Bajan Fruit Cake

This recipe for fruit filled cake is chock full of cherries, almonds, citrus, and dried fruits and soaked in Bajan rum for a heady and decadent holiday treat. Bajan Fruit Cake is made by soaking dried fruit in rum for a month before baking the cake.

Cooking Time2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

For Fruit Mixture:
3/4 cup candied citron, diced
1/2 cup candied orange peel, diced
3/4 cup candied cherries
4 cups raisins (mix golden and dark)
2 1/2 cups currants
1 cup dates, chopped
1 cup cooked prunes, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
2 1/2 cups dark Bajan rum
For Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
5 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

For Fruit Mixture:

Combine all ingredients. Fruit mixture can be minced or chopped according to liking.
Make sure that the rum covers all of the fruits. Add more as necessary.
Refrigerate or store in a cool place, lightly covered for four weeks or more.

For Cake:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Sift flour with baking powder, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; set aside.
Cream butter. Add sugar and beat a few minutes. Scrape bowl occasionally with wooden spatula during beating.
Add eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed. Make sure that eggs are thoroughly mixed and incorporated into mixture. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy - about three minutes. You may add a small piece of lime or lemon peel while mixing to eliminate rawness of eggs. Remove peel from mixture when thoroughly mixed.
Re-sift half the flour mixture and add to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly, using lowest speed of mixer.
Now add mixture to soaked fruits while adding the additional flour. Stir with wooden spoon to blend thoroughly.
Butter two 9-inch loaf pans and line with buttered parchment paper. Spoon batter into pans.
Place a small pan half-full of water on bottom rack of oven for first hour of baking to keep cake moist. Bake at 300 degrees F for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in pans, then invert on baking rack. Remove paper. Sprinkle with rum to moisten, then let cake dry and cool.
Store in airtight container. This cake can last for months if moistened occasionally.