Finally, I am posting this baby. I'm late as hell on it but you wouldn't have been able to make it this year anyway. Save the recipe; it is the best fruitcake that my mom has ever tasted (me too). Plan ahead when you make this; if you want it for Xmas then you need to start right after Halloween.
2 cups pitted dates
2 cups candied lemon rind
2 cups candied orange rind
1.5 cups dried apricots
1.5 cups dried calymyrna figs
1.5 cups candied cherries
1.5 cups candied pineapple
1.5 cups candied citron
1 cup crystallized ginger
3 cups raisins
3 cups dried currants
2.5 cups Grand Marnier
3 cups Cognac
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground mace
2 tsp. powdered instant espresso
1 lb. butter
2.25 cups dark brown sugar
9 eggs
1.25 cups molasses
7 cups pecan halves
7 cups walnut halves
1.) Chop dates, lemon rind, orange rind, apricots, figs, cherries, citron, and ginger; place in bowl. Stir in raisins, currants, 1/2 cup Grand Marnier, and 1 cup Cognac. Refrigerate for 7 days.
2.)Preheat oven to 225. Greas 4 10-cup pudding basins (or any number of pans to hold all this mess). Line each with parchment and grease that, too. Sift together flour, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and espresso powder into medium bowl.
3.) Beat butter with an electric mixer, then gradually add brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then alternately beat in dry ingredients and molasses, a little at a time (the mixture will curdle). Transfer batter into a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir in pecans, walnuts, and fruit and marinade.
4.) Spoon batter into basins, pressing to eliminate air pockets. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 5 hours. Remove cakes from oven and cool for 30 minutes, then turn onto racks and cool completely (careful here!).
5.) Brush cakes with 1 tbsp. each of Grand Marnier and Cognac (or Armagnac). Wrap in plastic wrap and ripen for at least a week, brushing every day with 1 tbsp reamaining liquor. After one week, wrap in plastic and then in foil and ripen in the refrigerator for another few weeks or until Xmas.
Note: I like to poke holes in the cakes with a skewer and then brush them with liquor. Good luck.
rwj
Did you delete that post, Robert?