CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

2 cups mixed diced glacéed fruits

2 cups golden raisins
1 cup dark raisins
1 1/2 cups dried currants
1/2 cup halved glacéed red cherries plus additional for garnish
1/2 cup chopped glacéed angelica (available at specialty foods shops)
plus additional for garnish
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark rum
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup blanched almonds, toasted lightly, cooled, and ground fine in an
electric spiced grinder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup apricot jam

NOTE: Instead of glaceed fruit I used diced dried pineappple and diced dried
apricots. I also used half Maker's Mark
and half rum, and I put about 2 cups into the fruit over the course of three
days. It would be even better to keep adding booze to the fruit over the
course of a week or so. Keep fruit tightly covered in plastic. NO need to
refrigerate.

In a large bowl combine well the glacéed fruits, the raisins, the currants,
1/2 cup of the cherries, 1/2 cup of the angelica, and 3/4 cup of the rum and
let the fruits macerate, covered, overnight.

Line the bottom of a well-buttered 9 1/2-inch springform pan with a round of
wax paper and butter the paper. Into a small bowl sift together the flour,
the baking powder, the salt, the nutmeg, and the ginger.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and the brown
sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in 4 of the eggs, 1 at
a time, beating well after each addition.

Drain the fruit mixture in a sieve set over the batter and beat the juices
into the batter. Pat the fruits dry between several thicknesses of paper
towels and in a bowl toss them with 1/3 cup of the flour mixture.

Stir in the remaining flour mixture into the batter, one fourth at a time,
stir in the fruit mixture, the ground almonds, and the walnuts, stirring
until the mixture is just combined, and turn the batter out into the
prepared pan.

Put 2 loaf pans, each filled with hot water, in a preheated 300°F. oven and
put the springform pan between them. Bake the cake for 1 hour, brush the top
with the remaining egg, beaten lightly, and bake the cake for 1 hour more.
While the cake is baking, in a saucepan melt the apricot jam with the
remaining 1 tablespoon rum over moderate heat, bring the mixture to a boil,
and strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes, remove the side of
the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the pan bottom and the
wax paper very carefully, invert the cake onto another rack, and let it cool
completely. Arrange the additional cherries and angelica decoratively on the
cake, brush the top of the cake with some of the apricot glaze, reserving
the remaining glaze for another use, and store the cake, wrapped in plastic
wrap and foil. The cake keeps, covered, for 6 months.

Gourmet
December 1991