This old fashioned fruit cake is wonderfully spiced and filled with juicy fruit and crunchy nuts!
1 cup (8 oz) fruit cake mix or your favorite dried or candied fruit
1 lb (about 2 cups) candied pineapple wedges
8 oz (1 cup) candied red cherries
8 oz (1 cup) candied green cherries
1 cup chopped dried apples, packed
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups raisins
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dark rum, bourbon, or brandy
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup pecan halves, for top
1/2 cup candied cherry pineapple mix, for top
In the largest bowl you have, combine fruit, nuts, and 1/2 cup rum. Toss together to make sure everything is coated and let sit overnight or at least 3 hours. Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by fitting a parchment paper square between the two pieces and brushing with pan coat. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in molasses, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Beat in flour until it just disappears. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and beat for 10 seconds. Fold in the cake batter into the fruit and nuts until fully combined. Scoop batter to prepared pan but don’t scrape the batter from the bowl just yet. Push down and smooth top of cake batter with a spatula. Add pecan halves and candied cherry pineapple mix to your bowl with remaining batter and scrape and mix together. Top with lightly battered fruit and nut mix, pushing down gently into the batter. Bake for 2 3/4 to 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 3 hours or until the center tube piece is no longer warm to the touch. Unmold the cake by placing it over a metal can and pushing down to remove the outer piece. Lift or turn the cake out onto a serving plate.
