Fruitcake

It's that time of the year again for fruitcakes which I don't really bake every year. I'm in the mood for some this coming Christmas season but changed the Fruitcake recipe I posted 6 years ago by increasing the amount of fruits and also altering the procedure. This is a large recipe; you may want to halve it.

Fruitcakes
1 cup each gold and dark raisins
½ cup rum or brandy
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ tsp allspice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups snipped whole dates
1 cup whole red candied cherries
1 cup whole green candied cherries
½ cup candied pineapple
1 cup candied citron
1 cup candied lemon peels
1 cup candied orange peels
¼ cup chopped candied ginger
2 cups chopped walnuts or almonds
4 eggs
1½ cups dark brown sugar
1 cup soft butter
1 cup fresh orange juice
rum or brandy for brushing

• Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
• Macerate raisins in rum or brandy for 4 hours or overnight.
• Grease four 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pans, line with parchment paper, grease paper, set aside.
• Sift flour with spices, salt, and baking powder in an extra-large bowl. Add fruits and nuts; mix well until fruits and nuts are evenly coated with flour mixture; set aside.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, butter, and juice. Beat until smooth. Pour into the fruit mixture. Mix with gloved hands.
• Spoon into the prepared pans, smooth top; decorate with red and green candied cherries or nuts if desired.
• Bake for 2 hours or until cake test is done. Place on wire racks and let cool in pans thoroughly. Remove from pans and peel off paper. Brush all over with brandy and wrap in plastic film. Keep in a freezer gallon bag in the refrigerator. Moisten loaves with brandy every 4 days for 3 weeks before serving.