taste of real fruit from the pineapple.  Definitely a great tropical treat in my book.  This recipe is for one 9 inch pie.

Maui Pine Cream Pie
adapted from The Cooking Contest Cookbook

Ingredients/Pie Crust
1/2 cup butter flavor shortening
2 tsp lemon zest
3-4 tbs cold milk
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped macadamia nuts
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Sift together the sugar, salt and flour.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture is pea sized crumbs.  Then mix in the lemon zest and the nuts, stirring until evenly distributed.  Then add the milk, tossing together with a large fork until the mixture forms a dough.  Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out dough into a circle.  The dough should extend one inch beyond the size of the edge of an upside down pie pan.  Fold up into quarters or roll dough around the rolling pin and then place in pie pan. Press dough into pan.  Fold the top edges under and flute or mold the top edge of the crust how you prefer.  Then prick the bottom with a fork to make sure the crust does not bubble when baking.

Place crust in oven and bake until done, which is about 15-20 minutes.  Crust is a golden brown when done.  Remove and let cool completely before filling.

Ingredients/Pineapple Cream Filling
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of milk
1 tbs water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten with a fork
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple juice ( in light syrup)
1/3 cup cornstarch, packed
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs butter

Drain the pineapple from its juice.  Discard the juice and measure out one cup of the pineapple and reserve the rest for the cream cheese layer.  In another bowl, stir together egg yolks and water. Then mix in the cornstarch until all is smooth. Set aside.

Fill a saucepan with milk, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the pineapple.  Stir and then place over medium heat and let cook.  Continue to stir and cook, until the mixture simmers and is right on the brink of boiling.  Turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the egg yolk mixture, whisking the mixture at the same time ( I had some extra help for this task) . Once the egg yolk is mixed in continue to whisk and let cook.  Continue with this process until the mixture is the consistency of pudding.  Then stir in the butter and vanilla.  Once the butter is melted, remove from heat.

Pour into a heat proof bowl and cover.  Place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, stirring at two intervals.  I left mine in for 3 hours, so extra time does not hurt the outcome.

Ingredients/Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 cup powdered sugar
reserved pineapple ( see first paragraph under pineapple filling section)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
8 oz cream cheese (softened)

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat until evenly distributed.  Cover and place in fridge while you make the topping.

Ingredients/Toppings
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp powdered sugar (I used more to get sprinkling consistency)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.  Set aside.  In a small bowl mix together the zest and the powdered sugar until you have the right consistency for sprinkling.

To assemble
Remove bowls from fridge.  Take the cream cheese mixture and spread it over the bottom of the pie crust.  Then cover with the pineapple custard, smoothing the top.  Then spread the whipped cream over the top.  Sprinkle the sugar zest and macadamia nuts over the top.  Cover and let chill for about 3 hours prior to serving.
              **LAST YEAR: White Chocolate Kiss Cookies**

Hawaiian Zephyr Cupcakes

These cupcakes get their name because of two things.  The first thing-pineapple, it makes me think of Hawaii.  I remember staying on the island of Kauai and the place had no air conditioning, just these big windows with shutters.  You could open the shutters and get a nice cool breeze.  The gentle breeze, or zephyr, is the second thing.

This cupcake is very moist and gets its pineapple flavor from pineapple soda in the batter as well as pineapple juice that it brushed on over the top while the cupcake is still warm.  The top has a honey rum glaze sprinkled with toasted pecans.  Also, the crowning touch is a dollup of cinnamon whipped cream with fresh pineapple bits on top.

I am very happy with the results and I will definitely be making these again! The recipe makes about 1 dz cupcakes.

Also, thanks to all of you that voted me in to Top 9 yesterday, it made my day!
Hawaiian Zephyr Cupcakes
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Cupcakes
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 cup pineapple soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbs butter, cubed
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
pineapple juice (drained from 8 oz can of pineapple tidbits)

Ingredients/Glaze
3 tbs honey
2 tbs rum
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted ground pecans

Ingredients/topper
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
8 oz can of drained pineapple tidbits

For cupcakes, grease the top edge of muffin cavities and fill with paper liners.

