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Nan Laing's Boiled Fruit Cake

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Ingredients
  

  • ½-pound currants
  • ½-pound raisins
  • ½-pound walnuts
  • ¼-pound citrus peel
  • 1 cup dates
  • 1 tsp. allspice
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. cloves
  • 3 cups brown sugar
  • ½-pound butter
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups boiling water
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Red candied cherries, optional
  • Green candied cherries, optional
  • Pecan halves, optional

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, combine first twelve ingredients, bring to boil and boil for 10 minutes. 
  • Remove from heat and add rum, if desired; let cool overnight.
  • When ready to finish the cake, pre-heat oven to 325° F.   
  • To the boiled fruit mixture, add 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; thoroughly combine all ingredients.
  • Grease and flour a tube pan. 
  • Place cake batter in pan and arrange the green and red decorative cherries and pecans on the top of the batter, arranging them carefully. 
  • Place cake in oven and bake for 40 minutes.   
  • Reduce oven temperature to 300°F and continue baking for another 1-1/2 hours.
  • Remove from oven, immediately invert cake onto a wire rack and remove to cool completely on rack. 

Notes

This fruit cake is generally made well in advance of Christmas, does not have to be frozen and will keep for weeks if you follow the instructions below:   
Once the cake has completely cooled, place a piece of thin white cloth or cheesecloth over the cake.  Drizzle 1/2 cup of wine over the cloth.  Wrap the cake tightly in foil and place in an airtight container. 
Check the cake at the end of the third week.  If the cake seems slightly moist, leave it alone.  If it seems dry to the touch, add about 1/8 cup more of the wine to the cheesecloth.  You don’t want to add too much. If it’s extremely dry, add up to 1/4 cup, but no more or the cake will become soggy later.  
Once the cake has been cut, uneaten portions can be frozen.  If freezing, you might want to cut the uneaten portion in large sections, cover tightly with plastic wrap, place in individual zip lock bags and freeze.  That way, you can take out a good sized piece of cake while leaving the others frozen and fresh for future consumption.