Not sure just what's going on here, I submitted this post several hours ago, but it never showed up here. Probably hit a wrong button or something. Anyhow, PWM, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, I've been a bit under the weather for a few days, So everything around here is wa-a--ay behind. But here's the aforementioned recipe: Bourbon Pecan Cake Ingredients: 2 C whole red candied cherries 2 C seedless white raisins 2 C Bourbon 2 C butter, softened 2 C granulated sugar 2 C dark brown sugar, firmly packed 8 eggs, separated 5 C sifted all-purpose flour 4 C pecan halves 1 ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tsp ground nutmeg Directions: Grease a 10 in tube pan, line with wax paper or parchment paper, grease and lightly flour the paper. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Combine cherries, raisins and bourbon in large mixing bowl. Cover tightly and let stand overnight in the refrigerator. (My note: This will be fine if left for several days. Once I left it for almost two weeks, no harm done). Drain the fruit, reserve the bourbon. Place butter in large bowl, beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars gradually, beating on medium speed until well blended. Combine 1/4 C of the flour with the pecan halves. Sift remaining flour with the baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add 2 C of the flour to the creamed mixture, mix in thoroughly. Add the reserved bourbon and the remaining flour alternately, ending with flour. Beat well after each addition Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry, fold them gently into the cake batter. Fold the drained fruits and floured pecans into the cake batter, blending thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared pan, to within 1 in of the top. (If extra batter, bake in appropriately sized loaf pan, prepared the same as the tube pan.) Bake tube pan 4 to 5 hours, and loaf pan about 2 hours, or until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake! Cool cakes in pans on wire racks 2 to 3 hours. Remove cakes from pans, peel off the paper. Wrap cakes in cheesecloth saturated with bourbon, then wrap in foil or plastic wrap and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for several weeks. (I have found it needs at least 6 weeks ‘aging’ to fully develop flavor) Keep the cheesecloth damp with additional bourbon as needed.. A glaze can be made, using confectioner’s sugar mixed with enough bourbon to make it ‘pourable’. Drizzle over cake sparingly! Or simply dust cakes with powdered sugar before presenting! If using the bourbon glaze, don’t serve to children. Hopefully I can do it right this time, and it will post! Rusty