Sift together baking soda, salt, baking powder and flour.  Whisk in sugar and set aside.   Take out a small saucepan and fill with butter cubes and soda.  Place over medium heat and cook until the butter is melted and mixture starts to boil.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Also place a cooling rack over a sheet of wax paper, making sure all the space below the rack is covered.

In a small bowl, beat together egg, buttermilk and the vanilla extract.  Set aside.  Then pour the cooled pineapple butter into the flour blend.  Stir with a wooden spoon until no dry streaks remain.  Lastly, blend the buttermilk/egg mixture into the batter.

Pour the batter evenly into the 12 liners.  Each liner should be about 2/3 full.  Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean, which is about 15-20 minutes. Once baked, let cool in pan for about 2 minutes then remove and place on cooling rack.

Using a pastry brush, brush the pineapple juice over the tops of the warm muffins.  Let soak in and then brush a second layer over the top.  Let cupcakes cool completely before glazing.

To prepare the glaze, fill a small sauce pan with honey and rum.  Place over medium heat and let come to a simmer.  Remove and add powdered sugar.  Stir with a wooden spoon until no dry streaks remain and then beat for 2 minutes to make sure all the powdered sugar lumps are dissolved.

Then dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes in the glaze, making sure the excess drips off before placing upright on cooling rack. You may have to tip the saucepan to get complete coverage.  Also, when you get down to the last one or two, you may have to pour the glaze onto the cupcakes because there is not enough to dip the cupcake into.

After they all are glazed, sprinkle with the toasted pecans. It will take a few hours for the glaze to set.

The topper is something you will want to do right before serving.  Fresh fruit as well as whipped cream is better when eaten right away than stored in the fridge for hours.

In a small bowl beat cream, sugar and cinnamon together until soft peaks form.  Place a dollup or pipe the cream onto the center of the top of the cupcake.  Then place a few pieces of pineapple tidbits on top.  Now they are ready to serve!
                                          **LAST YEAR: Chinese Chews**            

Jazzy Jam Cupcakes

Well, if any of you make your own jam, this recipe has a use for that!  Most of the times when you hear about jam being used in a baked good, it usually is a filling between cake layers or a pastry filling. However, in this case, the jam is actually mixed and cooked into the batter.

The cake part reminds me of a hummingbird cake. The subtle flavor of the pineapple jam goes well with the cinnamon and ginger spices.  The icing on top tastes much like a praline, especially since the edges are rolled in ground pecans.

I am now thinking of all the other jams that could be used to flavor a cake or cupcakes and the different icing combinations you can come up with. The only concern on a variation is the type of jam. It would need to be seedless, so you may have to do some straining. This recipe makes 3 dz cupcakes.

Jazzy Jam Cupcakes
by flourtrader

Ingredients/cupcakes
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup of pineapple jam
6 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter (room temp)
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

Ingredients/Frosting
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2  tsp rum
1/2 cup ground pecans

To make your cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease the top edge of the cavities of a muffin tin.  Line the cavities with paper liners.  Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter until it reaches a creamy consistency.  Slowly add the light brown sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time for about 30 seconds each.
Fold the jam in the batter with a wooden spoon until evenly dispersed, then beat for 1 minute.  Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and ginger together.  Fold in 1/4 of the dry mixture to the wet batter, then add 1/4 cup of buttermilk.  Continue with this process of adding and mixing in the dry mixture and buttermilk-ending with the addition of the last bit of flour.
Then stir in the pecan pieces.

Fill each cavity of the pan with the batter. Batter should be nearly to the top edge of each cavity.   Place pan in oven and bake until done, or when tester comes out clean.  Mine took about 20-25 minutes.

Remove pan and let cupcakes cool for about 3 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

To make the frosting, place first three ingredients into a saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir the mixture until the butter is melted.  As you stir, let the mixture come to a boil and then
boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum.  Let cool for 20 minutes.

