Serves: 5
Total Calories: 1,132

1 cup chopped dried apricot plus 1/4 cup for garnish
3/4 cup chopped dried red cherries plus 1/4 cup for garnish
1 cup chopped dried pineapple
1 cup chopped dried apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup brandy
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup walnuts
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup pecans
3/4 cup whole hazelnut
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup light or dark molasses
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Grease four 6-inch springform pans or five
3-by-6-inch mini-loaf pans and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dried fruits, except the ones to be
used for garnish. Pour the brandy over the fruit, toss to coat, and set aside.
3. In another, larger bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt,
cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves until well blended. Stir in the nuts,
then the brandy-fruit mixture, and mix until well blended.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the applesauce,
butter, and molasses until blended. Stir in the brown sugar and mix until
well blended and smooth. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until
all the fruits and nuts are coated with batter. Fill the prepared baking pans
three quarters full. Garnish the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup apricots and
the remaining 1/4 cup dried cherries by partially pressing the fruit into the
batter. Bake for 1 hour. The cakes are done when the sides begin to pull
away from the edge of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes
out clean. The cakes will be a rich mahogany color.
5. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. When thoroughly
cooled, wrap the cakes in cheesecloth that has been soaked in additional
brandy. Cover with foil, and store in an airtight container or refrigerator
until ready to serve. Allow the cakes to mellow for several weeks.
They improve with age (don’t we all!).




From Holiday Baking. Text copyright © 2005 by Sara Perry. Photographs copyright © 2005 by Leigh Beisch. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 1,132
Calories from Fat: 521

More Recipes from the Holiday Baking Cookbook:
Christmas Day Trifles for You and Me
Flashy Cocktail Rings with a Trio of Seeds
Gingerbread Men and a Few of Their Holiday Friends
Linzer Wreaths
Saint Lucia's Saffron Crown
Snowflake Cake
Sofia's Snow Pillows
Stir-Up Sunday Fruitcake
The Kid's Cinnamon-Roll Christmas Tree
Without Thinking Twice Perfect Popovers