Recipe: Mrs. Child's Famous Sticky Cake - A Christmas Cake. (another one)

MRS. CHILD'S FAMOUS STICKY CAKE
Source: From Julia Child's Kitchen by Julia Child, Pp.583, 584, 585

THE FRUIT and NUT MIXTURE:
To be macerated 12 hours
4 lbs diced mixed glaceed fruits: parts of these may be diced dried dates, pitted tenderized dried prunes or apricots, or raisins, or currants
1 lb (2 cups) prepared storebought mincemeat
1 lb mixed unsalted whole or chopped nut meats (such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, filberts)
2/3 cup dark jamaican rum
1/3 cup Cognac or Bourbon
1 tbsp instant coffee (espresso coffee suggested)
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp each: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, mace
1 1/2 tsp salt
THE DRY INGREDIENTS:
31/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp double action baking powder
THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks butter
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
6 large eggs
OPTIONAL DECORATION AFTER BAKING:
1 to 1 1/2 cups apricot glaze (apricot jam pushed through a sieve, boiled to the thread stage (228 degrees) with 2 tbsp sugar per cup of strained jam
12 or so glazeed cherries
12 whole pecans or walnut halves

Turn the candied fruits into a very large mixing bowl, pour on boiling water to cover, stir for 20 to 30 seconds, drain thoroughly. Return fruit to bowl, add the mincemeat, nuts, liquors, instant coffee, molasses, spices and salt; stir about. Cover airtight and let macerate for 12 hours or longer.

Stir half the flour into the fruits and nuts, sprinkle over the baking powder and the rest of the flour and stir to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after the addition of each egg. Blend the egg-sugar mixture into the fruits.

Preheat the oven to 275F. Butter you cake pan or pans, line bottom with wax paper, butter that, roll flour around in the pan to coat the interior and knock out excess flour.

Turn the batter into the pan, filling it to within 1/4 inch of the rim (and mold any extra cake mixture in a muffin tin).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 2 to 2 3/4 hours or longer, depending on size and shape of pan. Cake will rise about 1/4 inch and top will crack in several places. It is done when it shows the faintest line of shrinkage around edge of pan in several places; a skewer, plunged down into cake through a crack, should come out clean. remove cake from oven and place pan on a rack to cool to 20-25 minutes; cake should shrink a little more from sides, showing that it is ready to unmold.

Turn cake upside down on rack and give a little shake to unmold. Peel paper off bottom and turn right side up.

If you wish additional cognac, bourbon or rum, pour a spoonful or two over the cake 2 or 3 times as it cools.

When cold, wrap in plastic, then in foil and store in a cool place. Will keep for months and flavor mature with age.

OPTIONAL DECORATION:
Paint the top and sides with warm apricot glaze. Press halved glazed cherries and nut meats into the glaze and for a loaf cake, make a line of cherries down the center, flanked on either sides by nut meats.

Paint a second coating of glaze over the fruits and the top of the cake. Let set for 1/2 hour at least, allowing the glaze to dry and lose its stickiness.