Then add wet frosting mixture to powdered sugar, stirring to blend.  Place a sieve over a large bowl and strain frosting mixture into bowl, using a spatula to stir out any lumps from the powdered sugar.

Using a spoon, smooth the frosting over the top of the first cupcake, making sure that the edges are covered. You should let excess frosting drip down into a bowl.  Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack for about 3 minutes for the icing to start to set up.  After about 3 minutes, roll iced cupcake edges into the bowl of ground nuts, pressing lightly. If icing still drips off into pecan crumbs, stop and wait another 3 minutes and resume rolling in the crumbs. I was able to frost about 6 cupcakes at each interval before rolling in nuts. After all the cupcakes are frosted and decorated with nuts, allow the frosting to set up. This should take about an hour.

Then you are ready to serve.

Oasis Tropical Mini Loaves

There are a lot of recipes out there that state "best recipe" or the "ultimate recipe".  Usually when I see that, I think that to the person that created or made the recipe believes that.  It is not that a poll of the world's opinion deemed it as such.

There are a lot of people in this world. As a food blogger, I am aware that most likely there are people out there that don't like my recipes.  However, I do not ponder on that, we can't please everyone.  I am pondering on the fact there are some people out there that do like them-but I would never go as far to say any of my recipes are the best or the ultimate.

Now this particular recipe is from a bed and breakfast.  The cookbook states that at the bed and breakfast this is their most requested recipe. "Most requested" is far more believable than the "best", so I decided to try it.

  One odd thing was that it called for 3 1/2 eggs.  In scaling down recipes, my method for 1/2 an egg is to crack the egg into a bowl and whisk lightly.  Then measure out 2 tablespoons for use in the recipe because one egg usually measures 1/4 cup.  The recipe also suggest using applesauce for a low fat version, but I used the canola oil. 

Other than that, I was very well pleased with the flavor and happy to bring you this recipe.  The batter, when baked, transforms into a moist, sweet bread flavored with cinnamon.  If that was not enough, then consider that it is loaded with mango, papaya, pineapple, macadamia nuts and apricots. The dried fruits are specialty ingredients, but after tasting these little loaves, I felt that those ingredients were well worth the trip to obtain and the expense.

If you do decide to make these, you may want to try your own variation of fruits since the batter is such a good base to start with.

One important point about this recipe is that the batter cannot sit, it has to go right into the oven.  This is because the ingredients start reacting with each other as soon as they are mixed. Doubling the recipe is not a good idea, if you do not have enough pans to bake all at once.  This recipe makes 5 loaves that are 6X3X2.  I used 6 loaf pans (steel rod connected) measuring 5X3X1 1/2 and had some batter leftover to make 2 jumbo muffins.

Oasis Tropical Mini Loaves
courtesy of Recipes from American Country Inns

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or raisins
1/4 cup chopped dried papaya
1/4 cup chopped dried ginger (or any dried fruit, I used dried pineapple)
1/4 cup chopped dried mango
1/4 cup shredded coconut (I skipped this ingredient)
3/8 cup or 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs of chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup cubed mango
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/4 cups canola oil (or applesauce for low fat)
3 1/2 eggs (room temp-see comments above concerning 1/2 an egg measurement)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs baking powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour

Prepare the loaf pans by greasing inside the cavity and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Grease the face up side of the parchment paper.  Then dust all insides of the pans with flour.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla.  Then stir in the cubed mango and crushed pineapple. Set aside.

Take another bowl and sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon together.  Then add the dried fruits, coconut and chopped nuts.  Make sure that all these add ins are evenly mixed in.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet and stir just until no more dry streaks remain.  Fill each loaf pan equally with batter and place all inside the oven to bake at one time.  The loaves are done when the top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean.  Baking time should be about 30-45 minutes.  My batch took about 33 minutes.

Remove from oven and place pan(s) on rack to cool for about 5 minutes.  Then invert onto rack and take off parchment paper.  Flip loaves back over to finish cooling.  Loaves can be frozen up to one month.