Here's one Sharon Cb shared last year-- perhaps she'll add her photos to this : Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Heirlooms , Traditional & Ethnic English Christmas Cake (from SharonCb 2005 ) ====================== 1 pound flour (4 cup) 3/4 pound butter (1 3/4 cup) 1/2 pound soft brown or castor sugar 1 pound sultanas (2 2/3 cup) 1 pound currants (2 2/3 cup) 6 ounces chopped mixed peel (1 cup) 1/4 pound glac cherries chopped (2/3 cup) 6 large eggs 1/4 pound almonds (1 cup) 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1 tablespoon black treacle (molasses) 1 level teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice 1 wineglass (or more) of brandy 1 Sieve the flour with the baking powder, spice and a pinch of salt 2 Blanch the almonds and finely chop; chop the peel or put through a mincer; quarter the cherries. 3 Put the butter into a bowl and warm it slightly; beat with a wooden spoon Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, using a level dessertspoon of flour as each egg is added. Then stir in the treacle (molasses). 4 Add half the rest of the flour, all the fruit, almonds and orange rind Put the other half of the flour on top, stir and mix well but do not beat. Put in the brandy. If the mixture seems too stiff, add a little milk - the mixture should drop easily from a spoon. 5 Prepare a cake tin about 10 inches in diameter, grease the tin then line with buttered grease-proof paper high enough to come 2 to 3 inches above the top of the tin. 6 Put in the cake mixture, slightly press in the centre to make the cake rise evenly and stand the cake on a layer of coarse crushed salt on a baking tin (or cookie sheet). This will prevent the bottom becoming too brown before the cake is cooked. 7 Have the oven preheated at Gas 4, electricity 350F Put the cake not higher than the centre of the oven - just below if possible. Lower the heat at once to Gas 2, electricity 300F for one hour, then lower the heat to Gas 1, electricity 275 F The cake will take from 5 to 6 hours to cook Test with a warmed fine skewer or knitting needle after 5 hours. 8 After removing from the oven leave it in the tin for half an hour, then turn out onto wire rack, remove the paper. After about 12 hours, wrap in double sheets of greaseproof paper and store in a tin with tightly fitting lid until required for icing. If preferred, the cake can be baked at Gas 3, electricity 325F for 1 hour, then turned to Gas 1 electricity 275F for the rest of the time. Source: The Margaret Powell Cookery Book - London 1970. MY TIP: I made the cakes in mid-October and wrapped them in brandy-soaked cheesecloth in tightly closed containers, removing and resoaking the cloths (in brandy) and rewrapping them a couple of times before I did the marzipan and icing a few days before Christmas. . ICING THE CAKE: - in two stages --------------------------- ALMOND PASTE (Marzipan) 12 oz ground almonds (3 cups) 6 oz castor sugar (3/4 cup) (or fine fruit sugar) 6 oz sieved icing sugar (1 1/2 cups) 3 egg whites few drops almond essence 3 TBS apricot jam, sieved ROYAL ICING - (three days later) 4 egg whites 2 lbs icing sugar, sieved (7 to 8 cups) 4 teasp lemon juice 2 teasp glycerine 1. Mix almonds and sugar in a bowl, then blend in egg whites and almond essence to make a soft paste. Knead until it is smooth, then divide into three equal portions. 2. Roll one piece onto a sugared board to an 8-inch circle. Roll remaining two-thirds to a strip the same depth as cake, and long enough to go all the way around the edge.. 3. Brush the sides of cake with apricot jam. Press long strip around sides and press firmly to join. Place circle of paste on top of cake. Allow to dry for at least three days before icing. 4. Whisk egg whites for royal icing until they become frothy. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat well after each addition. Finally beat in lemon juice and glycerine. To prevent the icing hardening, cover bowl with a damp cloth 5. Spread icing thickly over top and round sides of cake and smooth flat. Leave for a day to set and then decorate with red ribbon around sides. Tip: Using glycerine in the icing ensures that it is not hard. The lemon juice adds flavour and helps tp make a softer icing. Source: Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book London - 1970. MY ADVICE: Buy ready made marzipan, apply it and then top with purchased rolled fondant icing. It's softer and easier than royal icing. SharonCb Notes from Delia Smith Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it. Also can soak the fruits 12 hrs in the brandy prior to mixing. Additional notes for English Christmas Cake =========================================== Mixed spice is a propriey product-common in England & Australia--make your own, grind together 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 tablespoon each clove , mace, ground nutmeg, coriander seeds, and allspice berries Some people add a little ginger for extra 'bite'. Or you can use pumpkin pie spice or allspice instead. Daisyduckworth . Diane, I would use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves if you didn't want to grind them as Daisy has suggested. Here's an English website that sells that mixed spice and lists the ingredients they use. I've haven't seen this type of cake done in a loaf pan. It might not turn out as moist in that shaped pan. I made my smaller cakes in round tins as well - about 6 inches across. As I remember I did 6, 8 and 10 inch round cakes, not all on the same day and used springform cake tins with inserted paper sides higher than the pan as per the recipe. I'm sure the times should be shortened if you're using smaller cake tins.. Darn - I'm kicking myself for not making careful notes last time I made these cakes. I have a notebook where I keep all my Christmas recipes and cooking experiences from year to year but didn't think to make notes in it when I was making Christmas cakes. I know that I used a metal skewer to test for doneness. I have a fan oven so I normally reduce cooking times for most things. I guess you just have to try it once and keep an eye on them as you wouldn't want them too dry or underdone. SharonCb

I found this on the Eagle Brand website: No-Bake Jeweled Fruitcake Servings: Makes one (9x5-inch) loaf Serving Size: not available Nutrition: not available Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 0 Total Time: 0 Ingredients 1 (4-ounce) container green candied cherries, halved (1/2 cup) 1 (4-ounce) container red candied cherries, halved (1/2 cup) 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts 3 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 cups miniature marshmallows 1 (9-ounce) package NONE SUCH® Condensed Mincemeat, crumbled 1 (8-ounce) container mixed candied fruit (1 cup) 1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk) Instructions Reserve a few candied cherries or nuts for garnish if desired. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except EAGLE BRAND®; mix well to coat fruit with crumbs. Add EAGLE BRAND®; mix well. Turn into aluminum foil-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan. With wet hands, press firmly into pan. Garnish with reserved cherries or nuts (optional). Cover tightly with aluminum foil; chill thoroughly. Store tightly wrapped in refrigerator. TIP: Fruitcake can be stored in refrigerator for several weeks.

this recipe sounds wonderful I have been looking all over for a recipe,I have my dark fruitcakes made my question is this if I bake them this week will they keep for Christmas? thank you and have an awesome day.