Pineapple Pecan Fruit Cake

I put all my favorite fruit and nuts in this giant 9 1/2 pound fruit cake! It's juicy, sweet and nutty and perfect for sharing.

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cup) butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 eggs⁠⁠, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole buttermilk, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour, divided
12 oz (about 2 cups) golden raisins⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
1 1/2 lb (about 3 cups) candied pineapple (see Note below)
1 lb (about 2 cups) candied red cherries (or maraschino cherries), halved
1 lb (about 4 cups) roughly chopped pecans
1 cup pecan halves, for top
8 oz candied pineapple, for top

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 2 1/2 cups flour, vanilla extract and salt. With the mixer running, drizzle in buttermilk mixture. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and beat for 10 seconds. In the largest bowl you have, combine remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, golden raisins, pineapple, cherries, and chopped pecans. Toss together to make sure everything is coated with flour. Fold in the cake batter until fully combined. Scoop batter to prepared pan and push down and smooth top with a spatula. Top with pecan halves and candied pineapple, pushing down lightly into the batter. Bake for 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 rimmed serving plate. Prepare Pineapple Syrup. Brush or pour syrup over the top and sides of the cake.

Pineapple Syrup

1/2 cup pineapple juice (syrup from canned pineapple works great)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat.

Note: if you can’t find candied pineapple, you can use dried pineapple. Cover with fruit juice and refrigerate for 2-3 days to rehydrate. Drain and blot with paper towels before using.